Zimbabwe: Matobo Hills National Park: In Search of Rock Art & Rhinos
We climbed up high in the evening to get an incredible view across this rocky wilderness
The final few days of our time in Zimbabwe were spent in Matobo National Park. The landscape here is just surreal. Over a million years of erosion and weathering has created a landscape of granite boulders and balancing rock formations which stretches across the horizon for as far as the eye can see. The rocks here are a rich, earthy orange colour and in the evening when the sun set, it cast a beautiful warm glow across the landscape.
It was on our first evening whilst exploring the rocky area near the campsite that I stumbled across my first rock paintings. The figure of a woman and a cow, had been painted onto the edge of a huge boulder, and in the evening light they were clearly noticeable. Incredible!
Stumbling across ancient rock art
According to our guide, Matobo is one of the oldest human civilisations in the world. The ancient Sans people who lived here roamed the area, living a nomadic, hunter-gatherer existence, taking only what they needed from the land. All that is left of their presence is the beautiful cave paintings which they left on the rocks, created, using what scientists believe to be a mixture of bile and other substances.
Rock art left by the Sans people is estimated to be 10,00 years old
Rhino
Hunting Scene
Our guide taught us about many of the plants in the park which can be used to treat different ailments or are useful in day to day life. There were plants which when rubbed together created a soap like consistency, and could be used to clean your hands. The Sans people discovered a plant which could be used as a contraceptive and even to abort a baby. Thus they actually lived very sustainably, with women generally not having more than two children. Matobo still has great cultural and spiritual significance for people in Zimbabwe today and I can appreciate why. I can honestly say I have never been to somewhere so peaceful or calming as Matobo. There is a wonderful silence in the park and it feels as if the landscape is in a state of perpetual slumber.
The highlight of our time here was tracking white rhino by foot in the park.
We managed to locate a mother rhino, a male rhino and a 6 month baby. After walking for about 30 minutes, we found the little family in a thicket, deep in the undergrowth. Amazingly we managed to get within 15m. The baby was very curious and kept glancing our way but mum was completely unfazed. I couldn't help but hold my breath as we gazed on- to be so close to such a powerful and magnificent animal was a privilege I will always treasure. It also made me realise just how vulnerable rhinos really are. By approaching quietly and slowly, with our guide making friendly 'rhino' sounds, we were able to get very close to the family, without them feeling threatened. I couldn't help but be reminded how easy it would be for someone with more sinister intentions such as a poacher to do the same.
Getting up close to a baby rhino
Our guide, from African Wanderers (a great local guide business who I would thoroughly recommend!) explained that all the rhinos here are dehorned for their own protection. He told us the situation in the park was very bad with fences falling apart, leaving the rhinos extremely vulnerable to attack. He told us one particularly heartbreaking story.
Less than 6 months ago, a female rhino was slaughtered by poachers not far from the main road in the park. She was shot 18 times, but the poachers lost their nerve, exiting the scene without her horn, and leaving her young calf parent-less. He explained that the baby then had to be euthanized as it was too young to survive without its mother. Tales like this are horrifically shocking and most worryingly of all they seem to be more the norm than the exception. Rhino poaching is only getting worse in Africa. In China, the rhino horn is worth more than gold and is believed to be a potent aphrodisiac, and people pay crazy sums of money for the horn, which is basically keratin- the same protein found in human fingernails and hair. I still find it near impossible to comprehend that anyone could be willing to slaughter a rhino, and pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for something which is essentially the same stuff as our fingernails!! mankind just baffles me sometimes.
In search of rhinos! – tracking rhino with our guide- we climbed up high to try and spot any sign of these elusive animals.
Our guide's perspective on the solution to the rhino problem will be considered controversial by some. He explained that in his opinion due to the poaching crisis being so severe, the best action would be to legalise the selling of the harvested horn from rhinos in the park. His justification for this seemingly contradictory policy was that the authorities could then control the market, and put the money generated back into the park where it is most needed : on the ground, protecting the rhinos around the clock. This he suggested would reduce illegal poaching as the rhinos would be getting maximum protection. Obviously in an ideal world, there would be zero demand for rhino horn and none of these actions would be necessary, however it is clear that the legal lock down on the killing and sale of rhino horn just isn't working. Perhaps combined with robust education programmes in Asia, the controlled selling of rhino horn could be beneficial. I could certainly see the logic behind his opinion.
Regardless, it is clear that time is rapidly running out for rhinos in Africa, and there needs to be some big changes soon if this species is to survive.
