By Dick Houston

Our ELEPHANT TALES stories will also delve into our safari attic trunk — to exhume long forgotten treasures of the “old Africa” of yesteryear.

In our Safari Attic you will also learn about books that will feed your curiosity about Africa’s old days. We will also have links to booksellers that can find books that have long been out of print.

And lots more surprises in our safari attic…

The Old Hotels:
Many of the grand old British colonial Africa hotels were torn down years ago. But the ghosts of the Empire’s past still hang out at the grandest old lady of Africa’s bygone days: The Victoria Falls Hotel.

She still stands proudly at the edge of Victoria Falls — the greatest waterfalls in the world. Twice as high as Niagara — and over a mile wide!

Here’s the story of the old Victoria Falls Hotel in Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia) 

Let’s start the story with: AGATHA CHRISTIE AT VICTORIA FALLS HOTEL
                                              “The Man in the Brown Suit”

“We walked from the train to the hotel, a big white building closely wired against mosquitoes. There were no roads, no houses. We went out on the step and I uttered a gasp. There, half a mile away, facing us, were the Falls. I’ve never seen anything so grand and beautiful – I never shall.”

The main character of the novel, Anne Beddingfield, says this about this natural wonder on her arrival at the Victoria Falls in Agatha Christie’s 1924 novel, The Man in the Brown Suit. Anne becomes involved in a murder when she witnesses a supposedly accidental death in a London tube station. 

Anne’s investigation leads her to embark on a sea voyage to Cape Town, South Africa. Then she travels by train up to Southern Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe). In the typical Christie style, Anne finds mystery and breath-taking adventure in Africa. The novel ends with her living on an island in the middle of the Zambezi upstream from the Falls!

The Victoria Falls Hotel is the ultimate set piece from an Agatha Christie novel. It is easy to imagine her characters arriving in their white pith helmets and tunics.

Did you know that even today Agatha Christie is still the best-selling writer of all time? She is the author of over 80 novels and only the Bible and Shakespeare have sold more copies than her two billion!! (Now you know who is the best selling author of fiction of all time! That surprised me as I thought it may have been James Patterson as the #1 best selling author.)

Today, sitting on the terrace at The Victoria Falls Hotel, it is not difficult to imagine a bygone age envisioning some of Christie’s characters ordering high tea, pink gins, or strolling through the manicured grounds. No one seemed to offer more romance of characters, and elegance of place in old hotels, than the British.

 So, where can I learn more about this fabulous old hotel?  In the following book from Harper Collins Publishers.
HarperCollins Publishers (Zimbabwe) [Published date: 2004]. Soft cover, 74 pp.

[The following description is from the front cover flap of the book on AMAZON where the book is available http://www.amazon.com] 

The Victoria Falls Hotel is more than simply a hospitality establishment. It is an internationally-renowned institution that is one of the most important hotels in Zimbabwe, and indeed in Africa as a whole. It was also the catalyst for the creation and development of Victoria Falls town close to the world-famous tourist attraction that was named for the Queen and Empire by Scots explorer and missionary David Livingstone. From the time it was opened as a corrugated iron construction in 1904 to the celebration of its centenary in 2004 it played host to huge numbers of visitors, including some of the world’s rich and famous. Its story is one of determination and professionalism, reflecting the fortunes of the country in which it is found – once called Southern Rhodesia and now Zimbabwe. This history explains why the hotel has developed into the world-famous institution it has become and why its owners, management and staff are determined to maintain and even enhance that status in its second 100 years of operation.

Thanks for reading our first installment of THE SAFARI ATTIC.

“Pip Pip old boys and girls. A tip of the fedora from olde Bwana Tembo!”   

Dick Houston

by Lynn Clifford

A little update from the Malawi bush.

Last week, the rangers and I heard about a large 8.6 foot female croc that had been in captivity for over 15 years in the capital city of Lilongwe. This croc was at the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust facility that takes care of rescued, distressed wild animals — then works at releasing the captive animals back to the wild.

I suggested that it might be better for the croc to be released into the Thuma Forest Reserve where we live and work. Thuma had a good spot on a wild river where it could live because our WAG rangers patrol the area for poachers. The Lilongwe Wildlife Trust agreed to allow the rangers and me to transport the croc to Thuma, about 100 miles away.

Days later, we brought the big croc to Thuma. Her name is Bush Dog! (In Southern Africa, crocodiles are called Flat Dogs.)

Since the croc weighed hundreds of pounds, we had to use 2 teams of ten men to carry Bush Dog to the ideal river spot about a mile away from the vehicles.

We released Bush Dog in a shady area, beside a stream close to a natural dam. It would be an ideal place where we hope she enjoys a taste of freedom. A croc can live to nearly100 years and can reach some 19 feet in length!

Recently, we also released 4 baby hedgehogs into Thuma Forest Reserve. They had been hand reared in the city. They were released close to our ranger headquarters camp.

Another “back to the wild” story entailed 3 beautiful African Rock pythons! They were found at one day near the city and brought here to Thuma Forest Reserve. 

We have been hand rearing them ever since, including catching and feeding them live rats. Ugh! It was terrible for me to do being an animal lover, but that’s what pythons eat.

All three pythons were released at our local spring area and we hope they do well.

Thank you for reading my post from the bush.

Lynn Clifford
Field Manager
Wildlife Action Group
Thuma and Dedza-Salima Forest Reserves