UPSTREAM FROM THE FALLS:
Many visitors take a launch cruise to Kandahar Island during their stay at Victoria Falls. Two varieties of cruise are available one which includes a stop at the island for tea (morning and afternoon), and a “Sundowner” cruise in the early evening during the which there is a pause to enable visitors to observe and photograph the sunset, but no actual landing. Probably the first birds to be seen on any launch will be the swallows. There are three species commonly seen between October and March during the northern winter. This swallow has white underpants, a chestnut throat bordered by a black band, iridescent head and wings. It has a strongly forked tail. The Lesser Striped Swallow has a chestnut head and rump and white underparts, striped with black, and the Wire-tailed Swallow, a conspicuous red patch on the head and brilliant white throat and underparts. Another bird whose population seems to vary from year to year, but which is often seen along the stretch of the river, is the Openbill Stork. This is a fairly large black bird with a long, heavy bill which is nearly completely closed, there being a gap between the two mandibles about mid-way along. Its chief food is the fresh-water mussel which it carries from the water to dry ground in the sun and waits for the heat to open the shell. During the dry season, elephants often swim to the islands to feed, and there are usually one or two residing on the island of Kalunda. When swimming, the elephant submerges most of the heavy body, leaving the tip of the trunk above the surface to act as snorkel. Although its diet varies from grasses, reeds and succulent flowering herbs to tough bark and twigs, the elephant can be quite selective in its feeding and certainly has its favourites. One of these is the fruit of the Vegetable Ivory or Mulala (Ilala) Palm , a tree which is very conspicuous along the Zimbabwean shore and on some of the islands. When ripe these fruit are about he size of cricket balls and are composed of four layers equivalent to those of the coconut. There is an outer shiny brown skin, a 6-7mm thick layer of soft, coir-like, fibrous material which is the sweet, edible portion, a opaque white kernel, or seed, which contains a little coconut-like milk. The elephant obtains the fruit, which are suspended in clusters high among the palm fronds, by shaking the tree with trunk and tusks, or by a direct blow withe head (anyone wishing to attempt this will have ample opportunity to do so on Kandahar Island, and in so doing will gain some impression of the strength required). The fruit is swallowed whole, but only the soft, fibrous layer is actually digested, the seed being passed out undamaged in the droppings. The result of this is that a very effective method of Mulala (Ilala) dispersal and cultivation is achieved, the seed germinating and developing in its bed of manure to eventually become a new tree. The old seasonal migration routes of elephants can still be detected by tracing lines of Mulala (Ilala) palms across the country. These are particularly obvious from the air. The Mulala (Ilala) has many commercial uses. The seed is used as a substitute for ivory by curio makers, the leaves are used for mat-making and thatching and provide a jute-like fibre of great strength. They may also be cooked and eaten as a vegetable when very young. The sap is tapped off to make a very potent, sweet palm win.
In the Zambezi National Park area, the visitor may notice tightly woven balls of grass suspended from some of the low trees and bushes overhanging the water. These are the nests of Golden Weavers. The entrance to the nest is on the underside, allowing almost complete protection from predators. Warthogs are often seen in this area. These somewhat comical-looking creatures can prove quite dangerous adversaries when attacked, the ripping power of the prominent curved tusks being quite considerable. The warthog usually makes its home in a hole in the ground which has been abandoned by another species such as the Aardvark. In some cases, the hole is shared with a nocturnal animal, the Warthog using it by night and the other by day. When attacked the Warthog will back into its hole, presenting the enemy with a battery of sharp weapons until it has made its escape completely.
Crocodiles are seen from time to time, and are quite common in the more secluded backwaters and creeks. It is certainly not advisable to swim or paddle in the river. Small ones can often be seen lying along low branches just above the water. A tremendous amount of information about these fascinating creatures can be gained from a visit to the Crocodile Ranch which is aqt present helping to restock the previously depleted stretch of the Zambezi River.
Where the Zambezi Rivers narrow and where the shore-line becomes indented by creeks, there are some prominent sandy hummocks, fringed with flat, grassy promontories, marshes and reed-beds. Dead, half-submerged trees form ideal perching places for several varieties of fishing birds. The most common of these are the Pied Kingfisher, a black and white bird, often seen hovering, then diving into the water to return to it perch with a small fish, and two species of Cormorant, the Reed Cormorant being the commoner of the two. This is a brownish-black bird with a long neck and straight, hook-tipped bill. The tail is unusually long for a cormorant and is often held in a spread position. The young birds have paler underparts. Not to be confused with this form is the larger White-breasted Cormorant whose size and strikingly white breast render it easily distinguishable. It is actually the world’s largest cormorant. Another bird which is often confused with the cormorant is the African Darter, or “Snake Bird”. Although superficially similar to the cormorant it is slimmer, the neck is longer and has a permanent “kink”, and the bill is spear-shaped. The colouring is similar, but the underside of the neck is more brown and there are whitish streaks on the back during breeding season. Both the Darter and the cormorants spend much of the day perching with outspread wings in order to dry the feathers, but in the water, unlike the cormorant, the Darter tends to swim with the body submerged, the snake-like head and neck being the only parts visible.
The grassy margins are often visited by the Hadeda Ibis, a predominantly grey bird with long legs, slender neck and long, gracefully curved bill. There is an iridescent green sheen on the back. The loud, harsh call “Ha He Ha” or “Ha De Ha” is a common sound along this stretch of the river. The smaller back, grey and white White-crowned Plover is often seen at the edge of the water or flying low over the river. Mammals commonly seen here are Waterbuck, with its shaggy coat and conspicuous white ring around the tail, Kudu, larger, less shaggy and with spiral horns as opposed to the lyre-shaped horns of the Waterbuck, mentioned and light chestnut brown in colour. Sable and Buffalo may also be seen in this area, the Sable unmistakable from any other antelope by its large size, the backward sweep of the horns and the very dark brown and white colouring.
The marked difference between the vegetation on the Zambian and Zimbabwean banks is due to the fact that one is National Park where the vegetation is entirely undisturbed by man, and the other is not. The effects of grazing cattle, road-building and the use of certain trees, such as Mulala, for commercial purposes, are to reduce the variety of the trees and shrubs and to give an overall appearance of uniformity.
Nearing Kandahar Island the visitor will almost certainly see Hippo. In the dry season when the water is low, the deeper pools are much fought over, and displays of aggression are common. The Usual warning is the opening of the mouth (often mistaken for yawning) to show the enemy the enormous curved tusks, but another method to mark territory is the raising of the hind quarters above the water, accompanied by defecation and rapid tailwagging, thus effectively spreading the dung over a wide area. This is also performed on land and under the water. The usual view of the hippo, however, is the very top of th head, the ears, the protruding eyes and the tip of the snout. Both eyes, ears and nostrils are set high on the skull, in a similar position to those of the crocodile, and for the same purpose. This adaptation allows both animals to see, hear and breath, while as little as possible of the rest of the body is visible.
One of Africa’s best known birds, The Fish Eagle, is resident here, and its almost hysterical laughing cry is a familiar sound around Kandahar Island. It is an extremely handsome bird with white head, neck and breast, chestnut underparts, and brown and black wings. The tail is white. It spends long periods perched in trees at the edge of the water, from which vantage point it makes swift, plummeting flights to snatch fish from the water in its talons, returning to the branch to eat its catch.
At Kandahar Island the visitor will be met by Vervet Monkeys of all ages.
There is always plenty to interest the keen observer on the island. Some of the trees bear scars where elephants have prised off the bark with their tusks, and there are usually plenty elephant droppings about as proof of recent visits, often with vegetable ivory seeds visible. Quite often, especially during the dry season, the footprints can still e seen in the sand. These are large, shallow oval or roundish depressions with clearly marked wrinkling when fresh. It is said that experienced elephant hunters are able to distinguish between individuals by the wrinkle patterns in the spoor, these being similar to our fingerprints in that each is different from any other. There are no toe-marks visible, and this distinguishes the elephant track from that of the hippo which has four clearly defined toes. The rhino, rare seen outside the national park, has three toes.
Among the more common birds are the kingfishers and bee-eaters. Apart from the Pied Kingfisher already described, there is the brown Hooded Kingfisher, with brown head and flanks, brilliant blue wings and tail, and large red bill, and the Giant Kingfisher, truly a giant of its kind, whose plumage is mostly mottled black and white except for a chestnut breast and white abdomen in the caser of the male and the reverse in the female. The most common of the bee-eaters are the White-fronted and Little bee-eaters. Both are small birds with metallic bronze-green back and wings. The White-fronted Bee-eater has pinkish underparts and a red collar with white “chin” and forehead, while the Little Bee-eater has yellow underparts and black collar. Both have black eye-stripes. They are usually seen perching in treetops or on stumps, from which they make swift darting flights to catch insects on the wing.
One of the strangest birds found nesting in this area is the Hammerkop. Although often referred to as a stork, it is in fact neither a stork nor a heron, but is considered to be somewhere between the two. About the size of a duck, this insignificant brown wader builds an enormous untidy nest of sticks and all kinds of detritus washed up by the river - these nests may be seen in trees at various points along the left-hand bank and on some of the islands.
Despite its untidy appearance, the nest takes six months to build and consists of a dome inside which is an incubating chamber, connected to the surface of the underside by a passage through which all the scraps of fish, droppings and other refuse from the main chamber are ejected. The position of the entrance prevents access for almost all predators.
Although, as already stated, the bird’s rather small size and brown colouring render it insignificant at a distance, closer inspection will reveal a somewhat grotesque head, mad so by the heavy bill and wedge-shaped tuft of feathers which combined, form a hammer shape from which the name “Hammerkop” originates. The appearance, the peculiar whistling cry and the apparent wisdom in its nesting habits have made it an object of superstition among different tribes throughout the continent, and in some cases, huts, over which the bird has flown will be destroyed and rebuilt elsewhere.
The Big Tree:
Upstream from the Falls, a short distance from the river is a large baobab known as “
The Big Tree”. Beneath its massive branches, the early pioneers made their camps and it became a traditional gathering place for those crossing the river to the Old Drift settlement and later to Livingstone.
Despite its considerable size (16 metres around the trunk and 20 metres height), it is not the largest of its kind. Baobabs are found throughout the drier savannahs of Africa and this particular species, Adansonia digitata, is the largest and the most common. The grotesquely bulbous trunk and fat, root-like branches give the impression that the tree is growing upside down, in fact it is common belief that a legendary evil spirit once grew angry with the baobab spirit and tore up all the trees, later regretting his hasty temper and replanting them - the wrong way up. This extraordinary structure is in fact an adaption to dry conditions. Apart from the bark, which is woody and fibrous, the tree is composed mostly of a great thickness of spongy, water-storing tissue and the vast reserves of water contained in the tree help it to survive times of drought. Water can be extracted from the tree by cutting into the bark, a property which has proved invaluable to thirsty travellers.
The large, waxy, white flower which appears during the early rainy season is followed by a large, oval pod which consists of a pinkish pulpy substance and large, flat seeds. The slightly acid pulp is edible, and when dried, forms a powder from cream of tartar is derived. The seeds are also edible and have a high Vitamin C content. Although the wood is practically useless, the bark can be beaten to form a tough fibre which is used for making rope, fishing nets, clothing, etc.
A close relative of the Adasonia digitata is the Northern Australian “Bottle Tree”, Adasonia gregori, which is similar but does not grow to such a great size.
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