Stop for breakfast at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve near St. Lucia in S. Africa and you’re virtually guaranteed to have some interesting dining companions. Mine happened to be three warthogs! Never having had breakfast with warthogs before, I was intrigued!
I’m happy to report that warthogs at Hluhluwe Game Reserve make excellent breakfast companions!
They are well-mannered, don’t beg for food like monkeys do (some people find this annoying, although I find it to be adorable – until they steal my breakfast) and they’ll even pose for photo opps between mouthfuls!
This youngster does the warthog version of eating with his elbows on the table, by kneeling down. Fortunately for him his mother was to preoccupied with her own breakfast to care.
As ugly/cute as they are though, I noticed the mother had a problem with her leg and couldn’t put weight on it. Our very knowledgable guide Trevor from Heritage Tours and Safaris explained to us that it had been like that for months and was getting worse. He suspected gangrene. Even worse? She was also pregnant. Trevor said that as hard as it was, the park rangers try not to interfere with nature. I understand this, but it was so sad to witness. And man has interfered even if it was unwittingly. Warthogs are smart, and she sticks to the picnic area where the lions don’t go. If she was on the other side of the fence ( a fence constructed by man), she likely wouldn’t survive a day.
Stop for breakfast at the Hluhluwe Game Reserve near St. Lucia in S. Africa and you’re virtually guaranteed to have some interesting dining companions. Mine happened to be three warthogs! Never having had breakfast with warthogs before, I was intrigued!
