Mfuwe

Mfuwe

The village of Mfuwe is the main settlement of the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia's Eastern Province, which serves the Luangwa Valley's tourism industry and wildlife conservation. Mfuwe Airport has a 2.15 km runway, which can receive international flights. In 1991, the village became known for the appearance in the area of a large man-eating lion, which was later known as the Man-Eater of Mfuwe, and killed six people before it was shot and killed. The Luangwa Valley area around the village has abundant wildlife. The Luangwa River, which flows close to the village, is home to large populations of hippos and crocodiles, and the largest concentration of hippos in the world lives in the Luangwa Valley. During the dry season, they are restricted by the shrinkage of the river and pools, and are particularly easy to observe in isolated pools. In addition to providing a source of water, the oxbow lakes and pools enhance the valley's biodiversity in other ways. The hippos that live in them feed on terrestrial vegetation at night, then their droppings feed some fish and fertilize the pools, boosting the fish population, which then feeds crocodiles and birds. During the dry season, grazing animals and their predators concentrate near the river and pools, and are easy to observe, while in the rainy season they tend to graze at more distant locations, and hide more easily under new vegetation growth.