Ojiwarongo, Guest House – Our Elephant Rooms
“There is no creature in Africa quite as dramatic, as imposing or as regal as the Elephant. He is the true king of beasts, the largest land mammal on earth, beside whom the lion is a mere courtier and before whom the powerful rhino, hippo and buffalo and all else give way.”
The elephant has always fascinated me as an animal. As a child I was always present when family came back from a visit to the Kruger National Park. They told awesome stories of the animals, the kills by lions and the stately antelope. But it was the stories of the elephants and their doings that grabbed my attention and created a lasting respect for this incredibly strong and majestic king of the beasts.
It was only later in life that this relationship became more intense. When touring through Namibia, as part of my job as announcer for the SWABC and later NBC, I continuously came into contact with issues on conservation of our natural heritage. It was here that I was introduced to the desert elephant and started taking cognizance of the amazing intelligence of these animals. They remember routes of times gone by and if necessary they will wander along those routes again – such is the case in dry seasons when these desert giants take to wandering right into the Omaruru and even Kalkfeld area much to the dismay of the farmers.
With this growing relationship between these gentle giants and myself I suppose it was only natural to select elephants as the theme of the Bush Pillow Guesthouse when I decided to move into the tourism industry. I have tried to be quite diverse in the selection of the honoured ones, and sad that I do not have more rooms to name, but I believe I have at least created awareness with the visitors to this establishment and even a love for these great animals.
We passionately disagree with the hunting of these animals and would contribute in every way possible to stamp out the killing of these beautiful beasts. No set of tusks in any museum or hunter’s collection can ever be as beautiful, as telling or as awe inspiring as when seen on a living elephant in close proximity. Let us rather make a point of visiting the places where we can see them in their natural habitat and when we do – let us remember that we are the intruders into their domain.
This means that we should understand the incredible privilege of being in their proximity and know to tread softly and humbly – we are in the presence of the king of beasts.
In the next couple of days we will be telling you more about the elephants the Bush Pillow chose to name our rooms after.
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