This is a hard land where people did not survive without courage, stamina, strength and fortitude. It has not, of course, always been a game reserve. In an area of relatively low rainfall between 570mm and 650mm the land was set aside in this century for hunting and farming, with quite large units being laid out. In most cases, cattle were raised but an attempt to grow wheat was made on one of the large areas of basaltic 'black-cotton' soil. In addition, the forest was exploited for hardwoods, especially along the line of rail with teak, African mahogany and mukwa being the principle timbers extracted The Park's personnel report that the area can boast 105 mammal species, including 19 large herbivores and eight large carnivores.
Elephant make up the largest proportion of the biomass.
With the. exception of one species, all Zimbabwe's specially protected animals are to be found in Hwange and it is the only protected area where gemsbok and brown hyena occur in reasonable numbers. The population of wild dog to be found in Hwange is thought to he the largest surviving in Africa today. More than 410 species of hires are said to have been recorded here. From its very inception, the Park was managed with a specific aim in view to increase populations of large herbivores for tourism. By any standards, Hwange National Park has been a success.