KNP Story 3

This is Hellen the Southern Ground Hornbill

We happened upon the poor girl just north of the Engelhard Dam in Kruger National Park. Whilst sitting there I as her how she felt about being an endangered species.

With tears streaming down her face she told me that life as a ground hornbill is not as easy as one might think. As a juvenile you are forced to help raise a younger sibling, that if you do not have any experience with house work, and babysitting skills, you do not qualify to get married at all. She shared that she had done all that was expected of her, and that had found her soulmate. They had all these plans for nesting on top of a baobab tree, they even found the perfect tree, with a stunning view over the valley and the water was not to far away. But her mate has gone missing, and that we have interrupted her search.

I thanked her for sharing her story and wished her the best of luck

She mumbled under her breath and stalked to the closest shrub to look behind it, hopefully her mate was there