A Ranger’s Work
Anti-poaching story from the Valley
movements and patterns. It soon became apparent that one particular shoe type was common to all these gangs. It became known as the ‘donkeyshoe’ spoor. It consisted of a plain sole, but the heel was distinctive, shaped like the hoof-print of a donkey or zebra. It left a clear imprint, making it easy to track – so much so that on one followup, Agrippa was able to follow this spoor along a sandy riverbed for kilometres, using only the full moon.
On 18 January 1989, Agrippa and his team were on an extended patrol in the Gota Gota Hills near Makuti. Call-signs usually comprised four men, but this could be reduced to three, or occasionally two as the poaching fronts spread and as manpower constraints dictated. The Gota Gota Hills form a rugged, scenic part of the Zambezi Escarpment. It was here, in the early 1950s, that the road construction contractors were able to use the centuries-old, well-worn elephant paths in their quest to push the road from Makuti to the Kariba Gorge to facilitate the construction of the Kariba Dam wall.
THE DAY STARTED as usual for Agrippa and his men. They were patrolling near the base of some large hills, from which flowed a perennial spring. This attracted many animals, especially rhino and elephant. Checking the spring, the patrol discovered the fresh spoor of five poachers who had stopped to collect water. Among the spoor were two sets of the nowfamiliar ‘donkey-shoe’ pattern prints. Clear signs of the insurgents’ movements remained; most ominous was the clear impression of the butt of an AK-47 assault rifle. Clearly these poachers had been in the area for some time, and intended hunting for an extended period. It was thus important to get on the spoor immediately to account for this gang before they could do further damage.
Agrippa radioed his base and gave his ‘sitrep’ (situation report), stating that he was commencing an immediate follow-up. He requested additional manpower to be on standby in order to set up stop groups to ambush any route the poachers might use to flee. A helicopter based at Mana Pools was put on alert, with another group of rangers to act as a quick reaction force.
An hour later Agrippa reported that he was still on the spoor and that the poachers were following the tracks of a single rhino. Shortly afterwards Agrippa radioed, hearing a short burst of automatic gunfire not more than two kilometres from his current position.
He immediately abandoned the spoor, and proceeded in the direction of the shots. After 20 minutes, Agrippa stopped – he could smell smoke from a fire and the aroma of meat cooking. The patrol moved forward cautiously, clearing a small rise, and there, 100 metres away, were the poachers. Next to them was a dead female rhino – her horns had been chopped out, and flesh had been cut from her rump, which was now being cooked on the fire around which they sat. One of the poachers saw them, immediately alerting his companions. One, armed with an AK rifle, swung it up towards the approaching Parks men. Agrippa and his two colleagues immediately opened fire. The poachers ran and were soon out of sight.
Agrippa urgently called in a sitrep. He was instructed to clear the area and determine if any of the poachers had been hit. Meanwhile, the helicopter was deployed for aerial support in the follow-up. Previous experience had shown that poachers usually ‘put to ground’ (hide) when an aircraft appears overhead. It was hoped that this might buy time for Agrippa and his men to catch up with the fleeing gang. After a sweep of the immediate contact site Agrippa confirmed that two, possibly three, poachers had been wounded, as indicated by a heavy blood spoor. These were the last words spoken by Agrippa. A wounded poacher, who had taken cover in thick scrub, stood up eight metres away and opened fire in fullauto mode. Agrippa was hit in the neck and stomach and died instantly.
The two remaining survivors of his call-sign withdrew from the area, climbing a nearby ridge to report the latest developments and to request immediate assistance. They did not know if Agrippa was injured or dead.
Some 20 minutes later, the helicopter arrived, but experienced difficulty in getting the scouts to talk with the air
craft hovering over their position, as they were in a state of shock. Eventually the helicopter found a suitable landing zone and deployed the quick relieve callsign to rendezvous with the scouts.
THE PRIORITY HAD now changed to locating Agrippa’s position, assessing the nature of his wounds, and arranging an immediate casualty evacuation to Kariba Hospital. The scouts indicated his position, where he was observed lying motionless. They were uncertain as to the position from which the wounded poacher had opened fire, or where he might now be hidden. Time was of the essence. After failing to get any response from Agrippa by calling, an extended line was formed and advanced towards his position. Covering fire was laid down as the advance proceeded. The helicopter orbited overhead, although the pilot could see no sign of the poacher.
When they reached Agrippa, a check for any vital signs revealed nothing. As this information was being relayed to the pilot, the poacher stood up and directed a burst of automatic gunfire towards the group. One bullet struck the ground between the patrol commander’s feet. Another passed so close to his ear that he could feel it. Another ranger, Sam Mutsauri, standing about 15 metres away, was not so lucky – he sustained a bullet wound to his leg, shattering the bone and severing his sciatic nerve.
The situation was dire. Agrippa was dead and Sam seriously wounded. The helicopter pilot relayed that he could see the poacher’s position – and that there was another poacher hiding nearby. An immediate plan of action was needed in order to neutralise the insurgents so as to safely recover Sam.
The helicopter’s fuel was also running perilously low.
Sam was asked to put down intermittent covering fire toward the poachers’ position. This he did despite the serious nature of his injury – an outstanding act of courage and dedication to duty. This allowed the patrol commander to withdraw from the immediate contact area, and approach from another direction, which offered better cover. Sam was able to move to within ten metres from the poachers, while the pilot provided details on the poachers’ movements. Calls to the insurgents to lay down their arms proved fruitless, leaving little choice but to rush their position. Both poachers were shot dead.
The helicopter was then able to land close to Sam. This was complicated because it was on a slope and only one of the aircraft’s skids could touch down, leaving the main rotor blades perilously close to the ground. The pilot’s skill saved critical minutes, and Sam was airlifted to Kariba Hospital, from where he was airlifted to Harare.
Five days later a wounded poacher was captured along the Makuti-kariba road, having crawled there after being shot in the abdomen during the initial contact. Intelligence sources later revealed that only one poacher made it back to Zambia. The fate of the other member of this gang remains unknown but he could also have been wounded and ended his days in the Zimbabwean bush.
One of our finest field men fell that day. And, although the battle to save the rhino in the Zambezi Valley was eventually lost, we can be proud of the efforts made by men like Agrippa Nhamo. They must never be forgotten, for they are some of Zimbabwe’s unsung heroes. For those who knew, served and worked with Agrippa, it was a great privilege.
One of our finest field men fell that day. And, although the battle to save the rhino in the Zambezi Valley was eventually lost, we can be proud of the efforts made by men like Agrippa Nhamo
Full Capacity No2 Musket Cases
The .500/.450 No2 Musket was once a very popular calibre in South Africa, commonly in the form of ‘Cape Guns’ – combination rifle/shotguns – but also chambered in single-shot rifles on Martini type tilting block actions. I have spent a lifetime in the East Cape bush, and have picked up almost as many No2 Musket cases as Martini Henry and Snider cases. Rifles chambered for this old cartridge remain cherished heirlooms on many farms and, in my opinion, no firearm collection is complete without one or more Cape Guns in different calibre combinations.
The good news is that full-capacity .500/.450 cases are now being made by Port Elizabeth gunsmith Rolf Hautenrauch.
Using a CNC machine, Rolf produces turned brass cases that take the CORRECT charge of 76 grains of black powder, just like the original drawn brass cases made more than a century ago.
Five extremely well-made everlasting cases come in a sturdy cardboard box as shown here. To order, phone Rolf on 082-478-5777. – Robin Barkes
Tusks
I found the article on big tuskers in the February 2020 edition of Magnum most interesting. In North-east Zambia, the Mweru Wantipa Marsh was known for its big tuskers. There was one particular bull, with enormous tusks, that hunters attempted to shoot without success.
In 1940, my father, Chris Wienand, decided he would try his luck. He set up camp close to the marsh keeping noise and movement to a minimum, and from there he watched the bull for two weeks. Although he judged the bull’s ivory to be 150lbs plus on each side, he never really could get a good look, only catching the occasional glimpse as they were usually hidden by the vegetation. However, when he felt malaria coming on, he decided to