The name “Gonarezhou” can be translated as “a place for elephants”, and originates in the Shona language. Today’s Gonarezhou National Park straddles an area where elephants roamed free in days long past, not restricted by borders or fences, politics, policies or any human interference for that matter.

 

Gonarezhou National Park lies in the south-eastern corner of Zimbabwe, bordering Mozambique on its eastern side and almost reaching down to the three-country point with South Africa. It is off the beaten tourist track and remote from the rest of Zimbabwe’s protected-area system. For the same reason it is out of the public eye. As a consequence, historically the park has probably been Zimbabwe’s most neglected. A succession of colonial and post-colonial governments has been guilty of at best benign neglect, and at worst outright abuse of the park and its resources. Over the last 60 years and probably more, the park and its inhabitants have been subjected to the horrors of two wars, droughts and wild fires, misguided conservation policies as well as hunting and poaching, resulting in a dramatic decrease of some of its animal species. Despite all this, Gonarezhou’s elephant population is still over 5000 and considered by some well beyond a sustainable number.

 

Despite its rather dramatic and destructive past Gonarezhou remains a gem, its dormant wild beauty waiting to be discovered again and again by the adventurous traveller wandering off the beaten track. Its landscapes, hills and valleys, rivers and trees are stunning and endlessly varied; its wildlife, having maintained a foothold against all odds, is recently observed to be increasing in numbers. Gonarezhou represents nature at its most untamed beauty.

 

Recent developments herald a new era both for Zimbabwe and for Gonarezhou. On national level the creation of a new National Parks agency promises more transparency and better management of Zimbabwe’s national treasures. More importantly there has been progress in the creation of the Greater Limpopo Trans-frontier Conservation Area, of which Gonarezhou is a component.

 

The international attention focused on this huge initiative means that the eyes of the world are now also on Gonarezhou. Thankfully this means that the neglect of the past will not be allowed to occur again, and at the same time it presents us with a chance to right some of the wrongs of the past.  The story of Gonarezhou, of its triumphs and abject failures and how they came about, is long and fascinating. It is a riveting tale, of which the ending has not yet been written. There are grounds for hope that it will be a happy one!

 

The elephants

 

The elephants of Gonarezhou have for the past 60 years and more had a reputation for unprovoked aggression against people. This behaviour is in stark contrast to that of the elephants of other parks in Zimbabwe such as Hwange, Mana Pools and the shores of Lake Kariba. In these other areas, the vast majority of elephants are predictably passive towards humans, especially when viewing them from the safety of vehicles.

 

Not so the jumbos of the Gonarezhou. This can perhaps be explained by the constant harassment to which they have been subjected for so many years, particularly from ivory poachers, big-game hunters and population-reduction exercises or so-called culling programmes. Historical ‘game removal records’ reveal a picture of extraordinary human greed, and matters were made worse by such natural disasters as drought and wild fires. The elephants have been particularly persecuted. During the Mozambique and Zimbabwe independence wars in the 1970’s, rebels sought refuge in the Park and many elephants fell victim to landmines strewn around, suffering unspeakable injuries. In the 1980’s, large-scale culling programmes were implemented, intended to reduce the number of elephants in the park to more sustainable levels. Even though these culls were done with the best of intentions, thousands of elephants were killed in violent encounters sparking huge confusion and terror on the side of the animals. All in all it is no wonder that the Gonarezhou elephants have learnt to distrust and hate human beings with everything that is in them, and they express this with aggressive behaviour towards humans that venture anywhere too close.

 

The Journey and working in consciousness with the elephants of Gonarezhou

 

It has become fairly common knowledge that elephants have access to a “group memory” that stretches back over generations. It is also believed that they have the ability to communicate over large distances in ways that exceed our hearing abilities and instruments. If we have only recently developed an - at most - vague notion of these amazing facilities, would it not be fair that we ask ourselves what we do NOT yet know about elephants? Would it be possible that elephants have access to and communicate at a level of consciousness that we “sophisticated” human beings cannot even fathom?

 

In my years in Zimbabwe I have come to love the bush and will take any opportunity to spend time out in nature - which regrettably is not often enough. I have had the good fortune to befriend people in the south-eastern part of Zimbabwe who introduced me to Gonarezhou, and I have spent many beautiful days out there, awed time and again at the park’s endlessly changing beauty. It has become one of my favourite places in Zimbabwe when it comes to experiencing the raw beauty of nature. I have also had the doubtful pleasure of experiencing that ‘special’ behaviour that the elephants of Gonarezhou reserve for us humans, and have developed a deeply ingrained respect for these beautiful creatures.

 

Another - more recent - love of mine is the Journey, which, of course, is a story in itself. How much luckier can one get than having the opportunity to combine one’s passions in life? Doing exactly that, I have started doing Journey work in consciousness with the elephants of Gonarezhou. It is a very new experience to me, and one which I find very hard to describe. Any Journey in consciousness is probably a uniquely individual experience. On my Journeys in Consciousness with the elephants I sometimes experience strong, raw emotions, sometimes have physical experiences, and sometimes see pictures. It is never the same. I do feel I am allowed into “their space” and it is a humbling and beautiful experience. Perhaps it is possible to create a higher level of understanding, a wordless way of communicating in this way. Perhaps we can hope to increase mutual trust and understanding, even love?

 

It has in turn led to the idea to make this a bigger experience, and to invite others to participate and experience the same, to give something back to these elephants, to nature, and to the earth.

 

Mariette van der Werff, a Journey Practitioner in Zimbabwe is involved in an exciting project working in conscious-ness with other Practitioners with the elephants in Gonarezhou, a beautiful opportunity to feel the energy, to connect and to work from this energy towards a powerful mind-body-soul connection.

 

Find out more about this story and Journeywork in general from

Liz Mackintosh (083 528 0484 or lizm365@gmail.com