Inspired by a recent visit, Jemma Wild decided to dig a little deeper into the most quirky questions and the statements that our Field Guides and Trackers have received while guiding on a game drive, sit back and relax while we share some light-hearted humour overheard on a safari vehicle.
“Are there pterodactyls here?”
Around 245 million years ago, maybe.
“When do baby warthogs become rhinos?”
We can see the confusion and enjoyed this observation. But no, a baby warthog will only grow up into an adult warthog.
“How do elephants hunt?”
With their trunks as they rip off the leaves from the trees. Elephants are herbivores, so even though they may look like giant predators, they are very gentle vegetarian giants.
“Does the sun also rise in the east here?”
We’ll let you work this one out.
“Do female lions get jealous that the males have more than one wife?”
As much as male lions think they’re the king of the jungle, it’s really the lionesses who run the show.
“How do you keep the birds in a Reserve?”
The beauty of being a wild, winged species is that we don’t, and look forward to summer every year when the migratory birds return from the northern hemisphere.
“Do people actually live in Hoedspruit?”
It may not seem like a bustling metropolis but it really is! And we encourage our guests to explore this very friendly town where a lot of our local staff live.
“How do you stop the animals from walking down the tar road into town?”
Even though Thornybush is part of the Greater Kruger National Park, there are still fenced boundaries that keep – a lot – of our wildlife safe inside the parks. However, there will always be a wild animal with curiosity which may find its way into civilization. These escape artists are then darted and put back into the safely of the park where they belong.
“Are giraffe and zebra friends because they are both pretty?”
We’ll just agree with this one.
“Are there unicorns here?”
Africa may seem like a place with mystical creatures – just look at a giraffe – but no, unicorns will always belong in fairytales.
“If a group of hippos is a bloat, is a solitary hippo a fart?”
We love this and are pretty sure our guides have stolen this one too.
“Who waters the plants on the reserve?”
Mother nature, in all her glory.
“Are the humps on the roads the graves for the dead animals?”
There are definitely some morbid minds out there. The answer is no.
“Are the electricity lines here to keep the giraffes inside the reserve?”
We prefer fences for that, but we also understand how important wifi is to our guests, so more about keeping you in than the giraffes.
And for our best statements yet:
“I’m very surprised with South Africa.”
We are also surprised by her incredible beauty every day, thank you for noticing how incredible this place is!
“Please may you turn off the animal audio CD, I cannot sleep with all the animals’ noises at night.”
We love this idea, so please support our curio shop when we launch our “Thornybush at night” audio for all those that live far away and miss the nightly theme songs of the bush.
We at Thornybush really love our guests and will always encourage your curiosity about living in Africa. We’d much prefer that you asked lots of questions to learn as much as possible then to sit in silence with a wandering mind. Remember, there really is no such thing as a stupid question, in fact, the silliest question is the one not asked.
If you are a first-time safari goer and have chosen Thornybush as your bucket list safari experience please don’t let this blog dull your curiosity. Keep asking questions and share your sense of humour. Going on safari is all about that adventure, camaraderie and laughter among our guests and your guide, which makes these memories that last a lifetime.
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