Mungo - The authorities in Mungo municipality, in central Huambo province, plan to give a facelift to the hippopotamus and Peregrine falcon observation area located on the banks of the Luvulo River, the local administrator Domingos Calei told ANGOP.
The initiative essentially aims to contribute to the preservation of these animal species and promote ecotourism in the region.
Mungo Calei highlighted that the rehabilitation of the hippopotamus area and the observation zone for the peregrine falcon, which appears in the municipality every February, is a tourist attraction and an incentive to study these animal species.
He said that the municipality has a hippopotamus sanctuary along the Luvulo River, which, in addition to its ecological importance, is a determining factor in the development of ecotourism.
Domingos Pascal Calei said that despite the poor safety conditions, Mungo receives hundreds of visitors every year, including international tourists and students from the provinces of Benguela, Bié and Huíla, who take the opportunity to observe the hippopotamus and the peregrine falcon bird, which comes from Hungary
Characteristics of the hippopotamus
Hippopotamuses are aquatic animals that can also live on land, but their proximity to water makes it possible for them to constantly cool their skin.
These animals are herbivores and feed on the quantities of grasses and herbs they find around their habitat.
Hippos are lazy on land, but can still reach speeds of 50 kilometers per hour, in the water they are fast and show various adaptations in their mostly aquatic existence, including ears and nostrils that can close and a skin secretion that acts as a sunscreen, antiseptic and antibacterial.
Huambo province has two hippopotamus sanctuaries located in the municipality of Mungo and another on the border, between the municipalities of Bailundo and Londuimbali.
Peregrine Falcon
This bird is blue-grey in color, with dark stripes and a black crown on its head. It has a long, narrow tail with white tips. In general, females lay three eggs and the incubation period is 30 days.
It is the fastest animal in the world, with a diving speed of up to 320 kilometers per hour.
With an area of 5,000 square kilometres, the municipality of Mungo, one of the 11 that make up Huambo province, has an estimated population of 148,516 inhabitants, distributed between the communes of Cambuengo and Sede, according to recent data from the National Statistics Institute. JSV/ALH/TED/AMP
