The Return of the Cheetah!

The after effects of the 27 year Angolan civil war not only are apparent in the destruction and neglect of the national infrastructure, but also in the decimation of the once plentiful herds of wild animals.  Though vast numbers of animals were destroyed during the war by the soldiers and the dominance of poachers, small perserved populations of elephant and unique giant black sable, red buffalo, antelope are seen in the rehabilitating national parks.

One of the recent and exciting spottings that occurred last month in March is that of the cheetah; the first sighting of the animal in Angola for decades.  Though cheetahs are swift, powerful hunters, they were no match for the civil war which devastated the cheetah's main habitat, the Iona National Park. This arid area in the extreme southwest of the country was one of the former ranges of the cheetah, however, due to Angola’s three-decade civil war, the cheetah’s status in the country has been unknown.

The 1.6 million hectare Iona National Park, proclaimed a reserve on 2 October 1937, is located in southwest Angola, bordering Namibia. Although it is very dry, the area is perfect cheetah habitat with thousands of hectares of open savannah and a growing prey base such as springbok and oryx, two species that adapt to an arid environment and are the cheetah’s primary prey.

According to recent reports from the conservation group, Cheetah Conservation Fund, a three day survey in the arid Iona Park revealed reported various sightings of the fast, spotted, leopard-like wild feline.  "We found nine different marking trees," one spotter remarked. In one, he saw cheetah dung. Then "two male cheetahs ran out. It was very exciting -- there are cheetahs in Angola," he said.  (Excerpts from Africa Geographic)

Angola: An Emerging Haven for 'Birders'

For almost thirty years, because of the safety aspects of the civil war, Angola's highly sought after endemic birds like the Red Crested Turaco pictured above were beyond safe reach to all bird watchers.   Now, with the advent of safety and freedom of travel in the country, 'birders' or ornithologists can see the wealth of over 170 bird species which inhabit the country of Angola.  

Birders can view rarely seen birds such as Swierstra’s Spurfowl, Gabela Helmetshrike, Gabela Bushshrike, White-headed Robin-Chat, Angola Cave Chat, Pulitzer’s Longbill or Gabela Akalat. (To be honest, this is not my area of expertise, so I guess these are gold-mine sightings for the most serious birders!)  Here, I will try to show just a few of the beautiful, unusual and rare bird species of the country.

White-Fronted Wattle Eye

Angolan Seafood Resources = Great Food!

After oil and diamond mining, the fisheries industry is the third most important sector in the country. Along the entire 1650 kilometer coastline, a rich fishery exists. Since ancient times, fishing has been important right up to colonial times when Angola was one of the biggest producers and exporters in the region.

Although the majority of fish is harvested by industrial and semi-industrial fleets using nets and trawling methods, there is also a large 'hand-labor' fishing industry estimated to employ around 25000 fishermen using 3000-4500 "chatas", or small motorised or un-motorised boats.

Main fishing resources include sardinellas, horse mackerels, sardines, dentex, shrimps, crabs, lobster and other valued tropical bottom species. Since Angolan seafood is abundant and very good, the Angolan coast is a special place to purchase fresh shrimp or lobster right off the fisherman's boat.
 

Shrimp is one of my favorite seafoods and Angolan shrimp stew (bobo de camarão) is one of the typical seafood dish made with shrimps, cassava (manioc), dendê (palm) oil and coconut milk.

Check out the recipe for bobo de camarao here....  If you make it the recipe the Angola way, beware, it is a little spicy with the peppers and chilies!

One of Angola's Treasures: The Giant Sable Antelope

The Giant Sable Antelope, also known in Portuguese as the Palanca Negra, is a large, rare species of antelope on native to the region between Cuango and Luanda Rivers in Angola.  The antelope is held in a great respect by the country and people of Angola and regarded as one of its national treasures.  In African mythology, just like other antelopes, they symbolize vivacity, velocity, beauty and visual sharpness.

Thought to be almost extinct, because of the ravages of the 27 year civil war which decimated the animal's population, there have been five confirmed sightings recently in its native habitat around the Cuango River.  Several animal conservation agencies are currently working to protect and repopulate the antelope to conserve its species.

The Giant Sable is a national symbol of Angola and is portrayed on numerous stamps, banknotes, and even passports of the nation. The Angolan National Football Team, currently playing in the African Cup of Nations hosted in Angola, is fondly known as the Palancas Negras in honor of this antelope.