Is Joshua an up-and-coming game ranger?
The clever people say a child will grow up in the way of the parents… mmmm, I as a mother think Joshua is a great athlete, mountain biking 5km with ease, running, swimming, rock climbing etc etc. But, it is his “Bush-wise” comments that interest adults and perhaps it’s because we are always around him that we don’t always appreciate this.
Although I am still convinced that Pieter is one of the best field guides in South Africa, based on the knowledge and way he is able to communicate with guests giving them an overall excellent safari experience, he has some competition!
Our 5yr old son proved his ability to spot animals on our holiday to the Kruger Park last week! (Yes we live in a game reserve and choose to holiday in a game reserve!!!) Anyway, Pieter and I were looking at birds, when Joshua casually said, “There’s a spotted hyena”, not ‘I see an animal’, or ‘a hyena’, no; he goes on to name the species! It was not a clear, animal-crossing-the-road sighting either! The Hyena was behind the bushes walking with a mission, so we only had a short sighting in the open patches along his path before he moved into thicker bush.
All in all, it was special!
No picture was taken, our hands were filled with our binoculars, so here are some black and white shots of a hyena I took a few years ago for those of you who have not yet seen a spotted hyena.
spotted hyena
spotted hyena, near den
spotted hyena, kruger national park
