July 21, 2007—submitted by Samantha MeyersSt. Lucia, a World Heritage Site, is famous for its wildlife preserves, especially wetlands. Our Saturday there was spent exploring these on a boat tour of a waterway that fed into the Indian Ocean. We were looking specifically for crocodiles and hippopotamus, but were blessed with sightings of many birds as well.
Shortly after we began our cruise on the pontoon boat, we saw a lounging crocodile. Some of us also saw one hiding in foliage. Many teachers in our group suspected that the crocodile we saw was fake, because it never moved during the excursion. While this is a possibility, it is likely that the crocodile was resting as it is a nocturnal creature that hunts at night. Also, as a reptile, it is cold-blooded, needing the sun to keep warm. The captain gave us some other interesting facts about crocodiles—they are able to stay under water for two hours, grow up to six feet, and live over seventy years! Their main job in the ecosystem is to clean up dead carcasses and keep the fish population under control. Once the Zambian government had many crocodiles killed. The big fish ate all of the small fish, and then began to die off, throwing the whole area into chaos.
While we waited to see hippos, we were treated to more local history. The whole area had once been private hunting grounds of Shaka, and the nearby ocean is the resting place for 163 ships sunk during WWII, including Japanese, Italian, and German submarines. What looked like jagged rocks sticking out of the water were actually fossilized oyster beds. The shore was lined with Mangrove trees. This remarkable plant grows roots both below and above ground so that it will not be smothered during the floods.
It was not long before pods of hippos graced us with their presence. They teased us, only popping their heads up for air, seconds at a time. The hippopotamus can only stay under water for six minutes at a time. We began to see more and more hippos, (the average pod has 14 with only one dominant male).
We were all fascinated to learn that these water-loving creatures cannot swim. Rather, they bounce along the river floor like big ballerinas. This does not slow them down, however. They can run at an average speed of 44 kilometers per hour, meaning even the fastest man on earth at 37.5 kph has cause for concern at the sight of a hippo. As it turns out, they are pretty dangerous—killing more humans than any other African animal. They have six large teeth devoted to fighting, and are capable of applying six tons of pressure for a bite that could easily snap a crocodile in two. We passed around a tooth, which was about two feet long, and weighed an estimated eight pounds. As intimidating as this was, the captain related that the largest tooth on record was over a meter! Other interesting hippo facts are that the babies feed underwater, their closest relatives are whales, they are nocturnal herbivores, and they have over 18 inches of fat.
The estuary at St. Lucia is home to 1,500 hippos, and we saw lots of beautiful birds too, such as the Goliath Heron, egret, and the unforgettable African Fish Eagle. This bird is a bit small than our Bald Eagle, but colored similarly. The exceptions are a black tip on the beak and the stripes of black feathers. If beauty is not enough to make you remember the fish eagle forever, the mating ritual sure is. “The fish eagle mates in flight,” the captain explained, adding, “The male must decide what is coming first, him or the ground!”
Besides captain and comedian, the boat’s driver was a great tour guide. He even let Anthony and me drive the boat! Be sure to come back and see him sometime, maybe for one of his ocean tours to see humpback and southern right whales, for more of his great jazz and blues—much better than the sudden animal sounds that he played. Remember, its’ one small step for man, but a big leap for crocs (off the boat). And if you meet someone going on this relaxing cruise all the way back to Nkandla, tell them not to worry. Only 1 ½ people get eaten per year! Also, say hello to Sandy, aka “Hobo”—the orphan female hippo sometimes seen walking the St. Lucia streets at night.
