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Capturing the essence of 'green season' at Shinganda
NatureSpy has been supporting the work of Shinganda Wildlife Wilderness in Zambia for the past 5 years and we’re always excited to see what the trail cameras reveal!
In this blog, the Shinganda team treats us to a trail camera photo tour of the conservancy with footage collected during the 2023 season. We also take a closer look at some fascinating wild dog activity that’s been recorded on site and learn about Shinganda’s exciting plans for 2024.
Established in 2001, Shinganda Wildlife Wilderness is a not-for-profit wildlife restoration project spanning an unfenced 20,000ha conservancy situated 50km northwest of Kafue National Park. Linked to the national park by a conservation corridor, this protected habitat supports the movement and survival of diverse wildlife, including African painted dogs, lions, and elephants.
Shinganda is an integral part of the Greater Kafue Ecosystem and the team provides year-round monitoring and protection for carnivores, herbivores and their habitat.
Green Season
The typical rain season in Zambia runs from November through to the following March, transforming the dry bush into a wonderland of green grass and flowing streams. Shinganda was able to capture the essence of this past “green season” with a series of camera trap images, showcasing the lush green landscape along with some of the wildlife that benefits from the heavy rains.
Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
A female greater kudu looks happy about the green season. This large species of antelope has distinctive white facial markings and large ears, which it can rotate independently to listen out for predators.
Lesser spotted eagle (Clanga pomarina)
Lesser spotted eagles are a common Palearctic migrant, visiting Zambia from October through to March. Intact, healthy ecosystems, as found on Shinganda Wildlife Wilderness in Zambia, are crucial for sustaining global populations of migratory birds like the lesser spotted eagle.
Defassa waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus defassa)
A female Defassa waterbuck chews on grass while checking the trail camera is working as it should. The neat, round hole in this waterbuck’s ear suggests she may have had a lucky escape from a poachers’ gun.
African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana)
The Lumba Stream flows through Shinganda, providing a reliable source of water to wildlife year round. This bush elephant has just been for a splash and a drink in a nearby pool.
Southern reedbuck (Redunca arundinum)
A male southern reedbuck springing through the anthills. Southern reedbucks occur in small family groups on Shinganda.
Nocturnal Antics
We’ve previously been treated to some incredible footage from Shinganda that shows the activity of wildlife after dark. The team at Shinganda record a great variety of wildlife activity at night all throughout the year.
There are different reasons why nighttime activity may benefit different species, for some, it’s to avoid the scorching heat of the day, whereas for others this presents an opportunity to find prey.
Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
A bat zips through the horns of a young greater kudu bull. Male greater kudus have impressive spiralling horns and a beard that runs along the throat.
Honey badger (Mellivora capensis)
Honey badgers are mostly nocturnal. With a varied omnivorous diet, this hardy species of the mustelid family uses the cover of darkness to forage for its next meal.
Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus)
A male dominance encounter between two bushbuck rams is caught on camera, likely owing to sought-after mineral salt in the nearby soil. The larger, more dominant male on the right raises the dorsal crest hair on his back, head held high, with forelegs showing a stiff-legged gait. To the left, the smaller male adopts a more submissive posture. This behaviour helps the bushbucks to avoid dangerous “head-on” aggressive fights.
Greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
A female greater kudu at sunset with a bright reflection of the clouds in her eyes.
An important place for wild dog conservation
African wild dogs, also sometimes referred to as African painted dogs, generally have very large home ranges, moving vast distances in search of food. Trail cameras deployed on here continue to prove the importance of Shinganda as an area supporting African wild dogs within the Kafue-West Lunga Conservation Corridor.
In reviewing camera trap images captured during 2023, Shinganda identified a definite match from two photographs of an individual African wild dog taken in the area, 20 months apart.
Photograph showing the distinctive, individual markings of an African wild dog
The colour image photographed with a regular camera as seen above is one of 30 images taken by a tourist travelling on a road, opposite Shinganda. The images were taken on 29 January 2022 with 12 individual African wild dogs in the pack;
Trail camera image of the same wild dog, 20 months later.
The black-and-white trail camera image above was captured late evening on 7 October 2023, approximately 500m from the main camp on Shinganda Wildlife Wilderness. Apart from all the matching coat markings, very interestingly, the pictured individual has an almost totally black tail (i.e. no white tip, as observed in most other animals in the Shinganda area).
Since first being photographed in 2022 as a relatively young dog and captured on camera trap 20 months later, this individual dog appears to have grown over this period, with a more “lanky” adult profile and is clearly still using Shinganda as part of its home range, together with other dogs in the “Shinganda Pack”.
In other African wild dog news, last year, the Shinganda team captured rare footage of African wild dogs scavenging. It’s uncommon for wild dogs to scavenge, as their predation tactics make them highly effective hunters. See the photos and learn about what this behaviour may indicate in this blog.
In other African wild dog news, last year, the Shinganda team captured rare footage of African wild dogs scavenging. It’s uncommon for wild dogs to scavenge, as their predation tactics make them highly effective hunters. See the photos and learn about what this behaviour may indicate in this blog.
Plans for 2024
In exciting times for Shinganda Wildlife Wilderness, wildlife conservation efforts are being doubled in 2024 through the establishment of new accommodation, with additional staff to counter illegal hunting in the area. At the beginning of the year, NatureSpy provided additional cameras to boost Shinganda’s wildlife monitoring effort to complement their expanded work programme. Shinganda has recently deployed NatureSpy cameras within this poaching “hotspot”, hoping to track wildlife recovery as a result of their strengthened law enforcement programme.
In other exciting news, Shinganda has received two new NatureSpy Ursus trail cameras to use alongside Browning Recon Force trail cameras, which are already in the field. We look forward to seeing how these cameras perform under harsh environmental conditions in the African bush.
Installing a trail camera for monitoring leopards
Our thanks to the team at Shinganda for sharing some of their discoveries from the 2023 field season. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2024!
NatureSpy’s support for the vital conservation work being carried out at Shinganda Wildlife Wilderness is made possible by profits from the NatureSpy Shop.
NatureSpy’s support for the vital conservation work being carried out at Shinganda Wildlife Wilderness is made possible by profits from the NatureSpy Shop.
