The Old Bulls, the Old Folks… and a Proper Bushveld Kuier

Life at Thorn Tree Bush Camp is Never Boring

Life at Thorn Tree Bush Camp is never what you'd call boring — and that’s exactly how we like it. Especially when your neighbours include a couple of hefty gents who, for reasons only known to them (and perhaps the new elephant herd that arrived back in 2018), stuck to the northern part of the reserve — until now. It seems they’ve decided it’s time to revisit some of their old favourite resting spots more regularly now.

A Typical Bushveld Afternoon Turns into a Showstopper

It was a typical July Monday winter afternoon, just another peaceful bushveld day. Ouma and Oupa were properly settled on their favourite couch in front of Monkey Thorn Cottage. Ouma’s knitting needles clicked away like a taxi rank at five o’clock, and Oupa — well, he was creatively guessing his way through yet another crossword puzzle. (If you ask him, “improvising” is a perfectly acceptable crossword strategy.)

Enter: The Elephant Bulls

Two local elephant bulls casually strolled past like they were on their way to grab a biltong stick from the Rusty Rhino bush market. But halfway past the cottage, they paused. You could almost see them thinking:

“Ag, we can’t just walk past. We must pop in and greet the old toppies.”

Greeting is standard elephant etiquette.

A Close Encounter — Thorn Tree Style

First, a bit of tree rearrangement — no reason, just for fun. Rodney, standing nearby, braced himself. You know that feeling when you watch your braai fire flare up a bit too high? That was him. He fully expected to spend the afternoon fixing the fence. But this elephant bull had other plans.

With the grace only an elephant can pull off, the big guy turned and calmly walked straight for the cottage, where the old toppies were seated, greeting them before helping himself to a juicy overhanging branch — missing the fence by the width of a springbok’s tail. Rodney’s blood pressure came back down… eventually. Needless to say, all overhanging branches were removed the next day.

An Afternoon Tea Party — Elephant Edition

There he stood, not in a rush, not even slightly concerned about the growing audience of Thorn Tree guests who were now silently gathering, jaws somewhere near the floor. He munched his branch with the casual confidence of someone visiting old friends for a cup of afternoon high tea.

For nearly twenty minutes, he kept Ouma, Oupa and the guests company. Ouma never missed a stitch. Oupa? Well, let’s just say his crossword puzzle didn’t get much attention after that.

When his snack was finished, he ambled over to his favourite dessert — the poor Black Karee tree, which now looks like it’s had a rather aggressive trim.

The Mate Arrives for a Proper Howzit

Not to be outdone, his mate made his way down to the front of the cottage too, also keen to say a proper “howzit” to the old folks. He gave the remaining branches a solid stretch but, shame, by then they were just out of reach. He gave it a go anyway, leaving Ouma chuckling:
"At least he's trying, poor guy."

Guest Reactions — Only at Thorn Tree

Some of the guests standing nearby couldn’t help themselves:

• “Only at Thorn Tree do you get an elephant traffic jam at your front door!” — Willem, Johannesburg

• “I’m used to rush hour on the N1, but this… this is the kind of traffic I can get behind!” — Lerato, Pretoria

• “Do you guys offer room service, or should we just ask the elephants next time?” — Michael, Durban

After about an hour of socialising and showing off, the two bulls decided they’d done their visiting rounds. With a flick of their ears and a slow tail swish, they strolled off in the direction of the neighbours — probably to inspect who else had trees worth sampling.

A Few Fun Thorn Tree Bush Camp Facts

• The front of Monkey Thorn Cottage has always been a favourite hangout for the first Dinokeng Game Reserve herd of elephants. The original matriarch and her herd often spent their afternoons there, feeling completely safe and right at home.

• Old Charls, the legendary elephant bull who used to roam these parts, also claimed that very spot as his go-to resting place. Once, he was seen snoozing there for most of an afternoon, completely unbothered by human activity.

• Elephant bulls have a reputation for wandering solo or in small bachelor groups, which is probably why they enjoy their laid-back Thorn Tree kuier sessions — no herd politics, just a chilled visit with good company and tasty trees.

The Thorn Tree Kuier Spirit

Some reckon it’s just the peaceful vibe — but let’s be honest, at Thorn Tree Bush Camp even the elephants know there’s nothing like a lekker South African kuier.

Where the wild calls… and sometimes, the elephant bulls arrive for afternoon tea.