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Prosper Ndlovu in Dubai, UAE

Adventure and fun are embedded here at  Expo 2020 Dubai showcase where serious business engagements perfectly blend with leisure, amid plenty entertainment options for all.

Zimbabwe is exhibiting its unique art and cultural heritage products which are attracting a lot of visitors at the country’s pavilion, alongside investment and trade pitches.

Boswell, the Zimbabwe Pavilion bull elephant mascot is one of those trending attractions. 

Situated closer to the entrance, the giant Boswell mascot is not only visible but has a bold and warm welcoming effect, which draws visitor attention from a distance.

Each day, visitors passing close by are enticed to take selfies with the mascot as groups or individuals, and would quickly notice Zimbabwe through its bold signage and the national flag, that is pasted on the left side of Boswell’s big ears.

Boswell is a 72-year-old elephant bull based in the Mana Pools National Parks and rarely crosses the Zambezi River to the other side.

According to the biography from the National Parks, which is digitally accessible to visitors through scanning a QR code pasted on its right side, Boswell was collared in 2015 to monitor his home range, protect him from poachers and hunt shooting.

“We deliberately decided to bring in something that will excite people here and simultaneously showcase the sustainability message about Zimbabwe and the fact that we  still have such a creature aged 72,” said Zimbabwe Pavilion Commissioner General, Ambassador Mary Mubi, in an interview.

“So, there is a real Boswell roaming around at Mana Pools and we hope we can influence travellers to go to Zimbabwe and see the real elephant.”

According to the National Parks, the giant Boswell is very popular in Mana Pools National Park due to his long tusks and regular visits to many camps along the Zambezi River in Mana Pools National Park.

At the age of 72, Boswell has not lost his boyish enthusiasm for nature, and being on safari with him in Mana Pools is always something to look forward to, reads the biography. 

“Boswell’s unique feeding skills put him on top of the game as he enjoys premium branches and fruits always,” reads part of the biography. 

“He can stand with two legs while foraging in the Mana Pools Game Park. While most elephants wait for monkeys and baboons to shake down ripe fruits and then scoop them from the ground, Boswell can stand on his hind legs like a circus elephant to pluck the most delicious pods with his outstretched trunk, an act which has made him an Internet star.”

Zimbabwe has the second-largest population of elephants in Africa with an estimated population of between 76 000 and 93 000. Elephants are considered part of our heritage and a valuable natural resource that contributes to conservation and rural development.

Among common facts about African elephants is that they are the world’s largest land mammal and males can grow to over three metres high and can weigh up to six tonnes.

Baby elephants are born big with a weight of up to 120kg. 

An elephant uses its trunk for breathing, eating and grasping objects. 

Its tusks are teeth that do not stop growing from birth. Elephant big ears are for communication and maintain a constant body temperature.

The giant mammals communicate by touch, sight, smell, and sound and use infra-sound and seismic communication over long distances.

Elephants are regarded as social animals with a sense of self-awareness.

They show empathy for dying and dead family members. Elephants sleep on average for only two hours a day and have a long memory, hence the adage “elephants never forget”.