The Last of His Kind

Real development is not leaving things behind, as on a road, but drawing life from them, as from a root.
G.K Chesterton (English Writer)


The Last of His Kind

I could see his sturdy, dark body in the moonlight. He stood motionless under the velvet African sky, gazing out at the land beyond the boundary fence of the boma that enclosed him. I wasn’t close enough to see his expression, but I could sense the melancholia tinged with sadness. A breeze rustled the leaves on the tree next to him, but he showed no alarm; he simply heaved a sigh as the cool air brushed over him.

“Tatenda,” I called out softly to him, anxious to avoid alarming him. Three months had passed since he’d endured a tragedy nobody should ever have to suffer - a tragedy that is all too frequent in Africa.

Slowly and carefully he turned around, moving out of the dappled moonlight from beneath the flat topped acacia tree so he was clearly visible. I was delighted to see how he’d grown, and encouraged at the determined and courageous stance he displayed when he stopped in front of me. He lifted his head and our eyes met. He pushed the sadness aside and greeted me.

“Mother Africa, I have been thinking of you, and now you are here. I am glad.”

“As am I, Tatenda,” I replied. I knelt down and touched the black rhinoceros calf, one of the most endangered species on Earth. His young skin was already rough to my touch, and I moved my fingers down his face, over the small hard lump above his nostrils that would soon grow into the symbol of his species.

“Shall we talk for a while?” I asked. “Perhaps you’d like to move down to the dam. I understand you are very comfortable there.”

“It’s my favourite place,” he agreed. “But what shall we do about Simeon?” He glanced over at his guard.

“Simeon does not know I am here, and he will not know you have gone.” I moved towards Simeon, one of three people assigned to protect Tatenda every minute of every day and night, and placed my hand over his eyes. They closed, and Tatenda’s protector slid to the ground, leaning against the gatepost as a blissful sleep overcame him. The human mind is not as attuned to nature as the rest of the species on our planet. Simeon was not aware of my presence. He would wake when Tatenda returned, and never realise he’d been sleeping. Opening the gate I turned to Tatenda.

“Shall we walk together?”

The four month old black rhinoceros followed me out of the boma, waiting as I closed the gate. He walked down the narrow path, clearly visible in the moonlight. Following him I was pleased to see he was developing well, with good size and weight for his age. His body brushed the long grass bordering the path as we carefully picked our way towards the dam.

“I love it here,” Tatenda said, negotiating his way around and over a couple of large boulders buried in the ground. “I’ve been bathing here for a week – Simeon, Shingi and Jasper take me down here every day. Mud is really fun, and when Toto the elephant is here it’s even better. I’ve also got a new friend called Hogwart. He’s a warthog and his mother didn’t want him, so now he lives with me at Imire. He also likes mud baths.”

“How old is Hogwart?” I asked

“Younger than me, and really small,” said Tatenda. “He says he won’t grow very big. But he’s very brave, and he’s very funny. He is too young to stay in the boma with me, but Jasper says soon he will be big enough. Then we’ll be together all the time.”

We negotiated our way past the boulder, and Tatenda turned to face me.

“Be careful, Mother Africa,” he cautioned, solemnly. “The other boulder in the ground often trips Simeon, Shingi and Jasper. I’m lucky – I’ve never fallen over it. I try not to laugh, but it can be funny when they trip, and they laugh too. Whenever Hogwart laughs at them I can’t do anything except laugh with him!” I heard happiness in his voice and it was good. So was his concern for me – Tatenda does not know I am able to move all over Africa, unhindered by time or nature’s obstacles. Tropical forests, dry deserts, mountain ranges… even muddy paths cannot stop me.

I thanked him for his concern. Animals have a great consideration and respect for other species, and to see this youngster demonstrating thoughtfulness for others was good. Perhaps he’d come to terms with the tragedy that had unfolded when he was just six weeks old.

We had arrived at the dam. Tatenda, unable to resist the temptation, hurried down to the water’s edge and leapt into the mud with a loud belly flop. Rolling onto his back he grunted with satisfaction as he covered himself in the sticky mixture of red soil and water. Standing up, he waded out of his dirty bath with a sigh of contentment.

“It’s not the same as a midday mud bath,” he admitted. “But it’s still fun! And it feels wonderful.”

I moved to the huge grey rock that swooped down to the water from the lush green trees along the ridge overlooking the dam. Tatenda moved towards me and stood on the ground next to the rock, both of us gazing out over the still water. Silver streaks reflected the moonlight as fish surfaced for a breath of air and oxygen escaped from underwater weed. The trees around the dam were silent dark shapes, leaves rustling softly in the warm night breeze. The moon was almost full, not quite bright enough to dim the stars twinkling in the night sky. On a night like this it was difficult to imagine the full horror Tatenda had experienced.

“How are you feeling after that sad night, Tatenda?”

He shifted his weight, and was silent for a moment.

“I am well, thank you. Jasper, Shingi, Simeon. Judy and John and everyone at Imire are very good to me. Every day a lot of people come to our home, and they visit all the animals living here. They love to see the zebra, the hyena and the lions… the wildebeest, the impala, the sable and even the buffalo. But the only animal they can touch is Hogwart – oh, and also the elephants…” his voice trailed off as his thoughts drifted back. Then he seemed to remember something important, and immediately corrected himself.

“Except our elephant Nzou, because everyone knows she thinks she is a buffalo,” he said, proudly. Then his voice changed slightly.

“I am the only rhinoceros they can touch,” he said, sadly. “Everyone wants to touch me and feed me. But nobody can see the other rhinoceros. The ones who lived are hidden from the visitors. Mandevu the elephant says everyone comes here specially to see me, and I should be glad because it is good for Imire. And I am. But it is not easy to remember what happened that night.”

Tatenda dropped his head, and sadness descended over him like a shroud. I knew what I had to do – Tatenda needed to talk about what happened. I asked him if he was thinking about that terrible night. He slowly nodded.

“Why don’t you tell me about it, Tatenda? I am here to help you. Please let me help you.”

“Alright, I’ll try,” he replied. He thought for a moment, and before I could tell him to relax and take his time he began talking.

“There were four people that night. I think they call them ‘murderers’ – well, that’s what the elephants call them. So do the people, but they also call them poachers. There was no moon, so they were not easy to see. I was resting next to Mother and Father. Mother’s sister Amber was also with us. She was going to have a baby, and Mother was so happy another calf was going to be born…”

Tatenda was right. Amber was due to give birth to a female calf within days of the tragedy. I was silent, thinking of the wonder and the joy of a new black rhinoceros calf at Imire Safari Park, a place of sanctuary. A place that had, over the past twenty years, raised a dozen rhinoceros and released them back into the wilderness. It was supposed to be a safe place.

But nothing is safe from man’s greed.

Tatenda’s voice was quiet and clear as he continued his memory: “I heard Jasper’s lady Iris weeping. The four murderers had hurt her, and forced her to show them where Mother and Father were resting. They hurt Jasper, who was looking after us that night, and they tied him up. The murderers had guns, and they pointed them at us like sticks. Jasper was crying and asking them to leave us alone. They didn’t listen. They started shooting us.”

It was a dreadful memory, but Tatenda was determined to tell me what happened. It was terrible for me to hear, and I can only imagine how difficult it was to speak of such a terrible encounter with man. But I needed to take the pain of the memory from him, and this interview was the only way.

“I remember hearing Father crying, and Mother pushed me away from them. I wanted to stay, but she wouldn’t let me. Amber fell down first, and she was screaming. Mother Africa, it was a terrible noise. Father fell next, and then Mother. The shooting took five minutes. I was so scared I didn’t move.

“After they’d stopped shooting two of the murderers came over to Father, Mother and Amber. They lifted their heads, because they wanted to cut off the horns. I know now that a man comes here with John and Judy to take our horns off when they get big to stop murderers taking them. He's an animal doctor. The murderers were very angry when they saw no horns. Father had a little bit of horn that had started to grow back, so they lifted his head. They took a saw, and cut the very small piece of horn from his face. Then they dropped his head on the ground. It made a loud noise when it hit the ground, and that’s when I knew he was dead.”

I was weeping, but my tears could not be heard. Tatenda did not weep; my tears were his. I was taking the burden of his pain from him. It was part of the healing process of nature, and the reason I had come to meet him.

“The murderers heard a vehicle coming, so they ran away. I went to Mother, Father and Amber. Amber was the only one still alive. But she couldn’t talk. There were holes all over her body, and she was bleeding. She was looking at me, Mother Africa. I knew she was in pain, but I couldn’t help her. I stood beside her. There was shouting, and the Imire people came running into the enclosure. When they saw the dead rhinoceros they all started to cry. Jasper cried loudest of all, and not just because they had hurt him. He said it was the worst thing he’d ever seen and he could not stop them. Jasper always says sorry to me, because he thinks he let Mother and Father die such terrible deaths. But it wasn’t his fault.”

I had been there that night. Tatenda had lived because the murderous poachers had not seen him. The people who kill rhinoceros for their horns show no mercy to their victims. Even a small rhinoceros will be slaughtered for the tiniest growth of his horn. The magnificent horn, a symbol of the rhinoceros is also a symbol of wealth for man, who uses it to make dagger handles and traditional medicines. No species stands a chance against man’s greed.

But I didn’t want to think about man right now. The species that was supposed to protect the planet was destroying nature and his environment faster and more effectively than any other species.

“Have you seen any of the other animals since that night?” I asked Tatenda.

“Well, mainly the people who look after us, but they can’t hear me,” he said. “But the elephants have been really nice to me. Toto is my best friend. The elephants are very good to all the animals at Imire. We see each other every day, when I come down here to bath. Hogwart knows what happened, but he only came to live here after Mother and Father and Amber died.”

Elephants and rhinoceros form close bonds with each other, and since losing his parents Tatenda had become very friendly with young Toto and the adult elephants Mundebvu and Makavusi.

“Tatenda, have you spoken to the elephants about your parents and Amber?” I asked.

“Oh yes!” He exclaimed, happily. “They were good friends. Mundebvu says Mother, Father and Amber were all very brave, and they will never die because a part of them all is in me. They will live through me. Do you know Mundebvu is going to have a calf? It will be so nice to have an elephant calf at Imire.”

“Yes, I know,” I answered. I knew his mind was wandering because he was just four months old. But he surprised me - without any prompting from me Tatenda returned to his memory.

“We used to talk to the elephants at night, because they were outside the boma where we stayed. They heard the same sounds I heard. Makavusi told me when he heard the shooting he knew the murderers had come to kill us. They call us an endangered species, and they say we have to be protected. That’s why we were in the boma – for protection. They say there are not many of us left now.”

Tatenda was correct. Just three thousand black rhinoceros remain in Africa, their numbers decimated by poaching. Forty years ago one hundred thousand of the species roamed Africa. The elephants would know of the atrocities committed by poachers because their numbers were under threat thanks to the demand for their ivory tusks.

“Tatenda, did Mundebvu speak to you afterwards?” I asked.

“She didn’t say anything straight away. Amber was buried under a big msasa tree. When Mundebvu was taken to the grave she began to cry. She said it was the place where Amber had been born. Makavusi and Toto stayed with her, and all the elephants were touching each other and making sad noises. They were giving each other sticks, and all of them had tears running down their faces. Mundebvu tried to dig into the soil on the grave to go to Amber. She said she didn’t believe Amber was dead, because she had not seen her body. The people were with them, and they were also crying. They said they never knew that elephants and rhinoceros were such good friends.”

I looked across at the brave little black rhinoceros calf. Too young to be orphaned, he would never be released into the African bush. He would never have the freedom to roam though the verdant plains and along the legendary rivers like his ancestors. In a perfect world Tatenda would freely and safely wander among Africa’s brilliant msasa and acacia trees, browsing contentedly on the savannah shrubs. But he is too precious, too valuable and too rare to be allowed the freedom to which he is entitled. Even if they could, the species who should protect Tatenda cannot allow him total freedom. I wondered if he was too young to realise this sad truth.

“No, I am not too young.” His answer was firm, and the fact that he could understand me meant he had come to terms with the events of that night. “I know there are good people. Jasper, Shingi and Simeon love me, and they protect me. John and Judy too, and all the people who come to see me and feed me are good. I can sense it. I know that not all people are like those who killed Mother and Father and Amber.”

Tatenda was right. There are more people living on the planet who want to see the protection of threatened species like the black rhinoceros than people who would see the species become extinct. Tatenda had come to terms with the loss of his family and the very worst elements of mankind, and had dealt with them in his own way. I was so proud of him.

“Our meeting is over,” I told him. “And a young black rhinoceros needs his sleep. Let’s walk back to the boma, Tatenda.”

I told him I would come to him whenever he needed me; all he has to do is call me and I will be here for him. Africa and her creatures are my children. The emotions caused by the recollection of his memory had exhausted him, and he walked slowly up the path towards his boma.

“Are you sure Simeon won’t know I went out?” he asked as we reached the sleeping guard.

“Absolutely not, Tatenda. I shall wake him now. Farewell, Tatenda. I look forward to our next meeting.”

My hand over his eyes roused Simeon, who got to his feet before he was fully awoke. I watched him stroll over to his charge, affectionately scratching Tatenda’s head so the young rhinoceros’ eyes closed in ecstasy.

I know that if Tatenda can never be free then life at Imire is the best option. He will still roam on African soil, under African skies and with African creatures. He will live among people who love him. Africa is Tatenda’s home, and he is a symbol of hope in a continent where so many have lost hope.

2961 words

My youngest niece, Caitie, feeding Tatenda at Imire in early January 2008.

Author’s Note

Imire Safari Park is situated in Zimbabwe, and each animal in this story exists. I spent a day at Imire in January 2008, and I met all these animals. It was one of the most wonderful experiences in my life.

The tragedy Tatenda describes in the story occurred on 7 November 2007. Nobody has ever been arrested in connection with dreadful event.

boma – an enclosure, especially for animals.
acacia – a tree or shrub of warm climates which has yellow or white flowers.
msasa - a medium-sized African tree having compound leaves and racemes of small fragrant green flowers. The tree is broad and has a distinctive amber and wine red colour when the young leaves sprout during spring (August-September).

© Copyright 2008 Sarah (UN: zwisis at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
Sarah has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.