Across the border—Zimbabwe Writer: Nicky Dunnington-Jefferson Photography: Flo Coughlan
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hyena, a sound which always thrills me as it seems to embody the wild soul of Africa.
The following day, after I’d woken in the brief, beautiful pre-dawn, we set off on an early game drive and immediately saw n July, 1996, I had just returned from hyena, perhaps the one I’d heard last night. a week’s canoeing trip down the Zambezi, After an enormous breakfast we tried our paddling from Chirundu as far as Kanyemba hand at a spot of fishing, with no success at on the Mozambique border. Each night we all, so in the evening we had to settle for a slept out in our sleeping bags under Africa’s steak and boerewors braai instead of fish. starlit heaven. It was a week that I shall However, well fuelled and fortified, I spent a never forget. cold but mercifully snore-free night. After my canoeing trip I felt on top of the world. Sometimes paddling had been hard work, but that was part of the challenge and the fun. I was staying with friends in Harare; it was the middle of winter and very cold at night, and on the canoeing trip I had been pretty chilly, despite my three sleeping bags. When my friends announced that we were shortly heading off to Mana Pools for a few days I was therefore looking forward to sleeping in a nice, warm tent. I was so excited; I was returning to the Zambezi valley! We arrived at Mana around tea-time, and the first thing to do was to put up our tents. My friends had no problem in erecting their cosy, spacious home. However, when it came to my tent, borrowed from another friend, the poles were nowhere to be found. ‘No worries,’ I said. After all, I’d just spent a week on the Zambezi, sleeping alfresco, and a few more nights under the stars should be no problem. On our first night my sleep was fragmented. However, in between intermittent bursts of stentorian snoring emanating from the nearby tent, I managed to identify the familiar chilling whoop of a
But this was not the end of the story. The following night, our last at Mana Pools, after I had watched the baobabs silhouetted against the evening sky, with a crescent moon and a single star as a backdrop, and had seen a lone hyena on our game drive Fishermen do not give up easily, and the next and wondered if maybe it was my visitor, I day rods and lines were put to the test again. crept into my bed anticipating another This time two tiger fish and a chessa were nocturnal encounter. The night passed consigned to the smoker we’d brought with without incident, but in the morning, as I us in anticipation of piscatorial success, and awoke to a spectacular sunrise and the cry a delicious fish lunch set us up splendidly for of a fish eagle, I observed hyena spoor all our evening game drive. This was round my bed and in our camp. memorable as it was the first time I had seen cheetah in the wild. Although in the years to But where was the fish smoker? It had been follow I have seen cheetah many times, the in a plastic bag and we found it about 200 memory of those three superb, yards away, down by a water tap. I had heard supple, streamlined animals in Mana nothing, but my hyena friend had obviously remains particularly special. We had enjoyed been attracted by the smell of the smoker such a wonderful game drive that a few and had decided on a relocation exercise celebratory drinks were called for when we without first alerting me of its intent. returned to camp, but after dinner it was early to bed for everyone. Upon reflection, I had been very lucky. Hyenas have immensely powerful jaws and At about 2.00am I had to get up to answer a if my visitor had decided that I was fair game call of nature, and, as usual, shone my torch I probably would not be relating this around just to make sure the coast was clear. experience here. As it is, I have a deep resIt was, and shortly I returned to my camp pect and admiration for these creatures, do bed. I have no idea what time it was when not see them as the bad guys of the animal again I woke up, but it was light enough for kingdom, and my brush with a hyena, who me clearly to make out a creature right at was only curious and hungry, is one of the the foot of my bed, staring directly at me. It highlights of my ongoing African odyssey. was a hyena. We eyeballed each other for a few seconds before I came to my senses and
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TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA
loudly used language that I could not possibly repeat here. Fortunately the hyena did what I told it to, and despite waking up yet again thinking it had returned, and shining my torch around swearing vociferously, it had abandoned me for the night, much to my great relief.
