“Nessie on Vacation”: SANParks Stuns SA With Rare Unrealistic Sighting of Water Creature at Orpen

• SANParks shared a photo from an Orpen webcam showing what appeared to be a mysterious water creature in a watering hole
• The image was posted on 1 April 2026 as an April Fool's joke, but not everyone caught on immediately
• South Africans had a field day in the comments, giving the creature new names and welcoming it to the country with open arms

SANParks, the official Facebook page for South Africa's national parks, posted a photo on 1 April 2026 that stopped people mid-scroll. The image showed what looked like the Loch Ness Monster. Its head was raised above the water with two humps visible behind it. It was sitting in a small sandy watering hole surrounded by grass and trees as the sun went down. It looked convincing enough that a good number of people in the comments section were not entirely sure what they were looking at. The caption on the photo read:

Read also

"Let us take you for a push": New Uber service joke after petrol price increase leaves SA amused

"Orpen webcam with a rare sighting."

What is the Loch Ness Monster?

According to Wikipedia, the Loch Ness Monster is a mythical creature from Scottish folklore said to live in Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. The most well-known modern sighting was reported in 1933. A couple claimed to have seen an enormous creature crossing the road near the loch. Since then, dozens of photographs and sonar readings have been put forward as evidence. Unfortunately, scientists have always said that they were always hoaxes, misidentifications or wishful thinking.

The most famous photo, known as the Surgeon's Photograph, taken in 1934, was accepted as evidence for decades before being exposed as a hoax in 1994. A full DNA survey of Loch Ness carried out in 2018 found no evidence of any large reptile in the water, though researchers noted there was a significant amount of eel DNA present. So Nessie popping up in a Kruger watering hole was quite the April Fools' move.

Read also

"She's feeling safer than before": Cape Town kids give army on the streets a show in Mitchells Plain

View the Facebook post below:

SA gives Nessie a warm Mzansi welcome

South Africans were ready to play along, and the comments they shared on the Facebook page @South.African.National.Parks did not disappoint:

@Francois Botha said:

"Nessie enjoying a bush holiday. Sorry, our puddles are a bit boring."

@Trevor Branch wrote:

"Orp Ness Monster!"

@Irma Tessensohn added:

"Nessie on vacation."

@Corina Vorster joked:

"Try the potholes for fun."

@Jean Mary Gray asked:

"An elephant periscope?"

@Leon Cremer said:

"Ollie Zille?"

@John Sulter noted:

"Much further south than usual."

@Honourable Timothy Sévëñ asked:

"Why is the dinosaur in the swimming pool? Is it not supposed to be in the villages?"

@Ines Braun-Reichel wrote:

"Love this April Fool."

@Beneline B Rademeyer said:

"I always knew this was the truth."

@Naas Pohl added:

"So sorry I missed it. Always wanted to see one."

@Mike Mills joked:

"Donald's pet rabbit."

@Eria Grove said:

"I found this snake in my daughter's room. Such a fun little guy."

Read also

"I wonder if there are fish in here": Helen Zille swims in 3-year-old Johannesburg pothole

More on pranks and April Fools moments

• Briefly News recently reported on Rassie Erasmus addressing reports that he had quit as Springboks coach after an April Fools article sent rugby fans into a full panic.
• Woolworths SA posted an AI image of a very different kind of shopping bag and got over 200,000 views from South Africans who could not quite tell if it was real or not.
• A spoof advert for a fake e-hailing service dropped right after the petrol price increase, and the way it was put together had people genuinely unsure if it was a joke.

Source: Briefly News