By Michelina Andreucci

TWENTY three (23) elephants, 44 rhinos, 43 hares, 300 kudu, 172 monkeys, six squirrels, 46 zebra and so on reads the list of animals that were salvaged from the flooding of vast swathes of the Miombo woodlands, valley scrub and savannah.
From massive elephants to the diminutive night ape, a group of dedicated wildlife wardens and volunteers set up an animal rescue initiative which came to be called Operation Noah; the most extensive and courageous animal rescue operation ever undertaken.
As the construction of the Kariba Dam wall progressed, the water of the Zambezi began to rise steadily against it, creating temporary islands as the waters rose each day. Many wild animals became stranded on temporary islands which the rising water created.
The larger carnivores retreated inland.
Many animals instinctively made for higher ground; many were islands created by the steadily rising water as it filled the lake, trapping the animals on these temporary dwindling islands. Without help the animals were doomed to drown.
With no time to spare, wildlife ranger Rupert Fothergill together with 60 other wildlife wardens and rangers struggled ceaselessly, with dogged determination and enthusiasm, to rescue animals along the various sections on both sides of the rapidly forming lake.
Multitudes of reptiles, lizards, crickets, moles, mice, rats, gerbils, shrews, weevils, worms and the like, surfaced from underground, from under rocks and fallen debris, frantically scurrying away from the encroaching waters. Various reports told of darkened skies, blackened by swarms of birds sating themselves on the harvest of creatures.
In the water the voracious tiger fish went berserk and glutted with the drowning insects.
From March to December 1958, with minimal specialist equipment, a few boats, and a poor communication network, the wildlife team of rescuers and their assistants worked throughout the dry season rescuing all they could; large and small, including many birds, otter, rabbits, servile cats and wild dogs; pangolins, porcupine and poisonous snakes were not left out.
The panicked animals that could swim were herded to safety, others that could not swim were driven to shallower waters to be captured and transported to shore. Soon work of the rescue operation spread.
On February 15 1959, the British Sunday Mail published details of Operation Noah giving details of the rescue. The story fired the sentimental imagination of the world. In no time television cameramen and feature writers were on their way to Kariba to capture in words and pictures some of the most dramatic and touching sights of rescued animals; an event which would have otherwise gone unrecorded and unseen such as the displacement of the Valley People, which appears to have gone unrecorded.
The story triggered the imagination and opinion of the overseas public and pressure was put on governments to support the rescue project which was given better equipment and supplied more personnel.
A request for women’s nylon stockings was made. These were plaited and used as replacements for the ropes which burnt captured animals. The request saw millions of pairs of ladies stockings inundate the local SPCAs.
During this time tranquilliser darting techniques were pioneered as the rescue teams grew more experienced and sophisticated.
The tranquilliser darting techniques were used to rescue larger, more ferocious or swifter creatures. The rescue teams learnt how to dart, track and rescue unconscious animals before they recovered their senses. Others were roped and towed to safety after being herded into shallow water. Non-swimmers, such as rhino, were darted, trussed to rafts and floated to higher ground before being freed.
Animals of all groups and sizes were cajoled, ensnared or darted and transported by boat or raft to higher ground where they were released. While trying to manoeuvre the large animals into the water to shepherd them to safety, the men realised that many animals could swim long distances; waterbuck, for instance could swim a full mile and baboon 400 yards; the hornless female buck could paddle further than the males.
No doubt, these observations were made by some of the indigenous trackers whose closeness and understanding of animal behaviour and environs provided invaluable information.
During the liberation struggle, this indigenous knowledge saved many fighters who would study animals at a water hole to know if the water was safe to drink.
Senior ranger Rupert Fothergill and his assistants also observed examples of intelligent, adaptive behaviour such as waterbuck ferrying offspring on their backs and large horned bull antelope supporting their heads on logs, or testing them on others’ backs, during their journey to safety.
Others, reluctant to swim, were driven into the water for easier capture before being trussed and transported to shore. Most of the animals were moved to Matusadona (now the Matusadona National Park), located on the western side of southern shores of Lake Kariba. The park measuring over 1 370km2 is located near a series of hills called the Matuzviadonha Hills.
It was a heroic period, for the handful of men, although thousands of animals drowned or died from shock or injuries sustained during the rescue operations.
Fothergill Island, together with several other islands, remains a reminder of these gallant people and their work. Today Lake Kariba supports several hundred species of fish, some of which are endemic to the Zambezi. Important species include sardines (kapenta), which are fished heavily for food, as well as catfish, tiger fish, yellow fish and other large species.
The bull shark which is found around the world, and normally inhabits coastal waters, has been found far inland in many large rivers including the Zambezi River, where it is known as the Zambezi Shark.
We will never know how many creatures died in the rescue operation.
Operation Noah remains one of the largest animal rescue operations ever undertaken with 4 845 wild animals rescued from the diminishing islands of Kariba; including 50 black rhino between 1960 and 1962.
The BaTonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe were subject to forced removal on a massive scale, with little attention being paid to the implications for the approximately 57 000 Valley People who had to leave behind their homes and fertile land, together with ancestral burial grounds and sacred shrines along the banks of the Mulonga.
Dr Michelina Rudo Andreucci is a Zimbabwean-Italian Researcher, Industrial Design Consultant and Specialist Interior Decorator. She is a published author in her field.
For comments E-mail:linamanucci@gmail.com