Living Close to Jumbos

By Cecil Dzwowa

My uncle has giant neighbors.

When an elephant comes into a village, everyone panics. I know. I live in Zimbabwe, Africa.

Villagers are used to seeing other wild animals in their yards. Wild animals usually stay in the parks and game reserves, where nobody disturbs them. But during a drought, the animals come looking for food and water.

Sometimes baboons try to eat the crops or steal food from the huts. Otherwise, most villagers do not pay much attention to their visitors. But a visit from jumbos is a different story.

One day, I visited relatives who live near Gonarezhou National Park. Gonarezhou means “haven for elephants.” I saw how the villagers live close to these giant animals.

Rulers of the Road
The first thing I learned is that elephants rule the road.

I was riding a bus to the village when we came upon about fifty elephants blocking traffic from all directions. I had planned to leave the next day, and I did not have time for this delay.

The driver was used to jumbos. He told us that there was nothing he could do. But the passengers insisted that the driver move the elephants.

The driver blew his horn.

The jumbos did not care.

Soon, about eight cars were lined up behind the bus. All of the drivers honked at the same time.

The elephants seemed to like it.

After about half an hour, the herd began to amble into the forest.

“These animals have no respect for other road users,” joked one passenger.

Big Guests
When I arrived at the village, I saw that elephants had been there. They had broken down trees and bushes, trampled corn plants, and left heaps of dung.

With an average weight of more than three tons, an elephant brings down everything in its path. Also, young bull elephants play by pulling and pushing one another in every direction. The impact of their huge bodies knocks down trees and bushes.

The jumbos had brought down many mango and guava trees in my Uncle Mutorwa’s orchard. Part of his corn crop was also destroyed. “It looked as though someone deliberately drove a truck through my fields,” he said.

Uncle Mutorwa and other villagers had beat on drums and lit fires to drive the elephants away. But the jumbos did not care. Later, game rangers fired guns into the air to chase the elephants away.

Eleven-year-old Tatenda lives in the village. He enjoys a jumbo visit. “It’s exciting to see such big animals running around with our dogs barking behind them,” he said.

Rogue Elephants
The biggest worry is nzoumupengo—a “short-tempered,” or “rogue,” elephant. These elephants are aggressive toward people and may even kill someone.

Why might an elephant become a rogue? During the breeding season (musth), male elephants go through chemical changes that make them aggressive for a short time. Or an elephant may become aggressive because it’s in pain from a broken tusk, toothache, or wounds made by illegal hunters called poachers.

“A single rogue elephant is more dangerous and destructive than twenty normal elephants,” Uncle Mutorwa said. “It can trample on goats, chickens, crops, or even people.”

How Jumbos Help
Wild elephants can also bring benefits. They leave a lot of dung, which villagers use to fertilize their vegetable gardens. The villagers may also dry the dung and burn it to repel mosquitoes. “We just go to the jungle and pick it up free of charge,” said Shuvai, one of the girls in the village.

When elephants knock down trees and bushes, it is good news for boys and girls. Villagers use firewood for cooking. After jumbos knock down a tree, the kids don’t have far to go to find firewood.

Elephants also make new trails through the forest. People can then use the trails and widen them over time. It is said that many major roads began as elephant trails.

Tendai is another boy who lives in the village. His way to school began as an elephant trail. “I used to walk much farther to and from school every day,” he explained. “Now we use an elephant trail as a shortcut.”

The biggest benefits come from tourism. Tourists from all over the world come to see the elephants. They buy baskets, stone sculptures, and other items. Tatenda’s mother earns money selling traditional crafts such as wooden carvings of elephants.

Threatened Elephants
The villagers have one more worry. Their giant neighbors are endangered, yet poachers still kill elephants to sell their tusks as ivory.

Like many villagers, my Uncle Mutorwa believes that jumbos need to be understood and respected. He worries that if the jumbos are wiped out, village life will never be the same again. “People need to be protected from rogue elephants,” he said. “We also need to protect the elephants from greedy poachers.”