Hey guys! I’m Ranger Rom and this is our very first African Safari Adventure report. Hope you’ll be joining us for all of them!
Hi guys - I’m Romiko! My buddy Ranger Rom and I are here in southern Africa to learn how to be professional field guides at the Selati Game Reserve.
We’re so excited to have finally made it here! Right now we’re relaxing around the warm glow campfire after supper, listening to the peaceful sounds of the African bush …
Wait a minute, what was that?
Sounded like a lion roaring!
A lion roaring quite nearby!
Yep. Or maybe a leopard …
Yikes - perhaps we should climb a tree!
Nah, think I’ll just pop back into my shell! And anyway, leopards can climb trees too, remember? Look, just sit down again - relax!
Relax? How can I?
If you’re going to be in the African bush for a whole year, you gotta learn to live with our animal buddies. Make yourself think about something else!
What - about being eaten alive?
No-o! Let’s tell our readers the story of how we got here!
Well, OK …
I’ll start. One day you were sitting in your boring old office, in the dirty, noisy, crowded city -
dreaming of adventure, of fantastic wildlife, of escape to the African bush! I sighed, staring at my computer screen. ‘What’s the use,’ I thought, ‘it’s only a dream … ’
(grinning) And then -
And then I heard a voice - out of the blue! Not very loud, but quite clear: ‘Well, what are you waiting for?’
(chuckles) That surprised you!
Sure did! I looked around, but there was no one. Just me and my desk and four walls. Oh, and that dusty looking terrarium in the corner …
Oh oh, I thought, I really am going crazy!
And then you heard it again!
Yep! ‘You heard me,’ the voice said, ‘what are you waiting for? What’s the point of just sitting there, when you could be roaming the wilds of Africa, living your dream?’ Well my heart started pumping; I looked around wildly …
And then … Ta daa!
I saw you! Your funny tortoise face, staring at me, through the glass.
You’d hardly taken any notice of me before! (Sigh) Nobody had …
I just thought you were just this poor old tortoise, plodding hopelessly around the terrarium!
Excuse me. Not just any old tortoise! Hmph! An extremely rare, Geometric Tortoise.
There are only about 200 of us left on the entire planet!
I know, I know … (Pats Ranger Rom on the head) You’re extremely special! Anyway, I stared back at you, cleared my throat and said - ‘Pardon me Mr Tortoise - did you say that?’ (I sure was glad there was no one else in the room to hear me!)
And I said: ‘Who else would have said it?’ And then I got down to business. ‘Listen,’ I said, ‘you gotta get me out of here! Back to Africa, where I know we both belong!’
So I went straight to my boss and resigned - just like that! And I told him I was taking you with me. That you’d been kidnapped by poachers and sold into pet slavery.
Which was true!
and we were going to liberate you, back to your African home.
So before we knew it, we were on the plane, enjoying all the benefits of 21st Century travel ☺.
Now happily adopting a much simpler life here in the Selati Game Park! Ahh, this is my idea of heaven …
Listen, there’s that roar again …
Yikes - that was really close!!
Hey you fellow safari trekkers - keep an eye out for the next installment of our crazy wildlife adventure!
☺ If we haven’t become Big Cat Supper in the meantime!