Why the warthog walks on his wrists

Have you ever wondered why the warthog walks around in such a silly fashion on his wrists and his rear end in the air? Well this Zulu tale will enlighten us as to what caused this funny looking sight.

One day, after much hard work, Warthog came strutting out of his magnificent home, proud of what he had achieved, he lay on his porch and surveyed the view before him. Down below was a magnificent watering hole where he could see all his friends, Zebra, Impala and all the others. He thought to himself that he had most definitely created the grandest Warthog home ever. The entrance was spacious and not cramped, he had even added on extra rooms to his home like the living room. From his living room he watched as the sun set over the watering hole, he had made a window in the living room you see.

The following day, as he was emerging from his palace, the Warthog froze. There in front of him he could just make out Lion, crouched in the grass waiting for him to come fully out of his home. Now poor Warthog realised that with the scale of his magnificent home and entrance, great Lion would have no trouble following him in and devouring him in his living room with his massive paws and teeth.

Warthog had to think under pressure and that’s exactly what led him to his plan of escape. He remembered a tale that Jackal had told of how he managed to escape from Lion (African Tales #6 How Jackal Tricked Lion). He quickly pressed his broad hairy back up against the ceiling of his entrance and started wailing and lamenting that it was falling in on him and that he needed help to hold it up before it crushed him.

Lion, however, was not going to be caught out twice by the same trick. He roared with all his might which sent poor Warthog down onto his wrists in forgiveness of trying to deceive Lion. Lion roared once more and took pity on the cowering animal. With anger in his voice, he told Warthog to remain on his wrists ‘til this day.

Lion walked away chuckling to himself and even to this day we still see Warthog with his bum up in the air and his arms bent at the wrists walking around in this most undignified pose.