The idea that Rhinos stomp out fires is a meme I’ve heard before, and it is part of “The Gods Must Be Crazy” … still not sure if I believe it but I’ve heard stranger things (in South Africa!)

Fires don’t scare away predators in my experience.

A former national park warden in South Africa/Southwest Africa (as it was then) told me that one evening he returned to the camp fire he’d left blazing to deter predators, only to find it surrounded by 5 lions basking in the warmth. A Namibian colleague related that, as a student, one evening she stayed alone at a campsite. A rhino dashed in from the dark then stamped around, dispersing and putting out the fire before leaving.

Apart from using metal or earthenware cooking pots, mopani worms (caterpillars) are cooking by dropping them in glowing embers. It seems the ash also has a preservative function. I’ve read that in some societies, food is cooked by dropping fire-heated rocks into gourds containing water (and the food).