A pair of fish
eagles guards the gentle bay, their
distinctive black, white and chestnut
feather pattern gleaming boldly in
the morning sun. Suddenly, the birds
toss back their heads in a piercing,
evocative duet. On the sandbank below,
a well-fed monster of a crocodile
snaps to life, startled from its nap.
It stampedes through the crunchy undergrowth,
crashing into the water in front of
the boat, invisible except for a pair
of sentry-post eyes that peek menacingly
above the surface to monitor our movements.
Rubondo Island is tucked in the southwest
corner of Lake Victoria, the world's
second-largest lake, an inland sea
sprawling between Tanzania, Uganda
and Kenya. With nine smaller islands
under its wing, Rubondo protects precious
fish breeding grounds.
Tilapia form the staple diet of the
yellow-spotted otters that frolic
in the island’s rocky coves,
while rapacious Nile perch, some weighing
more than 100kg, tempt recreational
game fishermen seeking world record
catches.
Rubondo is more than a water wonderland.
Deserted sandy beaches nestle against
a cloak of virgin forest, where dappled
bushbuck move fleet yet silent through
a maze of tamarinds, wild palms, and
sycamore figs strung with a cage of
trailing taproots.
The shaggy-coated aquatic sitatunga,
elsewhere the most elusive of antelopes,
is remarkably easily observed, not
only in the papyrus swamps it normally
inhabits, but also in the forest interior.
Birds are everywhere.
Flocks of African grey parrots, released
onto the island after they were confiscated
from illegal exporters – screech
in comic discord as they flap furiously
between the trees.
The azure brilliance of a malachite
kingfisher perched low on the reeds
competes with the glamorous, flowing
tail of a paradise flycatcher as it
flits through the lakeshore forest.
Herons, storks and spoonbills proliferate
in the swampy lake fringes, supplemented
by thousands of Eurasian migrants
during the northern winter.
Wild jasmine, 40 different orchids
and a smorgasbord of sweet, indefinable
smells emanate from the forest.
Ninety percent of the park is humid
forest; the remainder ranges from
open grassland to lakeside papyrus
beds.
A number of indigenous mammal species
- hippo, vervet monkey, genet and
mongoose - share their protected habitat
with introduced species such as chimpanzee,
black-and-white colobus, elephant
and giraffe, all of which benefit
from Rubondo's inaccessibility. |
