The History of Robin’s Camp

[WRITER: Ian Thomson, ex Rhodesia/Zimbabwe Department of National Parks and Wildlife ] [ PHOTO: Africa Talked ]

Robins Camp, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, is situated in the top north western region of the Park and is one of Hwange‘s premier wildlife and tourist destinations with a very interesting history.

When Wankie Game Reserve was originally proposed in 1928 by Major W Bogie in the then Rhodesian Government Legislative Assembly, it was a barren and arid area consisting mainly of dry Kalahari sands still frequented by wandering bands of San/ Bushmen who came in from across the unmarked boundary of what was then known as the British Protectorate of Bechuanaland, now Botswana.

European and African poachers, mainly after ivory, had periodically braved this vast dry area in search of elephant.

Frederick Courtney Selous who hunted through the area, killing a white rhino near Shakwanki Pans (this Bushman name is derived from the shape of the pan that they say is that of a human ear), wrote about his experiences indicating that, although very dry, he observed small groups of a variety of wildlife species including some black and white rhino. Thus the area had the potential of being a game reserve.

This was the situation when 22-year-old Ted Davison took over as Senior Game Warden in September 1928. There were no roads, no camps and no tourists at the time. Initially all his patrols, taking weeks and often months, were undertaken either on foot or horse-back.

Herbert George (HG) Robins was born in England, which he left in 1884 at the age of 17. He joined the British South Africa Company that Cecil Rhodes had set up to govern Rhodesia. Initially he helped to fight against the Mashona and the Matabele uprisings during the first and second Chimurenga wars as the local people called them. He then went off prospecting for diamonds and minerals in the Belgian Congo and Angola, before returning to farm in Rhodesia. He purchased Little Toms farm on the edge of what would become the new Wankie Game Reserve - now Hwange National Park - that was eventually proclaimed a national park in 1950.

Robins lived alone with his four large Great Dane dogs, his constant companions, which were trained and used for hunting, especially lion preying on his cattle. Never photographed smiling, the enigmatic, pipe-puffing Robins has been called gruff, hard and difficult, gentle, kind and generous – and everything in between.

Being an avid astronomer Robins built a large square tower equipping it with a powerful telescope. The lower space eventually became offices. This landmark building stills stands today and is a well-known feature of the camp.

Easily accessible as his farms were on the original Great North Road, which ran through to Matestsi and the Victoria Falls, Robins first tried running cattle. After 10 years, acknowledging it did not pay, and aware of the rich wildlife of the area, he decided to manage his farms as a private game reserve.

Robins had noticed that with the close proximity of the perennial Deka River and the Big and Little Toms Pans, that there was a constant good source of water for the wildlife. This, coupled with a salt pan fairly close by, and with very little effort needed, he could retain a good cross section of wildlife on his property. Although he was becoming more of a recluse, he wrote and published many articles that drew attention to the variety of wild animals on his farms. This resulted in as many as 300 visitors a year intruding unannounced at his home. The somewhat eccentric and reclusive Robins soon tired of all the unwanted attention.

Unfortunately, Robins could not get on with Ted Davidson, the young ex-Tsetse Department officer who was appointed the first warden of the new Wankie Game Reserve in 1928. Despite the fact that he despised all officialdom, once digging a trench in the

road and covering it with branches hoping that Davidson would fall into it, (fortunately, Davidson had been warned and was able to drive around it), he still wanted his farm to remain a wildlife sanctuary. So in 1934, he had his lawyers draw up papers bequeathing his farms to government for the express purpose of integrating them into the new Wankie Game Reserve when he died.

HG Robin’s lies buried at the entrance gate to the new Robins Camp.

By 1950 Wankie Game Reserve was promulgated as Wankie National Park, during which time Ted Davidson had expanded his ranger force and four camps had been established – Robins; Nantwich situated in the boundary just above Robins, on the main road to Matestsi; Sinamatella, on the road to Wankie town and Main Camp on the Dett Vlei. Main Camp, located on an old farm was part of the original game reserve and where Ted Davison had made his headquarters. Since then there have been a plethora of private camps constructed, with Robin’s Camp now having been privatised as well. The privatisation of some of these camps and the establishment of private initiative was driven by the new Zimbabwe Government after the end of the Rhodesian war in 1980.

It was into this historical mix that I was fortunate in being transferred to Robins Camp as Warden of the north-western sub region of Wankie National Park in the late 1970’s. My area extended approximately for 75 miles down the Botswana border as far as the lower end of the Shakwankie area and then halfway back to the Main Camp patrol area around Shapi So Pan. (See map)

Unfortunately when I arrived at Robins, complete with family, it was just as our internal war was coming to an end, a sad time in the country’s history. The camp and surrounding areas were still closed to the public. Therefore, with no tourists to worry about, the duties of myself, my rangers and scouts, was to maintain integrity of the camp and all the wildlife within this huge area. This included a number of artificial water points with water-cooled diesel engines and pumps that had to be checked and serviced once a month. The one at Shakwankie Pan was our southern limit.

Our offices were at the base of Robin’s Tower, from which I could sit and watch the antics of a frequent visitor, a pearl-spotted owlet. The birdlife was amazingly rich and colourful.

Establishing good relationships with the local people, the welfare of the wildlife and anti-poaching controls were integral to the management of this unique and beautiful wilderness area.

After being managed by ZimParks for many years, Robins Camp has recently been opened by a private company. Completely refurbished into a high-end upmarket tourist lodge and campsite the ‘ghost’ of Herbert George Robins still lingers on in the shadow of his tower. [ Robin’s tower ]

Consultant: Wildlife and Environmental Management. www.africatalked.co.za

[ Tower door ]

[ Robin’s office ]