Photos and text by Nina Springle
East Africa is famous for its wildlife. People come from across the globe to behold the massive array of unique fl ora and fauna that inhabit savannah, swamp, mountain, forest and jungle. Though expansive plains and snowy peaks are far away, Zanzibar is no exception. Over recent years, through both governmental and private initiatives, the conservation of Zanzibar’s wildlife has come to the forefront as a national objective. The preservation of natural resources and the rich biodiversity of the island are well and truly on the agenda.
Two such projects lie on the road leading from Stone Town to the popular south east coast; the newly created Zanzibar Butterfl y Centre (ZBC) and the more established, ZALA (Zanzibar Land Animals) Park. Like so many tourists, who speed past in their private hire mini buses, eager to arrive on the white sands of Paje or Bwejuu for a bit of R&R, I had passed both many times on my various journeys around the island. So, I felt it was high time I paid a visit to fi nd out exactly what it is these grassroots ventures are working on.
When coming from Stone Town, just before you reach the world famous Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, is the Zanzibar Butterfl y Centre (ZBC). Turning off from the main road, we’re met with a small, unassuming banda. Two men sit, intently working with piles of foliage covered in multi coloured caterpillars. Wooden framed boxes lined with netting on each side, hold rows of pupae, some occasionally wriggling from the inside, threatening to burst free from their case. Another man passes by with a large, traditionally fashioned butterfl y net and wanders off into the forest behind. Several small enclosures fl ank the banda with a modest assortment of butterfl ies, fl uttering amongst the vegetation inside.
We follow our guide down the path and through the entrance to a large, prettily landscaped enclosure, with a good assortment of local plants and fl owers, chosen for their ability to act as host plants in the egg laying process. Paths crisscross, dotted with wooden benches for leisurely observation. Large butterfl ies fl it in and out of the shrubbery, patterns of assorted colours, different shapes and sizes. While the collection is currently small, only 11 species of the 46 endemic to the area, over the coming weeks, as the farming cycle comes to fruition, ZBC will open its doors to the public with 300-500 butterfl ies fi lling this beautiful space.
The ZBC project aims to encourage not only the conservation and proliferation of butterfl y species indigenous to the area, but also the protection of the surrounding natural environment. By training local people from the villages around the Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park to farm butterfl y pupae, which will then be purchased by ZBC, it is hoped that less locals will need to destroy precious habitat for their livelihood. The ZBC works closely with the Park and local NGOs and through income generated from tourist admissions, plans to assist local development projects, particularly those that are involved in conservation and poverty alleviation.
Butterfl y farming is notoriously diffi cult and every effort is taken to promote the success of the activity. Nets and materials to build small enclosures are purchased for the farmers and recently a group of fi ve farmers were sent to the Amani Butterfl y Project in Tanga. After learning more about this sort of project, the delegates returned to share their new found knowledge with their peers, enhancing technical know how and confi dence. Eventually, once there are enough butterfl ies to fully exhibit in Zanzibar, ZBC aims to farm butterfl ies to export around the world.
Further down the road, just past Kitogani, the turn off to Paje, you will fi nd ZALA (Zanzibar Land Animals) Park. This small animal sanctuary was started in 1995 by a passionate educator, Mohammed Ayoub Haji, who saw a need for the protection of many of the native animals indigenous to Zanzibar. Today, Mohammed still owns and manages the Park and his commitment and enthusiasm is as contagious as ever.
ZALA Park has one essential aim; environmental education and this is achieved in a number of ways. Mohammed and his highly knowledgeable band of staff take visitors on a range of guided tours through the Park and surrounding forest trails. They teach not only about the fauna, but also the medicinal and culinary properties of almost every plant species around. Research projects are regularly undertaken by visiting university students and volunteers, in an effort to promote and expand understanding of local ecosystems. A successful breeding program has been established with several of the species in the Park and it is not uncommon for animals to be brought to ZALA in need of care and protection.
Perhaps most important however, are the programs aimed at educating local people including school children about nature. Both fear and deeply entrenched superstitions often motivate the killing of native animals on the island which has led to a number of endemic species becoming endangered. School group tours and community visits help to breakdown folklore and myths surrounding many of the animals kept at the park, particularly some species of reptile that are traditionally feared or despised.
Wandering through the grounds, we gaze into the various open enclosures looking for any signs of inhabitants. Most are planted out with lush, leafy vegetation making identifi cation a challenge and Mohammed takes obvious pride in the habitat of his enclosures replicating that of the natural surroundings. The animals are clearly appreciative. A fine looking Nile Monitor lizard lazes on a branch in the sun, his mate splashing around in the large pond below. Delicate Flap-necked chameleons, sporting an assortment of diffe nt colours and shades, hide in a beautiful red hibiscus bush, reluctantly coming out to perch on the hand of a visitor. Timid miniature antelopes play in the undergrowth of their large outlying pen, easily startled by a visiting school group.
Recently, Mohammed has extended the mission of ZALA to include cultural appreciation tours into Muuagoni village, in an effort to bridge the perceived cultural gap that exists between visiting tourists and local people. The tour is thorough and informative, covering everything from the sort of plants cultivated within the village to routines and duties of the women including cooking, basket weaving, rope making and child rearing. Interaction between tourists and locals is encouraged through lessons in kanga tying, incense burning and cooking traditional sweets.
Broadening the vision to include cultural and social understanding is a progressive move. By approaching wildlife conservation in a holistic way, these two small grassroots initiatives may have a far greater impact on promoting sustainable environmental practices than their modest appearance belies. Surely, part of their achievement lies in the recognition that humans are a signifi cant part of the ecosystem in which they live and including them in the process of conservation, there is a better prospect of long term sustainability.
How to get there:
The no. 9 or 10 dala dala service, leaving regularly throughout the day from Darajani market, directly passes The Zanzibar Butterfl y Centre. Catch the no.10 dala dala to ZALA Park. Alternatively, private hire buses or taxis are easily organized from Stone Town or the east coast.
