Kurtz Is Not Here

We press on deeper into the jungle in search of Kurtz. This time by river. We are the only motorized transportation on the Sangha. Periodically, we pass scattered dugout canoes, paddling up or down the river fishing or headed to unknown destinations. Villages are scarce along the banks. Occasionally, we tie up to the shore. Our boatman disappears with our passports and some time later returns with a new stamp. Money has exchanged hands. We move on. Four times this is repeated. Four times money exchanges hands and our passports are stamped. Somewhere in this process, we cross the border. We move from Republic of the Congo (the 10th poorest country in the world) into the Central African Republic (the 7th poorest country in the world). Here the jungle is still dominant.

Eventually, we arrive at the distal end of our journey. A small lodge nestled amongst towering broadleaf trees and a small tributary stream. Kurtz is not here. He is in Bengi, the capitol, where civil war has seen one regime give way to another and that one to another. Currently, Russian mercenaries protect the president, and civil war persists through the forests of the north. The war is not here. Fighters came in 2013, but found noting worth their effort and moved north again.

But for some, this is where the treasure lies. Rod and Tam have run this lodge since 2009. They've rescued and released over 100 pangolins in their time here. Even now, they have a white bellied pangolin found abandoned in the forest. It is only a few month's old. A veterinarian has come from South Africa to ensure it's survival. This pangolin his only charge. Pangolins are the most trafficked animals in the world.

But for us, there are other treasures. A Bai, where well-over a hundred elephants spend their days rooting essential minerals form the muddy soils. A group of Western Lowland Gorillas that lets us share an hour of their lives. Dense towering forests. Monkeys. Fungi. Butterflies. Birds. On our last day, we hack and weave our way along a trail that's barely there. Past a massive hollow tree with bats and Anomalura perched high within its cavity. On to a water fall three terraces high. Here we find birder's gold, a grey-necked picathartes.

For centuries, the Congo has been many things to many people. For Europeans and their descendants, it's primarily been untapped resources ripe for exploitation. But this is a myopic view, as are most conceptions of the Congo. Those who see only resources, endless civil wars, abject poverty, political corruption, or a heart of darkness with danger at every turn are not seeing The Congo.

This goat's job is to keep hyenas off the runway.

View from a plane.

Sangha River. Our travel corridor to the Central African Republic.

Sunset over the Sangha River.

Sangha Lodge. Our refuge in the forest.

The roads here can be a bit tricky. One day, there were 3 Forest Elephants blocking our path.

Elephants on the road present a problem. Tree limbs not so much.

Always carry a chain saw to clear fallen trees off the road. Not recommended for clearing elephants off the road.

Now, if you could carry an elephant to clear other elephants off the road, that might be an idea. Well, maybe, we need to think this through a bit more ...

Maybe carrying a gorilla to clear elephants off the road? Hmmm...

Could a butterfly carry an elephant, they're much easier to fit in a car. An African or European Butterfly?

This mother had twins and, also, adopted an orphaned baby. An elephant baby, just in case there was some confusion.

Rescued baby white-bellied pangolin. Look at that face! Could you traffic an animal with that face?

Basking in the sun after a long day of clearing elephants from the road.