At the beginning of 2016, Hideaways Africa created a collaborative group and formed The Conservation & Wildlife Fund (CWF) in association with a number of other lodges in the Hwange region. The objective of the CWF is to work together with the wildlife authorities of Zimbabwe to raise awareness, adequately resource local authorities, and promote the sustainable use and management of the wildlife.
The founding stakeholder lodges along with Hideaways, also include African Bush Camps, The Hide and The Amalinda Collection offer a conservation levy of USD 10 per person, per night for all visitors travelling to the lodges. While some lodges are making the levy compulsory, we have chosen to keep the donation voluntary and at the choosing of each individual client After several generous donations from a number of agents and clients, the first fruits of our labour have been realised in the form of several new water boreholes. In total, seven pumps were installed extracting a total of 17100 litres per hour (approximately one million litres per week). That is enough – on paper at least – to sustain 10,000 elephants.
During the dry season, waterholes become especially important as they represent the only water source for hundreds of elephants, zebras, lions and other animals. That is the reason why many waterholes are artificially made: to prevent animals dying of thirst or from leaving the safety of the Hwange National Park in a desperate search for this life-sustaining liquid. As a member of the CWF, we and our partners believe that actions, such as the above, has become critical in order to protect and conserve Zimbabwe fauna. In a little, over three years some African countries have lost over half of their elephant population, and some have lost thousands of wild lions and rhinos. We look forward to seeing the success of these boreholes during the upcoming dry season. Should you wish to find out how you can assist or donate, please contact Nicole on info@hideawaysafrica.com
