by africagirl | Dec 11, 2009 | Uncategorized
This is the tale of how the Rhinoceros got his horn:
The rhinoceros was given his name because of the horn on his nose, but he did not always have this horn. He was once known as the simoneos, or flat-nosed-one, and he would snuffle his way along the ground eating the sweet grasses of the African savannah and letting the pretty birds sit on his back and eat the fat ticks behind his ears.
One day the simoneos was having a dust bath when the boa constrictor, Bo, came slithering along the path to visit him. Bo told him of the trouble in the animal kingdom. The king of all animals, Leo the lion, had eaten a hyena which had drunk the poisoned waters of the pool of Sowe. He was very ill and nothing could help him.
The simoneos was certain that there must be something that will help the king as he was still young and strong. Bo assured him that there was only one cure – tea made from the leaves of the bulewo plant. That plant only grows when the rains fall, and there had been no rain for months.
As he slept, the simoneos had a strange dream. In this dream, all the birds who always sat behind his ears and ate the ticks, whispered: “We can help you if you can help us!”
When he woke, the old and wise Strix, the shriek-owl, came forward and told Simoneos that, since he had for so many seasons allowed the birds to rest behind his ears and eat the ticks behind them, the birds wanted to thank him by making him a hero in the animal kingdom.
The birds settled on his spade-like nose and Simoneos flung them right up into the air to a height they could not reach by simply flying.
The birds soon resembled tiny ants in the sky as the strong nose and neck of Simoneos sent the birds higher than they had ever gone before. A whirring noise, like the winds in the north, broke the silence. The birds were flapping their wings while performing one great dance in the sky. Huge dark clouds hung over the savannah. Then the rains started.
The plants began to sprout and Bo squeezed some of the fresh leaves from the saplings and gave them to Simoneos so that he could use it to make the medicinal tea for the ailing king. The miracle tea cured the king and he soon sat up to speak to all those present.
He asked Simoneos to tell his story. He did, remembering to mention his good friends, Bo, Strix and all the birds, and how they had all played a part in helping to cure the king.
The king rewarded Simoneos by giving him a huge diamond. Simoneos put it onto his spade-like nose to carry it home, but – as if by magic – the diamond just stuck on the end, like a unicorn’s horn.
Simoneos discovered that he could use his new horn for all sorts of useful things, because it was so hard and strong, and the pretty birds could sit on it too! He was given a new name – Rhinoceros – which means ‘horn on your nose’. And that is how the Rhinoceros got his horn.
So, if you ever see a rhino charging, you must get right out of his way. For all we know, he may be trying to save the King again!
by africagirl | Sep 23, 2009 | Uncategorized
Most people who come on a South African safari do so in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the magnificent and famous Big Five species of the African animal kingdom: the elephant, lion, rhinoceros, buffalo and leopard.
What few people know is that the Big Five have five little counterparts, called – of course – the Little Five. The list for the Little Five was dreamed up by some clever folks to promote the cause and plight of these tiny creatures. You’ll notice that the name of each chosen little one quite wittily refers to a member of the Big Five.
First up is the Ant Lion. It is an odd-looking, round-bodied creature (in some stages of its life it is said to even resemble a dragonfly, even though it doesn’t fly) and can be found digging conical depressions in dry, soft sand in order to trap its prey: ants.
Next we have the Buffalo Weaver. These red-billed, social birds are known to build rather messy nests high up in the forks of tall trees. Apart from being bad builders and housekeepers, they are noisy too! Not the most ideal neighbours then.
The Rhinoceros Beetle is so-named due to the horns on its head, lending it a look reminiscent of its larger counterpart. Even the females are horned, because they use the horns to climb, dig and mate. Unlike the males, the females don’t use their horns for fighting rivals, though. Rhinoceros beetles are among the largest beetles found in southern Africa.
The Leopard Tortoise gets its name from the distinctive and beautiful black and yellow spots on its shell. These bushveld dwellers can grow to be quite large. A male can weigh more than 23 kilograms and have a shell with a circumference of up to one metre!
Rounding up the Litte Five is the Elephant Shrew. At first glance, it is evident that this weird-looking creature gets its name from its elongated snout. These insectivores feed on insects, fruit, nuts and seeds. They are found all over South Africa, but they are on the shy and wary side, so they may be incredibly difficult to spot.
In fact, to see most of these creatures, people will need endless patience and telescopic vision. Let us know if you have any luck though!
by admin | Mar 3, 2009 | Uncategorized
There’s nothing quite like getting back from your off days, you can’t wait to get out there to see what’s happened whilst you’ve been away. Little did I know that on my first game drive I would be as lucky to see our juvenile leopard (I should really stop calling him that as he’s not that small anymore, but he’ll always be our baby). Just when I thought the bushes welcome was over… An Aardvark!! Yes I know, almost fell out of my land rover. He was just casually strolling along on the road, apparently it had no idea of its allusive powers. I have been doing this for almost 6 years and that was the second Aardvark I have ever seen.
Just got back from game drive 08/02/09 and a had a stunning sighting of our male lion mating with his second wife… the cubs they produced are almost 3 yrs old which means mom is ready for a new batch. The only hard part for the guides is that now we have to wait for 110 days to see if the mating was successful.
I’m off to go catch up on some needed sleep, and hopefully this afternoon will be as exciting as it always has been.
o.b.o. Rika Venter (Thanda Private Game Reserve)
