African Lore (much of which was made up on the spot)

Meir loved to tell stories about the animals.  Some of them were probably old, but I'm sure he created many of them on the fly.  They all had a similar rhythm to them, and usually a punchline.  He was an excellent storyteller.

Long ago the Antelope and the Dog were friends and decided to travel together.  They stopped a passing car and told the driver that they would pay him when they arrived at their destination. When they arrived the Antelope realized that he had no money with him, so decided to make a run for it.  He sprung from the door and headed up over the nearest hill.

In the meantime, the Dog had gotten out and given the driver a $100 bill.  The driver, realizing that he didn't have change for the Dog, suddenly drove off and left him there. Now whenever antelopes see cars they are afraid that they're coming for their money, so they run away.  Whenever dogs see cars they want their change back, so they chase after them.

These antelope are referred to as McDonalds, because of the 'M' shape of their back, and the fact that they're fast food for the big cats.

God actually did give fire to the animals, but he gave it to the Ostrich, who decided to keep it for himself by hiding it under his wings.  This is why he never lifts his wings enough to fly. The only other animal who knows about this is the Hippopotamus.  The hippo used to live on

land and be covered with a thick coat of fur.  One day he picked a fight with the Ostrich and was winning.  Desperate, the Ostrich lifted his wings and a wave of fire burned the Hippopotamus' fur off.  It almost burned more, but the Hippopotamus jumped in the nearest lake and has stayed in the water ever since.

One night after dinner at Mashatu the topic turned to how to handle unexpected encounters with the animals. One of the guides told us:  "If you come face to face with a lion while on foot, it is very  important that you not walk straight backwards.  You should make zig-zags left and right." When we asked him why, he said:  "If you walk straight backwards, you will probably slip on your own poo."

Mom and I watched "The Lion King" while we were at Mashatu.  That movie has many things good and bad about it, but mostly I wanted to say that it does a great disservice to the hyenas.