His name was Basil.  Basil W. Hog.  He was born in South Africa and had a face only a mother could love.  A mother and Trenton.

Most of Africa’s wild animals don’t have cute catchy names.  Basil is officially referred to as something like a Pigmasorous Rex, I think.  Actually, I stand corrected:  his official name is Phacochoerus africanus, which is just as hard to pronounce.  So “Basil” it is.

We met Basil the Warthog when we were on safari in a South African wild reserve.  So often during our trip, we noticed Trenton was able to approach and get the attention of a lot of different animals.  In this case, it was good.  Other cases, not so much.

Once Trenton established the fact that he thought Basil had a nice personality, he moved right in despite the warthog’s alarming-looking under-bite and tusks.  Beyond beautiful!  Warthogs don’t usually attack humans, but we reminded the boys to always be respectful of the fact that these are wild animals.  Our guide was a great help in telling us what to do.

The Hirn family has always made new friends easily.   When it comes to facing situations that are out of the ordinary, Ron and I have always hoped our boys would be discerning, yet judgement-free, accepting of the differences of others.  From their experiences with the severely scarred Burn Camp kids, our boys know looks are a small part of what makes up a person.  In South Africa’s playground, our circle of interest got even bigger.

From Asia to Africa and beyond, we looked for beauty in the unusual.   To the warthog, aardvark and hyena, we give you tribute!

You’re beyond beautiful!Basil’s cousin Beau — the photogenic one in the family!

Dawn