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Gee whiz but I am slow to react Anyway, our guide decides to look for rhinos on the plain but on their way, a storm with thunder and lightning everywhere. The guide decided to head for the biggest tree on the plain to seek some shelter. The nearest other tree is about a 100 metres away. Good or bad idea?

I'd say bad idea , always been told stay away from tall tree's during alighting storm , so headingf for the tallest object around seems a little foolhardy to me

Correct Richman But what do you suggest they should have done after seeing the approaching storm?

Walking down a path in the reeds on the Olifants river during a backpacker trail, our guide suddenly freezes. He has spotted a hippo ahead, heading your way. The animal hasn't yet seen you but is close and will be on you in a few seconds.

Should he shout "run!"

In order to hopefully remain undetected I would not shout.
Depending on the hippos position relative to the water , if we were closer to the water than the hippo I would gesticulate wildly for the trailists to retreat in the direction indicated towards safety.

Firstly, a human will not be able to outrun a hippo, and especially along a narrow path surrounded by reeds. So running should only be a last resort. As Ndloti notes, it depends if the hippo is closer to the water than you, in which case it should most probably take flight in that direction. If the trailists are between the hippo and his flight path, it is best to make rapid, but controlled, movement away from the water and the path. Perhaps a lot of noise would be appropriate to alert the unaware beast that there are humans ahead of him.

I cannot fault any of you on the arguments put forward.

But ....

This is one case where the opposite reaction may in fact be the wiser.

Hippo is know to follow a charge through and not stop.
If you are between him and his safe space (water) he will charge down his path (on which you are now standing) to reach it.

Given the scenario I had in my mind, it would be very wise to get out of the way and running might just be the best option.

So (and here Ndloti added a valuable remark) it might be wise for the guide to "wildly justiculate" for the members of the group to "get the hell out of the way at a more than average pace."

Ndloti is IT!

Very informative, IB. This is what makes the quizzes so valuable. Well done, Ndloti.

Please can someone post in my place ?

The group decides to return to the vehicle and on the way they spot a burrow with fresh warthog tracks in front of it. The guide ask one of the hikers to bend down in front of the entrance to check if there are any warthogs inside. OK or not?

I assume the hippo is not still chasing the group - in which case, it would not be a good idea to stop and admire a burrow!

I should think (and I'm almost certainly wrong) that the entrance to a burrow would be a sheltered, even damp, place for snakes to settle for a little while. If a human being were to block the nearest escape route (i.e. the burrow entrance) then any snake would feel threatened and retaliate - that's obviously bad news.

However, if fresh warthog tracks are around then this disturbance would stop snakes, spiders etc. from being able to settle down in the burrow. This would probably make it safer for the guest in question.

Just a shot in the dark

Any more ideas/explanations?

Nope.

Never a good idea to peer into burrows. Also depends on whether the tracks are going into the burrow or out of it!!! In the daytime the warthog is likely to be out, but anything else might be inside......