Black magic-related crime and other anecdotes

My days at the Luangwa North Camp in the North Luangwa Valley have come to an end. It has been nearly two months since I arrived in this wonderful place at the beginning of June. So much has happened since my last post two weeks ago. Different groups of customers have been coming and going since then. It's been great to meet people who are so fond of nature and wildlife.

The other day, I saw my first black spitting cobra. We were on the safari car and spotted a long black reptile

about 30 meters away. As we got nearer, the cobra raised its head up completely adopting a menacing or rather defensive posture. A few seconds later, it ran away very quickly. It must have felt panic when facing a monster safari car like the one we were on. It was a beautiful animal and a pretty rare reptile to come across. What a privilege!

We also had a lion rambling at the camp the other night while we were sleeping. It was around 3 a.m. when some deafening roars awoke me. The lion was just below the bungalow where we spend the night. In the morning, the local employees at the camp explained that the lion wasn't alone. There had also been two lionesses around. The three big cats were apparently attracted by the impalas that sometimes graze in the camp´s grounds. Never ever I had been so close to a lion. Great experience!

There is plenty of these big cats in the valley these days. It is easy to find leopards as well. Today, on my last safari drive with the camp´s guide Szu and Merche, we came across a leopard less than 10 meters away. It´s such an amazing animal!They all come close to the river Luangwa for water and food looking for the best possible surroundings during the mating season. The other day, while we were opening a new route for safaris in preparation for new customer arrivals, we saw in the distance some vultures flying in circles 15 meters above some distant bushes. We approached the area. We got off the car. Our guide, Szu, spotted some fresh lion footprints as we got closer to the place. A few minutes later, we felt a very strong odor. We could then see what looked like a carcass in between some bushes. As we got there, we found ourselves facing the remains of a big adult male buffalo. It looked pretty fresh.

According to Szu, it had been killed not longer than two days before. There was enough meat for at least four adult lions for two days. We inspected the surroundings and also found fresh lion urine, a few hours old. The lions couldn´t be too far away. We got back on the car and kept going in search. About three hundred meters further down the road, we spotted them. Two male lions and a lioness. They were resting peacefully under some trees about 50 meters away from us. It was so cool to experience all this with a professional guide like Szu. He tracks animals down by observing the language of the bush. I have learned so much. Walking safaris is one of the specialities of Zambia and are certainly offered to customers here at the camp. It is without doubt a very different and richer experience compared to a more traditional safari drive. I highly recommend it.

 

During my duties as the camp´s cook, I get to talk quite often to Brighton and to some other members of the crew. And they sometimes tell me breathtaking stories. Last week, Brighton explained to me how his dad was killed by an elephant 32 years ago. Brighton was 9 years of age. His father was involved in local politics in his home village, Mebamba, not too far from where the camp is. One day, when he was returning from a local gathering in Chifunda, a nearby and larger village, the fatality happened. He was cycling. Apparently, an elephant that was feeding on some marula trees in the fields that separate Chifunda from Mebamba, started chasing him. He couldn´t escape. This is the story that he was probably told and I´m sure that there was some add-ons to it and speculation around it, as I don´t think that nobody actually saw what happened. But as he was telling me the story, I started to understand why Brighton, and many villagers that I´ve talked to these weeks, fear these big mammals.

A more striking story even is what we learnt four days ago. All the safari and lodge operators at the North Luangwa Valley are radio connected with the ZAWA (Zambia Wildlife Authority). As I was preparing lunch for customers with Brighton, we saw Boston, one of the other local employees, approaching the kitchen. I heard him talk to Brighton in Bemba, one of their local languages. When they finished, I asked what was happening. They explained that the ZAWA officers located at one of the park´s control gates had radio-broadcast a message. There had been a crime in Chifunda. A man had been killed by his own sons and daughters. They had apparently axed him to death. I couldn´t believe what my ears were hearing. I asked Brighton why. He told me a story of black magic that according to him served as a justification for these terrible events.

About a year ago, this man´s first wife was found dead. The village´s witch doctor determined that his husband had done black magic on her. His conclusion was based on the fact that he found a featherless dissected duck in his house. The man left the village. His sons and daughters were now abandoned without any parent to look after them. This same man did come back to Chifunda a few days ago, short after his offsprings took fatal revenge on him.

After hearing this story, not without a huge dose of shock, I asked Brighton what he thought about it. He said that we, Muzungus (white people), don´t understand because we don´t believe in black magic. He was convinced about his beliefs. When the rest of employees gathered around us, I could see that this belief in black magic was the common position for them all. I asked what was going to happen to all these sons and daughters of the assassinated man. They said that they would be arrested and trialed. At the end of the process, the judge would determine whether or not they'd be sentenced to imprisonment for the death of their father. Merche (my friend and one of the owners of the camp) and I then engaged in a discussion with them all about black magic, their beliefs, the existence of witch doctors, what science has to say about all this and so on. We didn´t get to any common ground in our different viewpoints.

Last Friday, we also learnt about the death of a lioness. She had wounds of buffalo horns. The lion is the only predator to buffalos in this park. Control radioed the camp´s scout (a rifle-armed member of the ZAWA that is responsible for the safety and security of the camp and during safaris). They requested him to go where the dead lioness lied in order to bury her. It is common practice that when fatalities like these happen, animal heads and paws are cut off by these officers before the rest of the body is put under ground. Poachers, although in minimal numbers compared to the 80´s and early 90´s, still exist. And unfortunately big money is still paid by undesirable people for poached or dead animals in this disgusting practice. Beheading and dismembering the animal, although terrible having to do so, at least prevents this shameful and illegal trade from happening.

Something more joyful, I´ve also been bird watching from the camp´s dining deck these last couple of weeks. The deck overlooks the river, which is a source of attraction to so many flying species. My favorites are the pied kingfisher, the saddlebilled stork, the cattle egret and the African barred owlet. I´ve alson been spending some time visiting the many beautiful lagoons within the park.

I am leaving the camp tomorrow morning. It's been a great experience here with Merche, Marie and all the employees, now my friends, Brighton, Derek, Isaac, Alfred, Jackson, Kennedy, Boston and the guide Szu. My travels in Africa continue. The next destination is Mpulungu and the Lake Tanganyka, in the North of Zambia, border with Tanzania. I hope I´ll be able to keep publishing more anecdotes soon. As always, thanks very much for reading and big hug to you all.