IN Northern Zambia, near Luangwa Valley at the bottom end of the Rift Valley, lies Lake Bangweulu, a large freshwater lake surrounded by papyrus and reed swamps. There are various narrow channels meandering through and around the swampy areas. This area is unique because it has the only black lechwe herd in Africa. The remains of David Livingstone were buried not far from Lake Bangweulu.
Apart from the countless black lechwe, there are other fairly rare species such as tsessebe, oribi and, for birdwatchers, the rare shoebill stork. And, of course, there are large numbers of sitatunga in the swamps.
Sitatunga bulls are almost the same size as nyala, but are a brown colour with slightly shaggy hair and face markings similar to a kudu. They have spiral horns (averaging about 25 inches in length), long legs and their feet are elongated to help support them on the swampy gr ound. They can swim extremely well and, when hiding from pursuers, submerge themselves under the water, with only their noses poking out
