The year has started somewhat dismally with much hassle from our war veteran neighbours and the poachers, but we refuse to lose hope. We believe that 2002 will bring sanity back to Zimbabwe and our country will once more be a land of happiness and peace. I have sent for inclusion later photos of the hippos in their last bit of water in the Chichindwi weir pool, back in December. As you will see they had hardly enough water for 18 hippos to live in, the sand having once more re-entered their pool. Thanks to a fantastic donation from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (W.S.P.A) U.S.A, we will be able to work on the pool at least three times in 2002, fix another broken weir, and get the Trust’s second hand land rover repaired.
At this moment (middle of January), all 18 hippos are either living in the Turgwe River channels or back in the bushes on an island, near to their weir pool. They have split up. Bob the bull and four others have gone back to Bob’s old area, the Measuring Weir. (The weir that we managed to fix in November). We think he will come back here to be with the main group of hippos. He may wait for the Turgwe River to drop when the rains are over. We have checked out their pool and found it again full of sand, even with the Turgwe coming up in flood there is still far too much sand upstream for the pool to be cleared. Jean-Roger may be able to work on it by March. It will depend on further rains, as we need the current to slow down.
In the meantime, our new neighbours, the so-called war veterans who invaded in August of 2001, have been causing problems for us, as well as the owner of the land that they have taken over. This area is a wildlife area and not arable. The war veterans next to us are actually not even on designated land. Further downstream, over 30,000 acres has had a section 8, which means it supposedly goes for resettlement.Yet in the same breath, the government has told the owners in this conservancy that the land will remain for wildlife, that they know it is totally unsuitable for resettlement. We believe all the war veterans and their minions who are camped out on the land of Chigwete and elsewhere in this conservancy are put here to poach, to harass and that is all. The war veteran next to us, Robert, has never caused us problems personally as we are not landowners and just work for hippos, but as of late he has changed.
On 7th January, as we drove around to see Bob and the other three hippos, we found a roadblock across the road. A tree and a rock. Jean-Roger removed the tree and we drove through and went to check on the hippos. We decided that dialogue was better than just trying to figure out why they had put a block so we went to see Robert.
He has moved into the house belonging to the owner of that piece of land, but there was no sign of him or his men. Then, I hear the sound of chopping. We drive back on the dirt road and find him and two other men. They have cut another tree, which has yet again blocked us in, and one man is carrying a rifle, a .22 I think! This is the first time I have seen one of these war veterans with a rifle in our area.
Long story cut short: they are angry with the original owner of the land. They have decided that, since he occasionally visits us, that we are all bad together and all in the same boat: white and not to be trusted. So Robert tells us we can no longer go to the hippos on their land. Bear in mind that they are not even on designated land, Chabata having its own title deeds. The man with the rifle informs me he is going to kill our neighbour and that after he has killed him he is off to Afghanistan to kill Americans. This shows you just what propaganda and complete brainwashing is given to these people, in a country where violence was never a main priority and most people were law-abiding only a couple of years ago.
They are paid to be bad now, which is so so very sad. Plus, in some cases, they love the power of doing anything they want to, with no law and order to stop them.
A longer story cut short, after much talk it was decided by Robert that we could continue to see the hippos. But he would put roadblocks on the main dirt road leading from us to the owner’s homesteads. They did do this but the police actually came and removed the blocks. For once, a law in Zimbabwe was adhered to, in that the police informed the people that it is illegal to block a council road. Usually the police do nothing when these men poach or get caught with wild animal meat on Chigwete land.Then, I find a dead five-foot long python killed by these people in one of the areas that I patrol. They had put a stake through its head and its tail. When asking another neighbour why they do such a thing, he told me it is due to their belief that when you kill the snake it comes back to life. Hence, by staking it out it cannot. One week later in the same area I find a magnificent leopard tortoise, which had been killed that day. The invaders/poachers had cut out its insides and plastron, leaving just the main shell. The tortoise was well over thirty years of age, going about its life until these awful people came along and killed it.
Then on 17th January, they cut off our phone by stealing over 200 meters of telephone line. We now have no communication and have to send e-mails through our neighbours or use the postal service. Hopefully the government phone company will come and fix it but whether they will cut it again is anybody’s guess. Nothing would surprise us. We assume that Robert is in cooperation with the poachers, as he tells us he is the new chief of this area. The phone line is not far from the house he has moved into so he must know who cut the line. Chiefs in African culture are normally the top people in their reserves. Perhaps nobody wants to listen to him or maybe he prefers to break the law and have his people steal government telephone lines to make snares, who knows.
Only this morning, a DDF (a government run development fund) tractor -which is part of a whole fleet of tractors given by German aid to Zimbabwe- was being used here to ferry messages and as a taxi. These same tractors are not in the rural areas ploughing but are being driven around here to harass farmers and wildlife operators, using diesel that is already drastically short in Zimbabwe, to act as a messengers taxi and a lift for the people here.
We have heard from some of these invaders in this area that they know Chigwete is not for resettlement but is actually going to belong to one of the rich top men who are part of running this country, one of the fat cats. We will see!
So life is not quiet, but we continue to believe that 2002 will eventually find Zimbabwe as a law-abiding peaceful country.
Away from the crazy political situation, I am pleased to say I have found one of my missing hippos: young male Mvura who is the youngest son of Cheeky. He is living on his own in the bushes nearby the pool. His mother has gone alone downstream so maybe this time she really is going to have a new calf. Only time will tell. I will be a lot happier once the 18 hippos are back here but, for now, continue to pray for their welfare and hope that soon this madness will stop and we can all get on with our lives again without so many crazy things happening.
Karen Paolillo, Hippo Haven, Save Valley Conservancy, Zimbabwe January 2002.
The Turgwe Trust's new sandpump. It is much smaller than the hired one!
Jean-Roger, with Silos and Kenias-two workers-lifting the suction pipes.
Near the corridor
Jean-Roger smiling, and the pipes for the pump.
At work with the pipes.
Some of the 18 hippos in their pool. This is how it looked in early December 2001. As you can see there is more sand than water and where the hippos are is the only area with water deep enough for 18 hippos in the entire Turgwe river.
From left to right in front by wall of sand is Wish, Kuchek, Mystery, Kubi, Surprise and behind her on the right is Bob.
This shows the tiny bit of pool left at Chichindwi Weir, December 2001.
Same as above. The rocks on the right are where the pump usually goes.