OPERATION NOAH

Operation Noah - The Fight to Save Kariba's Wildlife

Kariba's rising waters put the lives of thousands of animals in danger. This prompted the most extensive and courageous rescue operation ever undertaken.

As the dam wall closed and the waters rose, milliards of large crickets, rats, mice and the like emerged and scurried away from the encroaching waters. The skies above were blackened by swarms of birds sating themselves on the harvest. In the water the voracious tiger fish rampaged and, glutted with drowning insects, died. Many animals, notably the larger carnivores, retreated inland. Others, however, instinctively made for high ground to wait out another seasonal flood, and were trapped on temporary islands created by the unrelenting upsurge as Lake Kariba filled.

Senior ranger Rupert Fothergill, Frank Junor (a young scientist), Brian Hughes (an ex-fireman who could not swim) and their assistants arrived. Under-manned and under-equipped, Operation Noah had begun.

They began by trying to manoeuvre large animals into the water and shepherding them to safety. In so doing it was revealed that many mammals could swim considerable distances-waterbuck a mile and baboon 400 yards, for instance. They also discovered that hornless, female buck could paddle further than males. And they observed instances of intelligent, adaptive behaviour such as waterbuck ferrying offspring on their backs and large horned bull antelope supporting their heads on logs, or resting them on others' backs, during their journey to safety. Others, declining the swim, were driven into the water for easier capture before being trussed and transported to shore. During this time tranquilliser darting techniques were pioneered.

This was a heroic period, when a handful of men drove themselves to the verge of collapse whilst their gains were pathetically small as thousands of animals drowned or died from shock or injuries sustained during rescue operations.

Through the British Sunday Mail (February 15, 1959) the story of Operation Noah fired the sentimental imagination of the world. Soon there were more feature writers, television cameramen, do-gooders and inquisitive officials than there were designated rescuers and their intrusion severely hampered operations. A request for old nylon stockings to plait as replacements for ropes which burnt captured animals, saw millions of pairs inundate the local SPCA in another unstoppable flood.

Provoked by the pressures of a press-fed public and humanitarian organisations, the task force was increased and better equipped by the Southern Rhodesia government. Overseas financial aid was refused, however, because of the danger of donors deeming it their right to intervene in operations. These funds were diverted to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and used to launch their participation in the rescue campaign.

Operation Noah, the largest animal rescue exercise ever undertaken, saved over 5,000 animals, including 50 Black rhino, between 1960 and 1962. How many creatures died will never be known. Ironically, in the 12 years up to then, over 300,000 animals had been killed as part of the programme to control the spread of tsetse fly in Southern Rhodesia.

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