Medjedice is Eco-Trails Africa's travel mascot — a little bear who turns up alongside Zuzka on trips and in photos. She doesn't lead expeditions or promise to appear on every programme, but she's part of the Eco-Trails story and loves discovering new places.
Why "Medjedice"?
Her name began as a Czech wordplay. The word medvěd (bear) can jokingly be split into med + vědět ("honey" + "to know") — someone who knows where the honey is.
Medjedice, however, doesn't actually know where the honey is. She just likes eating it. Hence med + jíst ("honey" + "to eat") — and Medjedice was born. (It's a pun that only really works in Czech: a would-be "Honey-Knower" who turns out to be a "Honey-Eater" instead.)
And why the lisp?
According to family legend, she once fell off a table and knocked out a tooth. She's had a slight lisp ever since. Fortunately, it hasn't dampened her traveller's curiosity or her appetite for honey one bit.
Medjedice is a reminder that even a well-planned trip can have lightness, humour and small, unexpected stories. Once we add a photo from our own archive, she'll get her travel portrait here too.
You can read more about her human travel companion on the page Zuzana – Your Czech-Speaking Guide. To get back to the full section overview, visit About Zuzana.