Zanzibar and Pemba is
a fantastically rich history. From Omani Sultans to British colonial rule and
then Independence and the birth of Tanzania. There is another island however
with a hidden past and a surprising population. Ben Whateley-Harris went for a
visit.
The beautiful facades of Stone Town shimmer in the heat of
the day, boats of all shapes and sizes and in varying degree of corrosion
gently bob in the waves. The house of wonders (named because it has the first
working elevator in Africa) stands tall overlooking the beautiful postcard sea.
I sit on an open topped wooden boat with a long tail
outboard motor, we bob up and down in the harbour and await the off.
The boat owner pulls up a crudely welded anchor on a frayed
rope and guns the engine.
The noise startles a few birds who had settled at the far
end of the deck; sending them off into the sky.
We set off on the 5kilometer journey in the bay lurching up
and town as we crest the small waves, heading towards an island that lay directly
ahead of us.
I sit in the sun, top off catching the rays as the
repetitive movements of the boat relax me. Gazing across the bright sea I spot
an old jetty long crumbled into the sea and new buildings on the shore line.
In front of us is Changuu Island.
Know by other names, such as prison Island and Quarantine
Island. The small 800 meter long and 230 miles island looks like a small
tropical paradise.
Changuu Island was turned into a prison by the British in
the 1890s but never housed a single prisoner. Instead the prison became a
prison by a different name. A quarantine station for those suffering with
yellow fever.
Ships would dock at the once standing jetty and there they
would deposit the sick to stop the spread of any illnesses reaching the main
island of Zanzibar.
Of course not all ships stopped here and disease was rife in
those days before medical advancement.
We stop a little way off the coast and the captain suggests
a swim. Suddenly he is out of the boat and in the sea. I follow suit and dive
into the clear waters to relieve the heat of the day.
Our boat then comes closer to the shoreline and drops the
anchor. I jump out and land up to my knees in the water, grab by bag and head
for the shore.
My feet reach dry sand and I drop my bag to take in the view.
Behind me across the sea I can see the majestic old frontage of the buildings
of Stone Town and in front of me are dense trees and a sandy path. I set off up
the path.
Changuu Island gets its name from a local fish, although I
never did find out what one looked like or tasted like even.
The sandy path was soft under foot and therefore I didn’t
need to wear my flip flops. After a matter of moments as the island is so small
I reached a clearing.
A large courtyard awaited me with a Georgian building standing
in the sun. Spots of paint peeling off from time and heat.
Bars were on the windows from the construction as a prison
that never caged anyone.
This was the prison building that became the quarantine
hospital where people were supposed to be monitored for up to two weeks. A
large door let to an internal courtyard dotted with large pot pants dotted
around and an old man in a straw hat sweeping the floor with a palm leaf.
The island remained a quarantine station for a few years but
was mostly used as a leisure complex where they used large coal pits as
swimming pools and build a chalet to house the tourists. Rainwater was the only
source of fresh water in the island so it was never very crowded.
This however is not the reason I had come to Changuu. There
was a resident or I should say residents that I wanted to see. Some older than
I will ever be and all of them not the best conversationalists.
Changuu Island is home to a thriving group of giant
tortoises who first came here in 1919 from Aldabra in the Seychelles as a gift
from the British Governor.
The tortoise population which is now deemed vulnerable in
the wild grew in the 1950s to a massive 200. But poachers, thieves and
opportunists who wanted to sell the shells decimated their numbers until only 6
remained.
Efforts have been made and they are now on the rise again
and protected.
This was the reason I had come to Changuu. I wanted to see
these slow moving giants lumbering along with their old man faces and craning
necks.
I walked the path in the shade of the tree canopy and
reached a small gate. A little shack was assembled and a guard/keeper stood
selling tickets for a minimal entry fee. There was a donations box so I shoved
by change from the entry ticket into the slot and entered.
Walls have been built to contain an area where the tortoises
can roam and not escape. A pathway had been constructed to assist you on your
visit and not wander off into the under growth.
I crossed the thresh hold closing the gate behind me and was
greeted by a wonderful sight. Tortoises of really huge proportions stood
slowing chewing looking at you, or rather through you.
Some slowly plodded along and every so often you would hear
a scrape of a shell as he or she climbed over a small boulder.
These beasts were massive and it made me long for a trip to
the Galapagos Islands.
Collecting a bunch of leaves I approached a rather wet eyed
and wrinkly specimen. He wasn’t the biggest by far but he seemed to be the most
active. I offered up the leaves and he craned his neck towards me. I lifted the
leaves higher and he went up onto almost tip toes reaching for it. Then with
one chop had the lot.
Another tortoise saw I had some leaves and with remarkable
stealth had come up behind me and grabbed a mouth full to my surprise. After that
I kept my fingers well away from their mouths.
Many lay motionless while others seemed to be dozing. A few
were quite active and all descended on me and my handful of leaves.
As some chewed away you could touch them. I felt the shell,
the rock hard and smooth protection they have. I stroked the neck and the skin
moves over the flesh easily with all the wrinkles and is a rather nice feeling.
They didn’t seem to mind and in fact some looked like they
were enjoying a nice neck rub. Craning their neck out as far as it would go and
closing their eyes as you strokes them.
It was lovely to be here with these animals which can live
as long as 150 years. Here waw a true dinosaur, an animal that has been here
before us where we can be his friend or worst nightmare.
I do hope the Tanzanian government keeps funding this place
as these majestic beasts deserve our help and love.
They have a deep look in their eyes, a look that seems to
peer into your soul and befriend you. A look I could not ignore and a look that
made me a tortoise fan for life.
It was time to leave and return to the bobbing boat and the
Stone Town harbour. Just as I was walking down the sandy path still barefoot Changuu
had one last surprise for me.
I heard a rustle in the bushes to my left and looked
silently without moving for where it may have come from.
There skittishly looking back at me was the smallest of the
African antelope, the notoriously shy Dik-Dik. Slender and brown with large
eyes and lashes we made eye contact for a moment.
Then she sprang into life and in a flash was gone.
My one and only sighting of this enchanting little animal.
The boat gunned the engine and Stone Town grew in size. Soon
we were amongst the moored hulks of old rusting cargo ships. Names on the stern
said places such as Monrovia, and Montevideo.
 |
| The prison/hospital on Changuu Island |
My feet touched dry sand again and I looked back across the
sea to Changuu.
I wondered if a tortoise was looking in this direction?
Date of trip – 2009
Place – Changuu
Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania
