A self-drive around a game reserve can be a stress-filled experience if there are children in the vehicle. “Are we there yet”? is replaced with “Where are the animals”? In order to keep said occupants from causing bodily harm to each other, how about my Game Reserve Alphabet Game? Points can be given arbitrarily which might be safer than starting a contest
A is for Aardvark.
1000 points for seeing this nocturnal mammal in daylight. Turns to that this animal is often seen during the day, however, personally, I had to wait 53 years for my first sighting! My second sighting took place less than 24-hours later. The same animal out and about at 11h30.
B for Bateleur.
Unfortunately, no points as it has been renamed the Short-tailed Eagle
C for Chameleon.
They have right of way when crossing the road.
D for duck…
I don’t mean the flying kind.
I mean be aware of low hanging tree branches
E for Elephant.Although the largest land mammal, they are not called “grey ghosts” for nothing.
They can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye.
F for frog.
This tiny specimen is a Snoring Puddle frog
You might find one in your accommodation if you are lucky.
You will definitely hear them at night.
G for giraffe.
You cannot miss these, as they are very tall and
tend to stare at you from a lofty height.
H for Hyena…
No laughing matter.
Or Hippo.One lives in water and the other doesn’t.
1000 points if you know the answer.
I is for Impala.also known as the McDonalds of the Bushveld
and is prey species to everything including baboons.
J for Jackal.
An important part of the bush clean up squad.
K for kill…
The death of one animal becomes a meal for another. An opportunity to tell the children in the car about the circle of life and that food for the predators is NOT delivered by reserve staff.
L for Leopard.In Sabi Sands they are so plentiful that they will literally fall out of the trees
in front of your camera, so be ready!
M for monkey
that you will find inside your room
if you don’t keep the windows and doors closed.
N for Nyala.
You don’t have look far to find Nyala as they can often be found within the lodge grounds.
Only 500 points as they are a common occurrence.
O for Octopus. (Image supplied by Google images)
Any family member who spots one of these in a land-based game reserve gets 10000 points.
P for Pangolin.
They are so unusual that most people who work in the bush get to see one every decade or so.(It took me 53 years to see my first one. 100000000000 points for a sighting
Q for “QUIET”(Image supplied by Google images)
Which is how you would like the car to be.
100000 points if you can achieve this.
R for Rhino.
All you need to know is that they are large, fast and have a pointy end and a blunt end. You need to be aware of the former.
S for snake.
This Spotted Bush snake is not venomous, but it does have a nasty temper and WILL bite if you try to handle it.
BTW; there are NO poisonous reptiles…only venomous ones. You can Google the difference as part of this quiz.
T for Tiger.
100000000 points if you find one in a South African game reserve. I had to go to Pench National Park in India to spot this female…
U for ungulate. Meaning “being hoofed” or “hoofed animal”
To stop arguments make sure you have Internet connectivity on your smartphone.
V for victory
You have arrived, intact, at your destination.
W for Waterbuck…Would you like to be a prey species with a target on your rump?
X for X-ray vision.
Often needed in order to see the animals that tend to hide.
Y for YELLING
When you see an animal of any description.
Z for Zebra.
Are they black with white stripes or vice versa?
And while everyone is concentrating on finding the “Big 5”, don’t forget the “Little 5”.
They are:
Ant Lion, Elephant Shrew, Buffalo Weaver, Leopard Tortoise and Rhinoceros Beetle.
Before you know it, you will have arrived at your camp and can spend some time exploring outside the confines of your vehicle and away from each other.
This game can become as addictive as “10000000000 green bottles”.
You have been warned.
“Hamba kahle Kaya”
A safe journey to all.
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and may not be used without permission.
