inspiration
Southern Ground-Hornbill See those birds perched on that dead leadwood? Those are southern ground hornbills. We’re lucky to see them in the wild, there aren’t many left. Less than a thousand in Kruger. They don’t have many natural predators. Crocs. Leopards, maybe. Their low numbers are mostly due to habitat loss, and they breed too slowly to keep up. Listen to them calling. That deep boom, kind of like a hoot, or a heartbeat. That’s them letting us know we’re on their turf. Either they’re nesting in that tree, or just saying, “Good morning.” Sometimes, when it’s quiet enough, you can hear them from a few kilometres away. Magnificent. So striking against the white, white bark of the tree. You know, for me personally, lions and buffaloes and elephants and giraffes and all the classic species we tend to associate with safaris are fantastic, and it’s always a privilege to see them, but there’s something special about a sighting like this. One thing you realise the more time you spend in the bush, is that everything is worth paying attention to. The more you look, the more you see. And the more you see, the more you appreciate. Shall we stay a little while longer?
Nghututu Does it have a different name in the local language? In Shangaan, we call it Nghututu. Nghututu? Nghututu. What does that mean? It’s just a name. It’s what we call it. It’s a lovely- sounding word. Yes, but it goes by many names. Like what? Southern ground hornbill. In Afrikaans, they call it a Bromvoël. In Zulu, iNsingizi. There are many examples. In Tswana, it’s Lehututu. That’s quite similar. Yes, it’s similar. What about in those other cultures, does it have any kind of significance? In some places, yes. In some cultures. Can you tell me about that? I can tell you some stories, but you know, for me, a bird is a bird is a bird. It doesn’t matter what you call it. It’s right here in front of us. If we just watch it, it will tell us a lot. Is it an important species? It’s a beautiful bird, and very rare. Very endangered. We want to protect it, but that’s because here, we want to protect everything. The plants, the insects, the birds, the big game, even the soil. It all means something to us. It’s all an important part of the ecosystem. Nothing would be the same without it.
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