Zambezi

February 13, 2023 – Old Drift Lodge, Zimbabwe

Old Drift Lodge is located on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River. The Zambezi is a border, separating Zimbabwe and Zambia.

We ventured out onto the river last evening in search of grumpy hippopotami.

Drinking Zambezi beer, in Zimbabwe, near Zambia, on the Zambezi River.

Peter Godwin provides a better description of the hippo than I can. This is how he illustrates the ill-tempered creature in his book, When a Crocodile Eats the Sun.

“Of all the theories for the hippo’s antisocial behaviour, my favourite is the one offered by the San Bushmen. They believe that the hippo was the last animal to be created and was made of parts left over from the construction of other beasts. When the hippo saw its reflection in the water, it was so ashamed of its ugliness that it begged the creator — Kaggan — to allow it to live underwater, out of sight. But Kaggan refused, worried that the hippo would eat up all the fish with its huge mouth. The hippo promised that it wouldn’t eat any living thing from the water, and Kaggan relented. A deal was struck that the hippo must return each night to the land to eat and to shit so that the other animals could examine its dung to ensure that there were no fish bones in it. The regular humiliation of public fecal inspection could well account for the hippo’s irascibility.”

A hippo will open its jaws to show you its gigantic teeth as a warning not to come closer, but if you keep your distance they are quite hospitable. These guys were surprisingly passive, and very entertaining. They gave a little snort and wiggled their ears as they surfaced, then stared at us through curious, semi-submerged eyes.

If you want “grumpy”, the crocodile is the clear winner. This anti-social reptile never flinched as we moved close to it in the boat. He lay there digesting whatever unfortunate creature he had just eaten, never once cracking that famous smile.

There were dozens of species of colourful birds near the Zambezi, not one of them ill-tempered.