ANDRIES THYS
Field guide, Mata-Mata
I grew up in Twee Rivieren. My grandfather, Abraham Malgas, taught me about the veld – he was of the generation still born in the park. He worked in the park for more than 30 years: in the camps, as a ranger and as a tracker.
My father, Floors Thys, also worked in the park – in the technical division. When he had to transport supplies to MataMata or Nossob, I sometimes went along. When I was little, I already had the desire to work in the park one day.
I also learnt about the veld from Oom Vetpiet Kruiper – he was a master tracker. And Andrew Kruiper – he lives in Welkom now. The Kruipers were born with knowledge of the veld.
Look at the dune we’re standing on. Here are some bird tracks and that is an armoured ground cricket. I always look for fresh tracks, left by animals in the morning. I was here two days ago with other guests and their footprints are still in the dunes, so I look for tracks on top of the old spoor.
This is what the Bushmen did in the old days when they went out to hunt. They looked at all the antelope spoor and determined which ones were the freshest. Notice this tuft of grass. When the wind blows, the blades sweep across the sand and leave a mark. The hunter can use that to tell from which direction the wind blew, and where he should go so the antelope won’t pick up his
