Wheels
AH ambassador
There was once an elephant trail that connected the greater Ruaha ecosystem to the low lands at the north end of Lake Malawi. The trail ascended the Eldon Plateau near Chimala before dropping off the Plateau and into the lowlands.
By the end of WWII, patchwork farms had plowed under much of the trail on the plateau. Old timers remember the last elephants to ascend the trail were around 1953. The elephants got lost or were driven off and returned to the Usangu Flats, part of the Ruaha ecosystem.
In the late 1950’s or early 1960’s, a road, was built connecting Chimala to Matamba on top of the plateau. The road was called Hamsini na Saba for the 57 switchbacks.
In the late 1960’s through the early 1980’s, Tanzania had the socialist policy of Ujamaa, which moved families and villages from the bush to within a few miles of major roads to be able to better “help” the people. With this influx of people and new shambas along the Great North Road, elephants were driven further out onto the Usangu.
By the early 1960’s, elephants would no longer go to the base of the plateau and stayed north of the Great North Road. By 1970, elephants were no longer raiding farms near Chimala.
Around 1985, people were surprised to wake up and find a matriarch with her family at Chimala. The herd had wondered through fields at night to reach the base of the escarpment. She looked around for a few hours but couldn’t find the old trail. She did however find the road. Vehicles coming down moved as far as they could out of the herd’s way. Vehicles going up stayed a reasonable distance behind. The matriarch and her family arrived atop the plateau to people who had never seen an elephant before, even though they lived only 30 miles from elephants. The elephants were a novelty and were encouraged to leave the gardens but not really harassed.
The Grand Old Dame wondered around searching for the trail that had been plowed under by patchwork farmers countless times. After a day or two she and her family were shooed off the Plateau and into the Ruaha River valley a few miles to the east.
What deep internal compass and sense of being made this great lady lead her family through farms and potential danger, to find a trail she hadn’t been on for over thirty years? Was her time at an end and this was her last chance to pass on a lesson to her daughters and granddaughters? Why was this bit of knowledge more important than the family’s safety?
I have no answers. Only questions.
I do continue to stand in awe of these amazing creatures.
By the end of WWII, patchwork farms had plowed under much of the trail on the plateau. Old timers remember the last elephants to ascend the trail were around 1953. The elephants got lost or were driven off and returned to the Usangu Flats, part of the Ruaha ecosystem.
In the late 1950’s or early 1960’s, a road, was built connecting Chimala to Matamba on top of the plateau. The road was called Hamsini na Saba for the 57 switchbacks.
In the late 1960’s through the early 1980’s, Tanzania had the socialist policy of Ujamaa, which moved families and villages from the bush to within a few miles of major roads to be able to better “help” the people. With this influx of people and new shambas along the Great North Road, elephants were driven further out onto the Usangu.
By the early 1960’s, elephants would no longer go to the base of the plateau and stayed north of the Great North Road. By 1970, elephants were no longer raiding farms near Chimala.
Around 1985, people were surprised to wake up and find a matriarch with her family at Chimala. The herd had wondered through fields at night to reach the base of the escarpment. She looked around for a few hours but couldn’t find the old trail. She did however find the road. Vehicles coming down moved as far as they could out of the herd’s way. Vehicles going up stayed a reasonable distance behind. The matriarch and her family arrived atop the plateau to people who had never seen an elephant before, even though they lived only 30 miles from elephants. The elephants were a novelty and were encouraged to leave the gardens but not really harassed.
The Grand Old Dame wondered around searching for the trail that had been plowed under by patchwork farmers countless times. After a day or two she and her family were shooed off the Plateau and into the Ruaha River valley a few miles to the east.
What deep internal compass and sense of being made this great lady lead her family through farms and potential danger, to find a trail she hadn’t been on for over thirty years? Was her time at an end and this was her last chance to pass on a lesson to her daughters and granddaughters? Why was this bit of knowledge more important than the family’s safety?
I have no answers. Only questions.
I do continue to stand in awe of these amazing creatures.
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