Mission of the Biomonitoring Team to Lake Kantotsha
Lake Kantotsha is located in the southeast block of the SNP near Luapa village. The general habitat around, is a non-disturbed mixed mature forest with closed undergrowth.
According to the local population the lake harbours many mysteries. The name is taken from the Kantotsha clan, a clan of the Iyaelima people. Traditionally access to the lake is subject to authorization from the clan. People disobeying authorization risk to be exposed to paranormal encounters, according to the local belief.
The mission took exact GPS coordinates and calculated the size of the lake to be 85,410 m². Its waters, although neither renewed nor evacuated, show no signs of eutrophication.
According to the Iyaelima, Lake Kantotsha does not contain fish, but rather harbors crocodiles and pythons that appear from time to time. The mission also did not observe evidence of wildlife frequenting the lake, suggesting that it is not used for drinking. Extensive studies should therefore be conducted to study the ichthyological, herpetological and avian fauna of the lake and its ecological role.
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