A few may have survived in the Sumbu Game Reserve as late as 1959, but it is doubtful if any remain there today.
Estimates by game officers, largely subjective but not unreasonable: Kafue NP 130 JMC Uys, 1967 Sichifula 10 JMC Uys, 1967 Mumbwa West 10 JMC Uys, 1967 E.Kasempe and SW Ndola 12 N.J.Carr,
Sporadic occurrence. Recent reports from the North-western Province (outside the Kafue NP and the area east of the East Lunga river) are: in 1962 a rhinoceros was hit by a slow-moving vehicle about 23 miles from Kasempa on the Mumbwa road, 1326-C-1, bu
Letcher on his map (1911) noted rhinoceros just north of the present Lavushi Manda Game Reserve, 1130-D-4, and above the escarpment in the vicinity of Mpika. Hughes (1933) recorded them from the headwaters of the Lupembazi, I230-B-1, the Lumbatwa, 1231-A
1969, Rhinoceros are completely protected in Zambia except for some 5-6 allowed annually on licence to safari clients in the Luangwa Valley. Permits to capture two alive for zoological gardens were also issued in 1968. Uys considers that the high cost o
The Zambezian form was believed to be Diceros bicornis bicornis though Katanga specimens had been referred to D.b. holmwoodi by Ansell 1960:52, until a recent revision by Groves (1967) placed Zambian animals as Diceros bicornis minor Drummond, with holmwo
Preserving the rhinoceros was a main objective in creating this reserve, following Pitman's report (1934) which showed that they survived west of the Lavushi hills, 1230-B-3. In 1948 W.E. Poles, who considered that only a remnant survived there, recorded
I have a record of former occurrence in Kawambwa District, 1028-B-2, but cannot trace details. The Kawambwa District Note Book, undated, but doubtless many years ago, recorded that rhinoceros had ?not ever been heard of in the division', and it is virtua
Rhino occur in Kasempa District, east of the East Lunga River, where Uys has reported them in recent years on the Kaungashi stream, 1326-D-3 and D-4.
They are also still present in the adjacent part of Ndola Rural District west of the Luswishi River, i.e. the Mininga, Mafunshi and Lwambowo drainage, 1327-C-1 and C-2, though the latest actual record is of spoor reported in 1959 by one of my staff near t
Zambia. Rhino dying from fighting constitutes evidence of over-population.
They may also extend, although unrecorded, into the extreme northwestern tip of the Kabwe (formerly Broken Hill) District, 1321-C-3.
Rhino must once have been widespread on the Eastern Province plateau, but, except for those in north-eastern Chipata District and southern Lundazi District already noted, the only recent record is of a single bull which survived to about 1959 between Chip
Only a remnant population was thought to survive in the Middle Zambezi Valley, from the Kafue confluence to Feira, until, in August 1960, a prospector, R.B. Gordon, reported one at his camp on the Chakwenga River in the escarpment, and another seen, plus
Map of former and present distribution [same in reprint in Black Lechwe, 1973, but showing the gridlines numbers]
The Luano valley comprises the lower course of the Lunsemfwa river, and the valley of its tributary, the Lukusashi river, joins it 20 miles above its confluence with the Luangwa. Rhinoceros still occur there and occasionally wander to the adjacent platea
The Luangwa valley has always been the main stronghold of rhinoceros in Zambia and remains so today. Records are so numerous it would be pointless to list them. They still occur at least as far north as the Kaunga stream, about 10.35' S., and southwards
Diceros bicornis must have occurred throughout Zambia, both on the plateaus and in the low-lying Luangwa, Luano and middle Zambezi valleys. It may always have been absent from the limited montane areas of the extreme north-east.
The only recent records from the Central Province plateau, except those already noted from Mumbwa District, are of wanderers from the Luano Valley. In 1958 one such animal was shot near Broken Hill, now Kabwe, 1428-B-3, and J.A. Gledhill reported fresh s
Sporadic occurrence. Pitman (1934) noted that there were still a few rhinoceros in the Mankoya District, and so did Lancaster (1953: 46). A few remain along the border of Mankoya District with the Kafue NP, where spoor of two was reported in 1950 near t
No attempts have been made to restock former areas. Good areas recommended were Sumbu GR by JMC Uys, and Kafue by JB Shenton. Sumbu would merit consideration if restocking became possible.
Ceratotherium simum may once have occurred between the Zambezi and Mashi Rivers.
I understand that some rhinoceros still occur in the Vwaza Marsh, northern Malawi.
Middle Zambezi, above Kafue confluence. They were common near Kariba gorge in the 1930's (Pitman, I934: 9), and still surviving in the 1950's (Ansell, 1959 b), though only in low numbers compared with the south bank of Lake Kariba (Roth, 1967). No doubt
Zambia. Berry points out that a number die each year when they become stuck in the mud or drying-out lagoons towards the end of the dry season, but he attributes this to attempts top reach the litle remaining water in the centre.
Evaluation of census in Luangwa valley, Zambia. Uys' estimate is based partly on flying over the valley and partly on ground observation, and that of Allen and Berry on ground observation. All three observers have considerable experience of the areas for which they give figures. Dean's and Patton's figures are based on air survey, but in view of the limitations of this as a census method for rhinoceros, as found by Goddard (1967), it seems certain that they must be well below the true population figures. In the Luangwa Valley (South) game reserve, for example, Patton estimated only 10 for his Block IV, roughly the area between the Luwi and Kapamba Streams, and Dean's map shows no rhinoceros around Mfuwe. But in 1964 I knew of at least six in an area of about 15 square miles centred on Mfawe, and there were certainly several more within it mile or so of the Luangwa River between the Luwi and the Kapamba. In March 1965 Berry counted eight in a short march south of Mfuwe, five of them in less than half a mile. Dean acknowledges the difficulty of estimating rhinoceros from air counts, and makes the reservation that his figures are probably conservative. He thought that there was a minimum of 200--265, probably more, in the Luangwa Valley (South) game reserve plus the Munyamadzi corridor. Goddard (1967) found that even under ideal conditions only 50 per cent of a known population was detected from the air. Assuming that this would hold good for the I.uangwa valley, and that, for the purpose of the argument, Dean's figure surveys were made in ideal conditions doubling his above figure gives 100--530, which agrees remarkably closely with Uys' estimate of 400 (southern game reserve) plus 50 (Munyamadzi). Similarly Dean's figure for the Lukusuzi game reserve, taken as about 2/3 of his Block V, works out at about 40 - just half of Allen and Berry's figure for the reserve. The close agreement between Uys', Dean's and Patton's figures for the Munyamadzi corridor alone is puzzling as it does not agree with the much lower estimates of the latter two observers in comparison with Uys's figures for other areas.
Rinderpest, which caused such havoc towards end of last century, evidently does not affect rhinoceros.
