Wildlife
The Hluhluwe Imfolozi Park has a spectacular array of wildlife and is home to the famous Big 5 - lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard. Lion’s play a crucial role in the park’s environment, as they assist the control of the herbivore population. Leopards are an endangered species due to loss of habitat.
The park’s conservation efforts have proven relatively successful and continue to ensure the mysterious cats thrive. Elephants and rhinos were almost hunted to extinction in the area, but luckily the park’s conservation efforts in the 1950s saved the species. Other abundant wildlife includes giraffe, zebra, wild dog, cheetah, hyenas, warthog and baboons.
Antelope species that can be spotted are nyala, duiker, waterbuck, kudu and wildebeest. The park offers excellent game drives where many of these animals can be seen.
Bird Species
Hluhluwe-iMfolozi is home to around 400 bird species. The large variety of species found in the park is due to the different habitats that co-exist. The park is the perfect home for endangered birds whose numbers dwindle outside of protected areas. River-dependent species thrive along the Umfolozi forest corridors.
You’ll find the White-backed night hero, African finfoot and Bat hawk, Green-backed Heron and Grey Tit-flycatcher in this area. The park’s rivers, floodplains, pans, dams and vleis are important habitats for wetland-dependent birds, such as Black stork, Woolly-necked stork and African openbill. Different types of Pelicans are also sometimes spotted in the area.
Vultures and eagles are some of the more endangered species that the park protects and conserves. They include White-backed vulture, Lappet-faced vulture, White-headed vulture, Martial eagle and Tawny eagle. Other birds that thrive in the park with smaller numbers are Southern ground-hornbill, Yellow-billed apalises, Tchagras, Woodhoopoes, White-helmet shrikes, Blue waxbills and Bronze mannikins and African grass owl.