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A Wild Night Out
‘Wild Night Out’ is set to be a fun and entertaining evening, with
a very important message. Munda Wanga are trying to publicise the
fact that carnivores in
Zambia, and Africa as a whole, are in severe danger of becoming
extinct. In the last twenty years, it is estimated that the Lion
population has dropped by as much as ninety percent. Cheetah,
Leopard and Wild Dog are also in heavy decline. Zambia still has
populations of all carnivores in its national parks, but there is no
information on exact numbers. Hunting quotas are currently being
set on outdated, or most often, no information at all. This could
be leading to the extinction of certain carnivores from Zambia’s
national parks.
To help counter this issue, Munda Wanga is developing a Carnivore
Conservation Database. This is basically a list of Lion, Cheetah,
Wild Dog, Leopard and Hyena sightings from all over
Zambia. Anyone can be involved from the general public to
conservationists in the field. Information will be recorded on the
carnivore spotted and passed to Munda Wanga. We will then be able
to process it and over time produce reports on density and
distribution of carnivores in all national Parks. These reports
will be available for anyone to see, and will be passed to the
correct authority to use when producing hunting quotas.
‘Wild Night Out’ will be a black tie dinner dance held at the
Intercontinental Hotel,
Lusaka, on Saturday 19 February at 7 pm. The event’s theme is
Carnivore Conservation and all money raised will be used in
Carnivore Conservation projects at Munda Wanga.
The evening is set to be both fun and informative. Ann Van Dyke,
director of De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust will be presenting a
short video on the plight of Cheetah in Africa, while guests tuck in
to their five course meal. Munda Wanga are awaiting confirmation
from Saba Douglas Hamilton, BBC Big Cat Diaries Presenter, who they
hope will talk about the Lion and its dramatic population decline
over the last few years. The evening will also include a charity
auction, which will include Premier League signed football shirts,
signed David Shepherd prints and an all inclusive trip to De Wildt
in South Africa. Also present will be Rob Taylor, direct from Monte
Casino, Johannesburg, who will be playing live popular music.
The event has been organised to coincide with the arrival of two
male Cheetah from De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust. The Cheetah
will be coming to Zambia on a joint educational venture between
Munda Wanga and De Wildt. Munda Wanga’s Educational staff will now
be able to disseminate information regarding the plight of cheetah
in Africa to the just over 60,000 visitors they get a year. All
guests that have bought tickets for the evening dinner dance will be
invited to come down to Munda Wanga and witness the arrival of
Cheetah, free of charge.
For further details please contact James on
sanctuary@zamnet.zm. Bookings can be made through Antonia
on
antoniahynd@hotmail.com |
January 2005