The Bird of all Birds

One of the main aims of our recent trip to Zambia was to see the Shoebill. In fact this has been on hubby’s bucket list and little did I know to what extremes I will have to go, to finally get a glimpse of this magnificent bird…and believe me, magnificent it is.

The ferry at the border post where heavy trucks as well as our vehicle went on

Traveling through Botswana, we entered through the Kazungula border post and on the ferry into Zambia; through Livingstone, Lusaka, further north and then turning north-east towards Lake Bangweulu. Here we stayed in a tented camp.

Our tented camp at Bangweulu

Zambia was experiencing a serious drought at the time, although it happened to be their dry season, but during the rainy months this area may be inaccessible or at best can be reached only by boat. It is one of the world’s great wetlands, in total 15,000 square kilometers, fed by seventeen principle rivers and drained by the Luapula River.

Sunset at the camp

We were fortunate to see a Shoebill that was rescued from the Lusaka Zoo. He is believed to be still young and there are chances that he may be healed sufficiently to return to the wild. At present he is resident in close proximity to Carl, a South African student, who is doing his PhD on researching this magnificent bird. He is unable to find his own food and therefore dependent on humans for survival. We were told he struggles to distinguish between a shoebill and humans.

The magnificent shoebill

Quite a privilege to see the shoebill as there are only about 500 in the world

We were able to get quite close to him but were warned that his beak has the ability to do serious damage should we come too close.  There is only one word to describe him...magnificent. His eyes caught my attention as he looks at you with years of wisdom and many years of history behind him. He could be from a prehistoric age.

After his meal he was too lazy to get up. Not even for a camera shoot!

There are different opinions what species he relates to. Some say it is the stork whereas others say he may have a closer genetic relationship with the pelican. His height was about 1.4 meters which is huge for a bird.

Wattled storks. Take note in the rainy season this would all be under water.

The next day we set off on an excursion to find the nest of a baby shoebill. It is important to note that this species of birds is on the endangered list and there are only about 500 left in the world to be found mostly in northern Zambia, DRC and Uganda. They breed once a season, have two babies and the second baby seldom survives. We were surprised when told that it would take most of the day to get to the nest.

Black lechwe all around us.

We started our journey and saw wattled storks - so many. Our next treat was to witness a herd of black Lechwe. There were about 75,000 of them. Later that evening at sunset we saw great numbers running through the water pan, moving to higher ground in order to get away from the hyenas that are hunting them at night.

Black lechwe making their way back the next morning from the higher ground to get away from the hyenas

We eventually parked the vehicle and set off walking, through the seasonal wetland which happened to be dry because of the drought. We were handed Wellington boots which at the time didn't make sense but later after we had met up with some fisherman who are employed to look after the bird's nests - a task they take very seriously, we reached the swamp. We struggled through that for what seemed to be forever and as we approached the nest we were told to be quiet and finally we saw the baby shoebill. We couldn't get too close but it was indeed an unique experience. 

The shoebill nest for which I slogged miles through a wetland

A sunrise to die for! Only in Africa. 

The Lord is my Shepherd Hardware

Driving through Zambia we smiled as we noticed the different shops, most with Christian names such as, "The Lord is my Shepherd Hardware," but that is not all that made us smile on our journey: Zambia is a relatively poor country that has gone through hardships the last years. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Personal Purchasing Power (PPP) don't rank in the top half of the countries on the charts showing progress on the African continent. Yet, our spirits lifted as we proceeded with our journey, because we saw people literally picking themselves up by their bootstraps in order to survive, eat well and receive an education.

The Lord is my Shepherd Hardware Store

Zambia's economy is booming at this point in time, unlike our country's slow growth. Zambia is a peaceful country with contented people, unlike South Africa, where crime, labor unrest and service delivery issues highlight the news daily. Why is that?

We met friendly, courteous people. It was suggested that a huge contributing factor could be the country's homogeneous Christian nature, but in general these simple people have a respect and tolerance for their fellow human being, which we have not seen elsewhere. There was no aggression and race was not an issue.

It was my first trip to Zambia; Garry on the other hand had visited this country about fifteen years ago and could not believe the progress he was seeing. Our journey took us through Livingstone, Lusaka, to Kapiri Mposhi, after which we branched out towards the right of the country, up north to Lake Bangweulu. As far as we traveled we saw people at work - no one was loitering around. People were selling vegetables along the side of the road - beautiful, red tomatoes; cassava; sweet potatoes; onions and oranges.

Bags of charcoal everywhere

We noticed the honey project, and bought some of the wild, raw acacia-tasting honey. We noticed charcoal for sale, trucks transporting charcoal, young men cycling with two to three bags of charcoal on the back of their bicycles. These people are slim and trim; they appear healthy and laziness can definitely not be ascribed to the Zambians. Although automobiles are the mode of transport in the cities, in the rural areas is is bicycles. These get used to transport anything and everything. We even saw young men with pigs and chickens on their carriers. We saw people making their own bricks - either from cement or clay - and they build their own houses. There is no such thing as waiting for government to do it for you. As we traveled we noticed schools every few kilometers apart. Our observations were later confirmed by locals.

A friendly Zambian stopped cycling and posed for me

Boyd, the manager at Lake Bengweulu, was previously a teacher. He explained that it is government policy to have a primary school every six kilometers. However, if there are not sufficient numbers or interest in a school, government would contribute 75% of the cost once the residents commit to 25% - either in money or kind. 

Brighton, one of our guides, explained that he is from the local village and said that school up to grade 6 is compulsory, but because there is not always a high school in very village, students are selected on achievement to further their studies. He said that it means you work hard to earn the opportunity to receive a high school education, which entails a government-funded boarding school. He elaborated that he went through the school system and worked extremely hard as it is a privilege to go to high school in the rural areas. It is all based on hard work and commitment.

One thing we have noticed in the rural areas is that villages are spotless. Chris, the manager at Kasanka Trust clarified it by explaining that most of the rural areas are under tribal authority. However, the chiefs are usually adamant that villages be kept clean and they fine their subjects for littering. Chris told of some chiefs that he is aware of who insist on their subject building their own toilets as the environment should be preserved.  

Noticing all the bags of grain and even some charcoal being collected at the side of the national road, Boyd, who also participates in this scheme, explained that government makes seed available. They will then purchase the grain that a village has in excess of their own use. Incidentally, Zambia had a record 3.2-million ton crop in 2014 and Business Day of 23 March 2015 reported that Zambia planned to sell at least a third of its record maize crop to neighboring countries where drought and floods have destroyed its grain which served as staple food.  

Robert Guest, who wrote in the Shackled Continent (2005:p194) how the then Zambian president Levy Mwanawasa rejected American food aid during the famine in 2002, because the shipment of maize and soya that was sent was genetically modified and he refused to give his people 'poison.' Those of us who follow debates on healthy foods, will know about the controversy surrounding America's Monsanto, the world's largest suppliers of seed and the way they control the world through their genetically modified approach. Garry and I honor a president who holds the health of his nation as a priority, even in the time of drought.

Beautiful sunrises and sunsets

Our trip was regarded as highly successful, as I saw my son who works in Lusaka and Garry saw a Shoebill, an endangered bird species of which there are only about 500 in the world. The Zambians hold this endangered bird in high regards as extensive research is conducted to learn about its habitat and behavior. We saw bird species we haven't seen before and the Bengweulu is also home to the Lechwe (a buck species) of which 75 000 are living on the plains around this 15,000 square kilometer wetland. Poaching is not tolerated in Zambia and Brighton explained that they have a program where poachers serving jail time are educated about the value of the environment in an attempt to change their behavior and to get them to understand why they are being punished.  

Dinner in Lusaka

The beautiful Shoebill

 It is often said that Africa is a continent of bribery and corruption. That may be true, but then bribery is not only limited to Africa, but is found in many other parts of the world. Speedy services may become speedier with a monetary reward, but in general Zambia enforces its laws. We saw that with the police presence on the national roads - not to trap people or extract bribes, but to calm the traffic in an attempt to lower the accident rate, considering this country's position as the through road that links all parts of Africa. So much traffic...huge trucks...but it showed us that Africa is hard at work.  It was a worthwhile holiday, one without the stress of theft, being harassed by beggars or encountering violence as this kind of behavior is not commonly part of the Zambian nation. We trust and pray that all the development and progress in Zambia will not change the essence of this nation, and that money and greed will not become their god as we have seen elsewhere on our beloved continent.

Lechwe in abundance