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An amazing day!! We were picked up by Ian & Courtney of African Wanderers at 0900 in two land rovers for a day with Rhino, hiking to see San cave paintings & meeting a local Mtebe chief.
First was a stroll through the bush to get up close with a herd of 7 white rhino. The dominant male still had his horn because last year when they decided to de-horn all of them in an attempt to stop poachers he escaped. Two of the females were pregnant. They were very peaceful, lying in the sun having a morning kip. However, when one of the other truckers coughed loudly they were all on their feet in a trice. The plight of rhinos is dire. Poaching is at a ridiculous rate but then one inch of a horn collects $100,000 on the black market. Sadly the western world will not allow African countries to farm rhino so that demand can be met legitimately whilst re-building the population - it offends the sensibilities of many 1st world people with no concept of the day-to-day realities of people attempting to survive in these lands. Apparently South Africa alone has stockpiled enough rhino horn through removal at natural death of a rhino or from seizing poachers hordes to supply current demand levels for 22 years. However they are not allowed to sell it. In 10 years wild rhino (both black & white) will be extinct!
We drove to a lovely picnic spot in Matapos National Park for lunch. We were joined by cheeky monkeys. Then a drive through this awe inspiring landscape where humans have lived for more than 200,000 years. We climbed up the large boulder rocks to get to one of the caves where bushmen paintings have been discovered. Ian, who has worked with & studied bushmen for the last 25 years, talked to us of the paintings, the culture & belief system of this highly endangered people. Evidence is now clear through the genome project that all of humanity descends from the bushmen. Yet we consider them, with their lifestyle that embraces their environment, a belief that all are equal and everything is to be shared, and always choosing to use only what will immediately be used ... as ... well ... uncivilised. How arrogant so much of humanity remains. How quick we are to destroy what we have no understanding of. How fast we are to assume that our way is better and should be applied to all, regardless. How utterly sad this makes me.
Our final stop was to visit one of the local Mtebe villages where we were greeted ebulliently by Pounde, the chief. He is 83 years old, having been born in 1931 and named after the GBP which had just been introduced in Rhodesia. He told us stories of his life - with his whole body giving life to some of the scenes, whilst Courtney translated. He invited us to have our photo taken with him whilst the children danced for us. Their dances appeared to tell stories of hunting and great life events. 5 of Pounde's children have died from HIV related diseases and he with one of his wives is raising 13 of his grandchildren. According to Ian approx 93% of the population in Zim is unemployed & more than 75% are HIV positive. He said the official average age here is 27 years.
An amazing, beautiful, enriching & thought-provoking day!
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