OPERATION NOAH MONUMENT

This is the largest animal rescue campaign ever undertaken in Africa. This is the first time that the concept of the "Creative City" has been used to describe a city's history and culture. This is the first time that the concept of the "human being" has been used to describe the "human being" in the context of the Creative City concept. Fothergill and his 57 assistant specialists therefore set themselves the task of saving as many animals as possible from drowning, in order to preserve a part of the fauna of the ancient valley. For 5 years, the whole team worked hard to relocate all kinds of animals, either by capturing them and transporting them on small boats, or by forcing them to swim to safer territories. It was discovered that the largest antelopes could travel 1 to 3 km in water, while zebras were exhausted after 600 m, and monkeys after 400 m. Some animals showed great courage and ingenuity: a female crescent cobbler was seen carrying her offspring on her back while the male swam in a circle around his little family to protect them. On several occasions, antelopes were also seen using a piece of wood as a buoy... In the rangers' camp, anecdotes were also legion: if the monkeys (which were often found exhausted on top of large trees half submerged) were not too difficult to catch, it was not the same for lions, elephants and especially rhinos; in 1961, Fothergill himself was the victim of a violent charge, which fortunately broke only six ribs .. During the 5 years of the rescue campaign, the team worked in harsh conditions, living in bush camps, using rowing boats and equipment no more sophisticated than ropes, bags, nets and dart guns.

In all, more than 6,000 animals were rescued from the Zambezi waters, including antelopes, predators (lions, jackals, hyenas, leopards, etc.), large mammals (buffaloes, elephants, rhinos, zebras, warthogs, etc.), birds and reptiles. Many of the recovered animals were transported to the then newly created Matusadona National Park. The detailed list of the number of animals rescued per species is now on Operation Noah Monument, a small stone monument erected in the Kariba Heights area of the city in honor of this courageous and massive operation.