Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
A large private farm on the banks of the Kafue river and close to its headwaters. It lies between the Chingola–Solwezi road and the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Much of the area is rich miombo woodland which is interspersed with dambo and mushitu. Some sections of the Kafue are fringed with tall riparian forest and others spread onto wide flood-plains. At the heart of the farm is a long-established chimpanzee orphanage which has received considerable attention from the international media (though chimpanzees are not indigenous to Zambia). This aspect of the farm continues to grow and develop; 5,300 ha has been fenced in order to establish a private game reserve and within this area, 1,000 ha has been fenced for chimpanzees. Cattle are farmed on the remaining 4,000 ha. Visitors are welcome, there are chalets, a campsite and an education centre, and there are plans to build a lodge and an airstrip.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. The area is rich in Zambezian biome endemics, including
Stactolaema whytii,
Lybius minor,
Eremomela atricollis,
Phylloscopus laurae,
Plocepasser rufoscapulatus and
Lamprotornis acuticaudus. As well as those already mentioned, a wide range of mushitu species includes
Musophaga rossae,
Mesopicos griseocephalus,
Campephaga quiscalina,
Sheppardia bocagei,
Trochocercus cyanomelas,
Telophorus multicolor and
Estrilda perreini. Grus carunculatus is a rare visitor.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Much of the indigenous game had disappeared due to poaching by the late 1970s, but with increased protection and restocking it is hoped that numbers will build up to their former levels. It is unlikely that there are any serious threats to birds at the site.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage (Zambia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chimfunshi-wildlife-orphanage-iba-zambia on 23/12/2024.
