Day 5 – 15.03.2018
*Disclaimer – if you are not a fan of rhinos, just skip the next couple of photos or this blog post altogether....*
Since we had such a relaxed start to the day, we went all out with breakfast. Toasted bred over the fire, bacon, eggs and some more Mopane worms. : ). I tried them this time with scrambled eggs and they were good, except that they still had soo much salt on them.
Since non of us was wearing their watches, time flew by and while we were washing up our guide for the day, Jordan, came to pick us up.
We drove to Matobo National Park, where we were going to trek rhinos. Oh yes, you read right!
After we had signed our lives away we were given a bit of information on them. See how big one rhinos footprint is compared to mine...
There are two types of rhinos, the black rhino and the white rhino. The black rhino has a very pointy lower lip, which works perfectly to pick off leaves and twigs from branches. (Hedgecutters).
The white rhino has a wide lower lip, that it uses to eat away on grass (Lawnmower). As you can see below in the photo, the skull of the white rhino has been severely damaged when the poachers came in with axes to hack off the rhinos horn. At least you can also see the bullet wound to the brain, which meant that it was dead straight away.
The numbers from this sign are 4 years out of date. Currently there are no more Sumatran and Javan rhinos left, they have gone extinct. The greater one-horned rhinos numbers have been cut in half. Aswell as the black rhino and white rhino number. It is estimated that in the enxt 4 years there will be no rhinos left, the species will have become extinct despite all of the efforts in place to protect them.
We were told that on a trial basis they dehorned all their rhinos, leaving only a little bit of a stump for the rhino to stay balanced and to reduce the poachers interest in them. The problem is that 1 kg of rhino horn is valued at around 10,000 dollars on the black market. So a full sized horn of about 6 kg will give you 60,000 dollars. You see these figures are just enough incentive for poachers to continue and even kill the rhinos that have just a stump left on their faces since even that will get them 10,000 dollars.
The horns of the rhino are made up of the same materials as our finger nails and are said to have traces of aspirin if you eat a large amount of it. Why that doesnt mean that the clients buying these rhino horns in Asian countries just bite their fingernails instead, is a mystery to me. It is said that consuming powdered rhino horn will make a man hung like a rhino (about 10kg worth of rhino manhood) and last as long as one (rhinos take about 45 – 60 minutes for mating). Of course any man that were to come along with that sort of „potential“ would send any woman running away in an instance. But like Jordan said, if a man decides to pay 10,000 dollars for a bit of rhino horn, he will definitely not tell his friends it didnt work.
There is currently a ban on rhino horn, that has lasted for 40 years. The problem ist hat in this time span poaching has only increased and nearly wiped out the entire species. A proposed idea therefore would be to be able to sell the rhino horn that is being stored from all the dehorning, straight onto the black market. That way the market would be flooded, the prices would hopefully drop – giving less incentive to poachers, and the rhinos themselves can be saved. The money that is made from the sales could then go back into conservation and into the comunities along the way. The dehorning process, from the rhino thumping to the ground after it has been given the anaesthetics, a chainsaw sawing off the horn, an antidote being given and then running away like crazy, since the rhino wont be so keen on you after that, takes about 30 seconds. This rhino isnt killed, or left to die and continue living happily. As its horn is made of the same material of finger nails it will regrow quickly and could potentially be harvested on a year or several year basis. That way the rhino could pay for its own safety.
The money that then could be made can be used to give back to the community, build schools and support the farmers that had to move their cattle elsewhere for example to make way for the fenced national park. It also adds to the protetion of the rhinos , as any poachers have to walk through the neighbouring families and farms in order to get to the rhinos. If the community is being supported, then there is less incentive for them to want something of the bigger pie, as they will have everything they need to support themselves, and will make sure not to let the poachers come through them and access the park. It would just be another line of defence.
The problem is that CITE is the worlds global body that deals with matters of global conservation, from ivory, to rhino horns, to whaling. When the idea of selling the horns to the black market was presented, CITE told them that in order for this to be passed and allowed, they would need two thirds of the votes. Last year they received 26 of the votes and hence it wasnt officially allowed. Unfortunately the body only convenes every 4 years, which might already be too late to save the rhinos.
Poachers tend to leave traps, such as wire traps where the rhinos get caught in and then wrap themselves around telephone or power poles for example. That leaves them immobile and the poachers can access the rhino, break its back, axe off the horn and leave the rest of the rhino behind. Sometimes the rhinos bleed out and die, sometimes they die of their wounds several days later. It is never a quick death, only if they are shot, but that is far too loud and the rangers would hear them and catch the poachers red handed.
In Zimbabwe, any person that is found with a gun in a National Park (especially the rhino parks) can be shot upon suspicion of poaching. Rules are not as strict for South Africa though, as there you are looking at a fine of 6000 dollars if you are caught redhanded, if it is a second time offence then probably around 10000 dollars and i fit is a third time offence, then you might slowly be looking at a prison sentence. Definitely all risks that are takeable. It gets even more lucrative if people from other countries come to a country like South Africa, commit their crimes and return home before they can be sentenced. No one will bother getting them on trial.
Enough of the gloomy and very sad details. Jordan said that we should be lucky seeing these animals around in the wild, since they will be gone in the next 3-4 years entirely.
After checking in at the National Park we drove to the place where the rangers had sited a group of rhinos. We got off the car and started walking (yes, by foot!) towards them. We first spotted foot prints and fresh dung.
That meant we were close!
Jordan takes us around the bend and there they were. Five rhinos in such proximity, that I welled up immediately. What amazing creatures!
I decided to add Jordan into some of the photos, so that you can see how close we actually are.
It was incredible! The rhino was staring right at us, couldnt see us though, as rhinos are known for their terrible eyesight. But the rhino could hear us, and Jordan made feeding noises to alert the rhino that we were there but minding our own buisness and hence not a threat to this white rhino. As you can see his ear is tagged – each rhino in Africa has its own number and can therefore be identified.
We then continued following the rhinos, still in awe and asking loads of questions. Rhinos tend to walk around in herds in a small about 20km area, where they graze, mate and sleep. It can happen that during the hot hours oft he afternoon the will lie flat on their sides snoring like sawmills.
We were accompanied by two rangers with big guns, which as we were told werent for our protection, but for the protection of the rhinos from us.
Jordan led us to a waterhole where he hoped that all rhinos would go swimming together. Isnt this incredible?
It turns out that the two rhinos on the far right where having a small argument. The rhino on the far right, usually walks around with another herd and walked up and wanted to join this group of rhinos instead.
Not much to the enjoyment on the opposing rhino.
At some point the left rhino charged the far right to make his point and the far right rhino fled. Unfortunately this was across the riverbank towards us. Jordan quickly intervened and stepped infront oft he rhino (yes, you are reading this right!) and let the running rhino know that we were hear and passing was really an option. The rhino was now stuck between the rhino who had asked him to leave and us, asking him not to continue moving forward. Jordan just said, anyone who gives this poor rhino a hug gets a bottle of whisky – poor guy, just wants to find new friends... Why cant we just all get along. : )
They then moved off into the distance and our hour with the rhinos was over. What an experience. I can just say that this so far has been the best animal encounter I have had, and I have seen a few animals so far : ) . We were lucky to find these rhinos so quickly after getting out of the car – it must have been no more than 15 minutes from getting out of the car to seeing them. Normally it can happen that you walk around for a really long time to find them munching about. The company African Wanderer or on Facebook is just incredible for this experience. Full of knowledge, and keeping us safe so close to these wild animals. As you will be able to see they also do other tours and excursions, for example in Hwange Park (where we had been the day before) or wildlife sanctuaries, with trekking on foot to see elephants, rhinos, lions and anything else you come across. I can just again highly recommend them for anyone wanting to see wild animals in Africa. This is already the highlight of my trip.
After the rhinos we headed on further into the park for lunch. We were greeted by a wonderful view of the park with its picturesque landscape and volcanic rock structures!
After lunch – some great sandwiches we made ourselves with proper hot english mustard : ) and some potato salad, Jordan showed us some of the surrounding plants and their medicinal properties. These little seeds for example, that are eaten quite a bit by the black rhinos, have strong hallucinagenic properties. Hence, as Jordan explained, no wonder the black rhinos are just so much more aggresive, they are „tripping balls“ most of the time...
(The amount of seeds in Jordans hand could kill a normal human being. 1 – 2 seeds were fine for us to see pink elephants, but anything more and game over.)
We continued on to go and see some cave paintings that were located in the park. We stopped at a dam that separates these volcanic rocks with the water hole next to it.
At this leg oft he ride, I got to sit at the front of the truck. Ill show you a photo of Keegan too, so that you can understand what I mean. Its an amazing feeling driving along like this, as you dont really feel part of the car, but you still drive along with the same comforts of the car, getting the same bumps as anyone in the seats behind you.
Since we were still high from our experience with the rhinos and reenergized from our lunch, we decided for the long hike up to the cave paintings. Here Jordan stopped to teach us more about the plants and their properties. For example these leaves are like velcro, and if you add enough together you can make clothing, or even water collection bowls.
This little yellow tomato, or like a physalis looking fruit, is also highly venomous. If you thinly slice it, this devils apple fruit (oh yes you Christians you), can kill you if ingested. But, if you for example have sever tooth ache, then you can use the juice of this fruit and add it to the tooth and kill off the nerve endings of the bothering tooth. At least you then dont go insane with the pain of a tooth ache.
This plant smelt incredibly of lemon. They are non fruit bearing wild lemon trees.
We climbed up the hill / mountain (long hike didnt mean walking for a long time, but more up a mountain....) and got a better view of the national park and what bush men all these years ago would have similarly seen.
On our way to the cave we came across one of these trees again, a paper bark tree that is green as it is one of the plants that actually photosynthesize through their tree trunk.
We reached the cave and painting were impressive! Just so clear and easibly visible. Where some people think that these were painted with the colours of berries or even blood, this is highly unlikely. More probable is that they were painted using a mixture of crushed stone, and vile from animal gall bladders all elements that bushmen wouldnt have had any use from. With this they didnt quite paint the stone, but the acid of the vile most likely burned itself into the stone and since these places were found sheltered from the rain, the rainwater also couldnt wash away the layers of rock, hence why these paintings are still so visible.
Look at the detail of the animals! The bushmen believed that animals were good, any action wasnt malicious but as a reaction to a natural phenomenon – i.e. killing for food, charging for protection etc. and so their depictions of them are so detailed. Man however, was always depicted as stick figures, as they didnt want to represent themselves as purely good.
The red part beneath the painting show paintings that have been painted over and over again. Apparently if you are a bit more of a wiz at photoshop and you can change the light settings, it is possible to view the other paintings aswell.
Look at these giraffes that look like they are running!
This is also impressive. This zebra painted just with very fine strokes.
Jordan also showed us some shadow paintings, that you cannot see with your plain eye, but only if a shadow is cast among them. It shows the spirits that secure and protect the cave. They were little figurines in black. No idea how they managed to draw this!
Jordan also told us more about the bushmen, their beliefs, and that only a handful still live in Hwange National Park. All of them have less of an environmental impact than one pride of lion, so they are left to roam and hunt freely amoung the park. It is important to know that they are the last remains of our origins. Everyone some time started off on the African continent. The bushmen believe that you only take as much as you need and leave enough so that the plant for example can regrow. So instead of picking all the berries of a bush, they would always only pick half, so that the bush can still bear enough for animals, or other bushmen walking along. If they had to kill an animal, they would make use of every single element of the animal in order not to waste anything of it. They dont have a sense of property, so for example if they would have seen a child herding a flock of goats, they would have accessed the situation, declared that this was an easy kill and would have killed off one of the goats. Still leaving enough for the everyone else, and just taking as much as they need. Now the poor child would run back to its father and say that the „bad“ bushmen have killed one of his goats. As these are essential for his family, this obviously doesnt sit well with the father. But again, these are completely different ways of living – living off the earth and taking only what you need, living off the earth and trading with others who have specilised on one thing. There is an interesting film showing the differences between one „civilisation“ and another called, the Gods must be crazy.
Since the bushmen dont have a sense of ownership or property, more and more of „their“ land has been taken away from them to the point where it is very hard for them to survive. The last remaining bushmen can be found in the African desert, or like stated earlier a handful in Hwange National Park. They are fascinating and go hand in hand with other civilsations like the Mayas and Aztecs, Egyptians and the Khmer.
After our little history and sociology lesson, we drove to a nearby local village to meet the chief. He heads about 10,000 people and is quite an impressive character!
Wearing a leopard skin and posing with Chief Pondo (whos name as he told us comes from one pound, which was the currency back in the days when he was born and the British still reigned. He was an amazing character and the stories he told were so entertaining. He has experienced so much in his life already, fighting with leopards, because one had attacked his dog „bastard“, tracking white rhinos to relocate them, using marihuana and proposing to take us two girls as wifes from now on. Fantastic!
After visiting the chief, we still had open buisness, we wanted to see whether we would also be able to track black rhinos – obviously from further away out of the car but we wanted to at least give it a shot! So from the village to the road we took on some little pirates that stole our hearts and played around with our cameras. I think we nearly managed to fill the full capacity of the 17 seater car : ) ...
Back into a different part of the National Park and we didnt come across any animal for a very long time. It seemed like we werent driving through a National Park with animals, but more of a nature reserve where they were still to move animals into. There were bugs and insects and a couple of birds, but absolutely no animal.
We drove passed this statue called mother and child. Looks like a mum scolding her child right?
We finally came across this lake and saw a couple of hippos swimming peacefully along its banks. Even though hippos supposedly kill the most amounts of humans in Africa, we were able to get real close and Jordan said that hippos werent naturally aggressive. Most animals arent actually, apart from black rhinos which charge at anything (they also live a more solitary life and therefore are more in need of watching out for themself) and buffalo which are entirely unpredictable (they have this blank stare and out of nowhere will charge at you if they think you are endangering their herd of if you meet a single male buffalo, or daggaboy as they are lovingly called, their reaction is quite umpredictable.)
We tried to spot rhinos from a lookout, which again was unsuccessful.
We headed to a more savannah like feel, but again, absolutely no animal. Hooveprints and pawprints everywhere, but no animals in sight. It was getting rather strange.
Eventually we managed to see a quick glimpse of a couple of zebra and a giraffe, but apart from that it seemed like those were the only things with a heartbeat we were going to see in this side of the park. Nevertheless, the sightings we had seen that morning were all we needed for that day, and I happily said, I think I could go home now after having seen the rhinos up close. I dont know if there is anything that can top this experience.
We headed back and at the campsite a barbecue was waiting for us, it smelt amazing! We had some pap, a maize meal mixture that looks a bit like corn mash and soon after retreated to our tents to be able to digest the food and the impressions we had gathered that day. I will never forget this day – wow!
