Meet Manny Mvula – Zambia’s first local professional safari guide

Manny Mvula

My full name is Manando, but I’m commonly known as Manny, a name I inherited from my grandmothers’ brother, who was a village headman under the paramount Chief Mpezeni of the Ngoni (a clan of the Zulu tribe) in Eastern Zambia. 

I was born and bred in rural Zambia, where I lived on a farm herding goats and cattle from the age of six, through to my mid-teens. Spending most afternoons and weekends in the bush made me appreciate the little things in nature. I gradually became more and more fascinated with the natural world around me.

Ultimately, it is my lived experience of rural life at the farm which helped me to develop a love of wildlife.

Zambia’s beautiful landscape

To get to school, where I was a member of the wildlife club, I used to walk 12 kilometres round trip each day, carrying my shoes so not to ruin them, and only wearing them when in class. On the way, I had to walk across a small perennial stream called Lunkhwakwa. The vegetation on its banks consisted of the most impressive, towering, wild fruit trees. A few metres from the treeline were open grasslands which made my curiosity for insects and small mammals start to develop even more strongly.

I spent many hours watching small, wild animals foraging, including duikers, cane rats, monkeys, baboons and weaver birds. Most fascinating was the harmonious interaction of all the creatures, big and small.

My obsession became an addiction, when I would sit quietly, all alone, watching two types of flamboyantly coloured weaver birds doing their thing. One was the bright red-headed kind, with the other being bright yellow-headed, with some of them having ridiculously, but impressively, long tail feathers. They would be gathering blades of grass very carefully, cheerfully and noisily weaving their nests.

Every now and then, flocks of dull brown looking birds, which I later learned were the females, flew in to inspect the nest construction site, looking for a secure nest to lay their eggs. I became so enchanted that I started to use my school exercise book for drawing and recording their behaviour.  The solitude brought such endless joy as I watched the drama and spectacle in front of me.

One day walking back from school, I confronted a group of village boys noisily chatting and wielding catapults, trailed by their dogs. One of the boys had a dead female monkey on his shoulder. Upon close inspection, I discovered, clinging tightly onto its dead mother, a very terrified, tiny baby. The baby spontaneously screamed, which made me really sad at seeing such cruelty.  I negotiated with the boys to rescue the baby and take it home with me to try and nurse it.

As I lived on a farm, we grew mangoes, guavas, papayas, as well as other vegetables, and so I fed my little orphan vervet monkey on farm fruits, as well as wild fruits I harvested from the bush. Occasionally, I would put some cow’s milk in his water bowl, which he drank. I had him safe in a make-shift cage, with a small bowl of water, and I named him “Chifundo”, the Nyanja word for “kindness”.

He grew stronger day by day and became a mischievous little cheeky monkey, jumping around the cage, always attracting my attention. After six and half weeks Chifundo escaped, and I saw that he had joined and been adopted by a small troop which regularly foraged near the farm. I was so pleased to see him playing hide and seek and wrestling /play fighting with the other young monkeys in the troop. He looked to be enjoying his freedom. I lost touch with him when I went to a government boarding school, but no doubt he went on to become a supreme father.

Because of this experience, I had an intrinsic compassion for the orphaned wild animal, and became even more determined in the future, stopping the village boys from their recklessness and desire to maim or kill.

Following my attainment of primary and secondary school education, I left the farm to pursue my dream. I got a job as an assistant to a British ecologist working on a three-year vegetation research project in the Luangwa, before embarking on a safari guiding career. It is no mean feat being the first professional local Zambian safari guide in the country!

A wild honey badger (c) D Keats

Whilst on a safari drive in the Nsefu sector of South Luangwa National Park, I was fortunate enough, just as the sun had set, to witness a tenacious pair of honey badgers fight off a pride of eight lionesses. I watched this rare scene for nearly ten minutes. The lionesses, one by one, sheepishly retreated with an embarrassed look on their faces, knowing never to mess with a honey badger again. The two honey badgers, plumped up and grunting, chased off the last lioness as she sped to catch up with the rest. The victorious badgers left the scene with their tails fluffed up and, with a comical gait, walked down the road in the opposite direction.

Seven years later, I went to the UK to study for a masters in tourism and conservation.  After graduating, I got a job lecturing in wildlife conservation and tourism, where I applied my practical experience to inspire students. I’m settled in the UK with my wife, Cheryl, ‘a compassionate conservationist’, and together we regularly return to Zambia, advocating for rural African communities and their wildlife – I have an affinity for both wildlife and people.

I love travelling to remote rural places and serving when I can, to bring about solutions that mitigate human wildlife conflict among the marginalised and voiceless rural communities of Africa.

Coming from a humble background, growing up at a rural farm, I enjoyed a full spectrum of cultural experience and traditions. I always had a dream of visiting the west, and my first ever trip to Europe was in 1996, when I visited some of the most iconic metropolises of this world.

My first time in the city was a wakeup call, but my ability to adapt is a strong genetic characteristic. There are so many exciting places that I have visited and lived in, and I am humbled at being the first in my family to ever visit and live comfortably in the west. Having lived in as many places as I have, I feel that my life has been one exciting long adventure, embracing a colourful blend of cultures.

My advice to young people is never ever give up, and just as I have, gain inspiration from one of the most tenacious, resilient and resourceful wild animals, the honey badger.

Regardless of the challenges you may face, and even when all odds are stacked against you, you must believe that you have what it takes to push yourself to the limit – standing up for what is right. Cultivate a heart of compassion and look at all wild animals with respect and kindness.

Our wildlife, in all its diversity, is the basic biological foundation upon which we all depend, for we are all intricately linked. Firstly, help each other to understand the value and benefit of our wildlife. Secondly, be an advocate for wildlife, and consider a career in wildlife conservation.  In whatever small way, take a stand and be a mouthpiece as a responsible custodian and citizen.

You hold the key to the future success and survival of wildlife on this fragile planet.

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