Pig on the porch!!!..Pig in a pond!!!…Package problem…Persistence paid…

If you look carefully, you can see Little Wart Face running from the veranda. It was raining, and he climbed the slippery steps to see if we’d come outside and give him some pellets. Of course, the minute I stepped out to take the photo, he ran down the steps, sliding down.

“Sighting of the Day in the Bush”

Mr. Bushbuck’s injured leg seems to be healing.  He could barely walk a few weeks ago but is limping now. He certainly doesn’t look as if he’s been starving.  When an animal is injured, we residents of Marloth Park tend to feed the wounded animal extra food to aid their recovery.

On May 28, 2018, we ordered a box of supplies to be shipped to Marloth Park. We’d expected it to take a few months, not four months after all was said and done.

We had lots of muddy pig footprints on the veranda after he left. We didn’t scold him for coming up. We were laughing hard.

There was no less than ZAR 17731 (US $1200) in supplies in that box, and based on poor postal service in South Africa, there wasn’t insurance available, as is the case in many countries when packages are sent through the postal service.

He considered coming back onto the porch (veranda) after we placed a few pellets as shown, but he was scared to death after his slippery descent.

The cost to ship the package from the US to Marloth Park via (USPS) postal service was ZAR 2660 (US $180). Had we used UPS, Fed Ex, or DHL, the cost jumped to ZAR 7092 (US $480). At the time, we didn’t want to spend so much on the shipping. Lesson learned.

Here it is, folks. We’re saying this out loud for the world to see. We will never send another package of supplies from the US unless we can use UPS, Fed Ex, or DHL for fast delivery and insurance. The aggravation over these past months wasn’t worth it.

At first, we spotted Medium Wart Face sitting in the cement pond. By the time I grabbed the camera, he’d already begun to climb out.

According to tracking information, the package arrived in Johanessburg, where it went through customs and was released for transport on June 6th, exactly four months ago today.

He managed to climb out OK, shook off, and came up to the veranda to ask for more pellets.

What transpired from there was a comedy of errors. First, there was a strike in June, and all packages that had arrived in Johannesburg and were sent to Pretoria for processing came to a standstill.

After dozens of phone calls made by Louise and us, we discovered the box was sitting in a shipping container in Pretoria with thousands of other undelivered packages. Everything was at a standstill even after the strike ended in June.

Four Girls and Dad & Son stopped by at the same time. Overall, they got along fine, although the girls rendered a few kicks their way, and Dad gently prodded with his horns.

After writing a highly assertive letter to several postal service officials about a week ago and ultimately connecting with a top official who responded to my assertive letter, a kindly official went into action demanding staff find the box in its specific container and get it to us.

Zebras have such interesting markings as this black and white circle on her back.

We met our kindly contact person at Marloth Park’s Gate 2, who handed over the package this morning. We paid the customs fees of ZAR 385 (US $26) along with a hefty “token of appreciation,” which may have been instrumental in expediting the situation. 

Regardless of the circumstances and the costs, we’re relieved to have the package. Everything inside the box was intact as we’d expected. We met the helpful driver/postal service employee at the gate and brought the package back to the house.  

As soon as the pellets and veg start thinning out, they start staring at us, asking for more.

There was even a long-expired credit card (April 2018) in the box and our new health insurance cards from Healthcare International. I’d forgotten I had ordered a ton of my favorite tee-shirts I so desperately needed when all that I currently own have holes in them.  

Even Little Miss Bushbuck has learned to use those soulful dark eyes to let us know she wants more.

There were so many items in the box we needed, and we’re thrilled to have it all unpacked and put away. We won’t be purchasing any more supplies until we arrive in the US in five months, where we’ll replenish anything we may need.

As for today’s photos, we realized we planned not to spend much time on warthogs, my favorite animals in the wild. However, these hilarious characters are worthy of posting photos and sharing stories from time to time.  Bear with us as we laugh out loud over recent antics in the garden.  

Although not all are shown in this photo, we had six bushbucks in the garden simultaneously, a record for us.

Tonight we’re off to Jabula for socialization and great food. Tomorrow, we’ll be back with plenty more.

Enjoy the day, the evening, and a good night’s rest.

Photo from one year ago today, October 6, 2017:

View from the veranda during the tropical depression in Costa Rica. The clouds were so low they were ground level in the valley.  For more photos, please click here.