In 2009 Mushinda planned a trip for Mark and his wife Rosemary, both retired physicians, to South Africa. This was not one of our regular trips as the client’s wanted to visit destinations that were off the beaten track. It was clear that they had a desire to experience not just what was on “the table” but what was hidden beneath the “tablecloth”. They had an incredible experience and a couple of years later returned to explore different regions of Southern Africa.
Sadly, Mark passed away about two years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised to get a call from Rosemary telling me that she wanted to plan a return trip to honor Mark’s memory. This amazing couple travelled extensively, visiting all 7 continents. Along the way they came to the realization that there were many species of animals who were endangered and in desperate need of support. Rosemary decided on a late-life career change, leveraging her medical knowledge, to become a veterinary nurse specializing in wild animals. She is in great health and excited to expand her horizons. For her summer intern program she enrolled in a rhino rescue program in Namibia. Her plan was to spend a week working on the dehorning of these endangered beasts. Following that she wanted to visit other destinations where there were ongoing conservation and rescue programs.
My team and I put out feelers and identified several properties where Rosemary could participate in the ongoing research. Rosemary has a wonderful zest for life and extracts the most of every encounter. Planning a trip for this remarkable, passionate lady was an absolute pleasure. Rosemary’s insatiable enthusiasm is contagious and people are attracted to her like a moth to a flame.
Rosemary recently returned from her trip and here is her story.
My adventure began many months before my arrival in Johannesburg with my numerous conversations with the program director in Namibia to my detailed planning with Judy. On arrival in Johannesburg I was greeted by Natasha who had guided Mark and I on our previous visits. We quickly rekindled our relationship and by the time I left, just a day later, were close friends again.
My next week in Namibia was life changing. We darted rhino from the air then carefully removed their horns, vaccinated and drew blood. The excitement was palpable as we walked alongside the animals as the drugs wore off and they tottered to their feet. It was heartwarming to know that this simple act meant that the animals were now of no value to the vile poaching trade.
From Namibia I flew to the Kalahari in Botswana where I stayed at a camp in the desert. Meeting the wonderful San people and learning about their uses of local ingredients in their medicines, interacting with meerkats and other animals indigent to the region. The highlight here was the night I spent sleeping under the stars, waking to the African dawn under a thin layer of frost.
My next stop was Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. The park is known for its vast herds of elephant, but my desire was to witness a lion kill. My particular interest was to witness the interaction of the surrounding animals. I was extremely lucky to encounter lions taking down a large buffalo and to find that after the initial hullabaloo the other animals quickly settled back to their normal routines whist the big cats fed. I spent long hours in the hide waiting for and witnessing the plethora of animals as they came down to drink. Slowing my pace to that of nature enabled me to really begin to understand the dynamics of the bush. I was never rushed as my wonderful guide patiently imparted his fund of knowledge. Another highlight was a visit to the wild dog sanctuary. This is one of the few places where wild dogs are rehabilitated and re-entered into the wild.
Then on to Bumi Hills which is an old lodge on a kjope (hilltop) overlooking Lake Kariba. Kariba is the largest man-made lake in the world with a fascinating history about “Operation Noah” that relocated the thousands of displaced animals as the lake filled. Recently renovated, with beautiful old-growth gardens, Bumi Hills is a gardener’s paradise. I spent many hours on walking safaris, examining endangered plants, and enjoying the magnificent Kariba sunsets.
My final destination was Pamushana Lodge in the southern part of Zimbabwe. Judy said that this safari lodge has her heart and I can see why. By now I had fallen in love with the genuine warmth of the Zimbabwe people. This destination just pushed my emotions over the edge. Being back in Africa rekindled may memories that Mark and I had shared. It was at Pamushana that my emotional dam broke. However, the staff were so comforting and shared with me their tradition for letting go. I discovered the simple act of placing the ashes from a burnt note in a container and allowing it to float downriver on a voyage to the Indian Ocean extremely cathartic.
Pamushana has a vibrant ecosystem with numerous species of endangered wildlife. It was here that I encountered both white and black rhino. My darting adventure we had only seen white rhino. Clearly black rhino are more aggressive than their white cousins, one even charged our vehicle.
I was heart sore to board my flight home as Africa has captured my soul. Spending time in the tranquility of an environment that is as it has been throughout the millennia and surrounded by warmth, hospitality and unaffected human beings is infectious. I am anxiously awaiting my return visit to exciting new destinations in Africa.
DID YOU KNOW?
- A cat’s ear contains 32 muscles. The cat can rotate each ear rapidly to identify sounds, and its hearing is acute enough to hear the ultrasonic sounds made by rodents. A dog swivels its ears to locate the source of a sound in 6/100ths of a second. It can hear sounds that are 750 ft away, while humans would only hear similar sounds at a distance of 75 ft. Zebras can rotate their ears to detect sounds – without moving their bodies.
- Most mammals lose the hair inside their ears as they get older – something which can contribute to hearing loss. Bats, however, are an exception to this rule for they can regenerate the cells within their ears and grow new hair.
- The cricket ‘hears’ with its legs – sound waves cause vibrations in a thin membrane on the cricket’s front legs.
- Tarantulas and other spiders sense vibrations through hairs on their legs.
Ants can ‘hear’ with their knees, picking up vibrations both in their nests and when they are on the ground. - A frog has an eardrum or tympanic membrane on the outside of its body, just behind its eye.
- Snakes have no external ears so they cannot hear as we do. However, sound waves may travel through bones in their heads to the inner ear.
