I have just returned from an extraordinary week at Baines’ River Camp where Dr Johan Marais hosted our very first 5-day Elephant Workshop. The Lower Zambezi Valley, abundant with elephants, proved the perfect environment to gain a better understanding of these majestic creatures and their importance to African wildlife areas. An equine vet by trade and lecturer at Onderstepoort (South Africa’s only faculty of veterinary science) Johan’s passion for Elephants is more than evident from the moment you meet him. Through his incredible books, “Great Tuskers of Africa” and “In Search of Africa’s Great Tuskers”, he raises awareness for the diminishing number of large ivory carriers. Although elephants are perfectly capable of survival without tusks, for Johan there is no question about the importance of preserving our African heritage by looking after these Vanishing Giants and their future generations.
On arrival of the last guest, we went out on our first boat cruise, which offered us magnificent sightings of a group of bachelors on the bank and a breeding herd on an island in the river. During that
first day, we discovered Johan possesses a refreshing and hilarious sense of humour and I knew we were in for a workshop filled with laughter. Johan had prepared magnificent presentations and in his first talk we went through the different types of African Elephants, their basic anatomy, genetic characteristics and the composition of ivory. The following morning we travelled by boat to the Albida (Winter Thorn) forest in the Lower Zambezi National Park. Not even 5 minutes into the drive a tiny elephant calf with mom on its heels spotted our vehicle. Its inquisitive nature took over and it came running towards us to investigate. Mom quickly ushered her calf around a palm tree, from where the little thing kept a close eye on us, finding our scent with its unsteady mini trunk. The drive was filled with elephants, allowing us to observe and study their behaviour and features. We found the remains of an elephant and took a closer look at its skull and jaws following the previous evening’s talk. The drive offered us the opportunity to view other wildlife as well including waterbuck, lion, buffalo, baboons, hippos and a variety of birds. We were treated to one of the Zambezi’s famous sunsets from Nyamangwe Island before we settled with a drink in the Boardroom where Johan’s presentation gave insight in the elephants’ social structures, typical behaviour and how to read their signals.
Another early morning awaited and we set off from the camp by vehicle into a completely different habitat where Leonard (head guide) intrigued us with his immense knowledge of the different trees and plants, termites and birds. That afternoon we watched elephants from our canoes as they got on with life on the bank and islands of the Zambezi River, undisturbed by our presence.
The next day we celebrated the birthday of one of our guests, Sheila. After Johan’s fascinating talk about Africa’s Great Tuskers, our manager Kath, presented Sheila with her very own elephant folded out of towels! Full from the delicious birthday cake, we set off for the Chongwe Falls and I was over the moon to find a small herd with a young female that had distinctly torn ears. In August 2007 we assisted with the darting of this little girl to remove a snare that had tightened around her head, pinning her ears back. It was a delight to see her fit, fat and happy. Although the leopards did not come out to play during the night drive that followed, we were entertained by a porcupine, elephant shrew, white tailed mongoose and Sharp’s grysbok. On our return to camp our staff had turned Sheila’s elephant into a Great Tusker, complete with a master and a slave tusk out of bamboo skewers!
During the final talk we came to understand the necessity of elephants to both control and sustain wildlife habitats for the survival of other wildlife species. In stark contrast to the previous light hearted days, Johan’s presentation showed the devastating effect of wildlife fences, artificial waterholes, poaching and hunting. He explained the different ways to manage elephants in such environments through his work as a veterinarian, performing vasectomies on selected bulls to control the growth of populations and so prevent their offspring from being subject to culling. Unfortunately, we will only be able to understand the effects of vasectomies on the nature of herds and their social behaviour in future generations.
On the last day, the team set off early again for a drive in the National Park. We had set up lunch on the bank of the river and were greeted by excited guests having found a pride of ten lions. Today was Kath’s birthday and we persuaded her to join us for lunch together with our other managers Ant and Scott. What a birthday lunch it was! I had just finished my (second) slice of pear and currant cake as we spotted the first elephant coming towards us. It was like the sky filling with stars on a clear night as more and more elephants descended on us. There we were, surrounded by these amazing creatures. It was the most extraordinary experience I have ever had and one I will cherish for the rest of my life. Had this happened before this workshop, I would have feared for my life and become a master at climbing trees instantaneously. However, having studied their behaviour for the past few days and gaining a better understanding of these special animals, we all stood our ground and were able to enjoy this special moment. To quote Johan; “It all boils down to respect.”
