EmotionsofAfrica

As nature lovers and conservationists, my wife and I are fortunate enough to live in a remote wilderness area of the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa. While living in the wild, you get to see nature in its full glory on a daily basis with all its amazing sights and sounds. Being keen gardeners, we have established an indigenous garden around our house over the years. One of the benefits of living in such a wild area is the many wild bird species that visit our garden during the day. I was in the house one afternoon during a weekend, when I suddenly heard my wife calling me to come outside to the garden. When I got outside, I was confused and amused at the same time, watching my wife spraying a Grey Go-away-bird with her water spraying bottle. I ran back inside to get my camera. Not only does the Grey Go-away-bird have a name that surprise most people, it is also one of the most common and easy recognizable birds in the African bush. This dull looking grey bird, with its funky upright crest, is actually one of the most reliable birds to call out an alarm when any sort of danger such as predators, snakes or raptors are spotted in the area. When this bird sounds an alarm, all animals usually respond by getting away from the danger area. Hence the name. My wife explained that she was out in the garden, using her small watering spray bottle to water some of the plants with a fine water mist. While busy watering her plants, my wife noticed a Grey Go-away-bird coming to land in a bush right next to her. While it is common having these birds visiting our garden, none of us have ever experienced the birds to be been keen on interacting with us. The bird sat and looked at my wife spraying the plants. My wife looked at the bird and the bird intimately stared back at her and the water bottle. During this little stare down session, my wife then decided to spray a little water at the bird, seeing that it was fairly dry and warm that afternoon. What followed was the hilarious interaction between my wife and the Grey Go-away-bird which I managed to capture in this video. It seemed like the bird absolutely loved having the water sprayed on its body. My wife turned up the tempo with more repetitive sprays. The bird amazingly reacted by starting to lift its wings, ‘asking’ to get sprayed all over the lower body and areas covered by the wings. At the same time, the bird would turn from the one side to the other side, ‘guiding’ my wife where to spray, making sure majority of its body got covered with the water. The bird never stopped enjoying it and I was totally fascinated by this bird’s behavior as we have never interacted with these birds before. If we had a larger watering spray bottle, it would have carried on for much longer. Once the water was finished, the bird gave us one last look and disappeared back into the wild. We were totally amazed by this bird pulling in for a cool down body spray on demand.

With the Wildlife and Safari Tourism industry still on its knees, self-drive safaris in South Africa have recently been allowed again. We took the opportunity and headed straight to the Kruger National Park to explore the great African wilderness. Majority of visitors to the park are normally in search of the ever popular ‘big five’ animals that include buffalo, elephant, rhino, leopard and lion. Out of all the ‘big five’ animals, the African lion is at the top of the list for most. Finding the biggest cat in Africa can be relatively easy on some days, where on other times they will disappear for days or even weeks. Finding a pride of lions in the wild is already a memorable experience on its own. Finding a whole pride with a lioness suckling her cubs in the wild is a once in a lifetime experience. We couldn’t believe our luck when we found the large pride of lions sleeping in the shade next to a deserted road. We were totally stunned when we realized there were also six lion cubs present. We decided to switch off the vehicle and spend time with the lion pride and their cubs. Majority of the pride were fast asleep besides three specific lion cubs that decided it was time for a drink of mommy’s milk, all at once. The tired lioness was still half asleep but allowed her youngsters to start drinking. Initially things were a little cramped and unorganized for the lion cubs. It was adorable to watch the three cubs moaning about finding space to get their fair share of mommy’s milk. The cute little growling, snarling and moaning sounds made by the cubs was just incredible to hear while witnessing this precious moment. The lioness eventually responded to the moans and growls by lifting her one leg up in the air, opening up more space for the cubs to get comfortable and to stop moaning. It was such an amazing moment to see each cub happy with its own place to drink. When each lion cub had a mammary gland in its mouth, everything became peaceful again and remained like that for quite some time. We left the pride in peace and moved on. We had a big smile on our faces while feeling overwhelmed by our rarely seen moment in the African wild.

With self-drive safaris now allowed again in Kruger National Park after seven weeks of lockdown in South Africa, I didn’t waste any time and took the opportunity to visit the Park for a day. It did not take too long before I came across a small herd of elephants standing around a mud wallow. It was a hot morning in the African bush and the elephants took the opportunity to cool down, splashing mud all over their bodies. While keeping their bodies cool with the mud, the elephants also get the opportunity later on to clean their rugged skins by scratching of the dry mud, using a tree or rock to scratch against. In the process the elephants get rid of ticks and parasites trapped in the dry caked mud on their bodies. Majority of the herd finished their mud bath and slowly moved on. At the mud wallow remained a male baby elephant and his mother. The mother elephant casually continued splashing herself with mud while her calf was already covered in mud. The calf caught my attention when he stopped splashing mud over himself and started leaning forward slowly. It looked like the baby elephant was attempting to rub his forehead in the mud. That idea did not go so well for the baby elephant. While leaning forward to get his forehead in the mud, the elephant calf suddenly slipped and fell, face first into the mud. Like lightning the baby elephant got back onto his legs, looking a little flustered and embarrassed at the same time. The elephant calf immediately turned around, slowly climbed up the bank and went to hide in the nearby bushes. Again, this behavior gave me the impression that the elephant calf felt a little embarrassed by his face plant into the mud. I felt sorry for the little one but at the same time found the whole incident funny. Immediately I could relate the incident back to the scenario when you fall flat on your face in public, quickly jump with the hope that no one saw you, then slowly making an effort to disappear while acting as if nothing happened. I left the scene with a smile on my face and I was filled with the greatest admiration for how much of the behavior of the baby elephant could be related back to our own human behavior.

During the lock down period in South Africa, I am fortunate enough to be working and living in an isolated wilderness area of the Kruger National Park. While all safaris have come to a standstill, I now have ample time to explore the bush for days on end. Mother nature continues as normal. Wildlife go about their daily routine, not having a worry about what is happening out in the world. While driving around alone, I stopped at a nearby watering hole. It was a hot day and there were a number of various wildlife species congregating at the water. Elephants outnumbered all other species of wildlife at the watering hole. At the same time, elephants are renowned for their temperament when it comes to sharing ‘their’ water with any other species of animals living in the same bush. Bull elephants especially become arrogant, cheeky or just plain aggressive with other animals around the same watering hole. Elephants are reluctant to share their space while on many occasions this type of behavior may even seem hilariously pointless, like the incident in this video. A large number of elephants were standing in and around the water hole. There was a small herd of zebra standing at the same water, enjoying a late morning drink. One zebra stood separated from the small herd while having a drink of water. My attention was drawn to a young male elephant, casually walking along the edge of the water hole, looking rather relaxed and peaceful. Suddenly the lone zebra standing at the water grabbed the attention of the bull elephant. He stopped, looked at the zebra and in split seconds the bull elephant decided he does not like the lone zebra standing at the water trying to get a drink. With a sudden burst of aggression, the bull elephant charged towards the lone zebra while letting out his scary sounding growling screams. The zebra got such a fright that it jumped straight into the water to get away from the angry bull elephant. I could not identify any particular reason why the elephant just suddenly went for the lone zebra, though it seemed to me it might just have been cheekiness while showing off his size or just having a bit of fun because he can. The incident was over very quickly and both the elephant and the zebra continued as if nothing ever happened. I packed my stuff and continued my journey with a big smile on my face.

Going on a safari in the African wild gives people the opportunity to observe and come close to wild animals in their natural environment. Among all the species of wildlife found in the African bush, the chacma baboon is probably one of the most entertaining animals to watch. The chacma baboon is one of the largest of all monkeys. It’s not very hard to spot the various similarities in behavior between that of a baboon and a human. For this reason, our closest relatives can make for entertaining viewing and it is always worth spending a little longer to observe the entertaining behavior of these primates. It was during a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park when we stopped in a dry riverbed. In the distance we noticed a small troop of baboons. The baboons were busy walking in our direction, but they were in no hurry. As the baboons came closer, we could see that many of them had enough of the long hot day and decided to stop and relax in the sand not too far away from us. We sat and watched the antics of the baboon family. After a while the baboons were scattered all along the riverbed. I suddenly noticed all the different body positions many of the baboons were in. It was awkward looking at first but soon I could identify with a few of the body positions in which many of the baboons were lying in. It was really funny to watch as it made me think of myself stretching out and being lazy on a Sunday afternoon. I started filming the various hilarious looking positions many of the baboons were lying in. Some of the baboons were lying on their sides, looking like they are chilling on the beach. My attention was drawn to a large male baboon, getting some attention from his lady while lying with his legs open, not having a care in the world. Another baboon had its face down and bum in the air while getting groomed by a caring family member. Other baboons were lying on their backs with one arm and one leg up in the air. It was like watching people lying on the beach and we could not stop laughing. One particular baboon was lying on its back, doing what seemed like a hamstring stretch, looking very comfortable in that position. It looked like none of these baboons had a care in the world and couldn’t be more relaxed. They were wild and free in their natural environment where they belong. It was such a pleasure to witness our close relatives going about their strikingly similar behavior of relaxing. After leaving the baboons in peace we came to the conclusion the most of us have lied down in one or more of the awkward but funny looking positions seen among the baboons. The only difference is that we usually will lie like that when no one is watching.

Hwange National Park, situated in the northwest of Zimbabwe, is the county’s largest park and one of the top national parks in Africa. The vast wilderness areas of Hwange host the Big five and a multitude of animal species. The park is rated as one of the national parks with the biggest diversity of mammal species in the world. Hwange is even more world renowned among safari goers for its elephant population. The park is one of the world’s last elephant sanctuaries and home to some fifty thousand elephants, perhaps Africa's single largest concentration of elephant. With all these elephants around, there is naturally a heavy demand for water. Elephants are large and very thirsty creatures and need to drink daily. Water remains the single most important management factor in Hwange's continued existence. Having water is absolutely vital to the survival of all elephants in the park. The constant maintenance of the artificial but natural looking water pans, complete with resident hippo's and crocodile, has been a major factor sustaining this ecological treasury. Without these waterholes, Hwange National Park would return to the empty wasteland it once was while animals would die in their thousands. Game viewing in Hwange is superb during the dry period of the year. The park has no permanent natural water sources, so once the rains have stopped and the landscape starts to dry out, animals such as the elephants have to rely on the man made pumped waterholes for water. Animal sightings of African wild dog, lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe and zebra are many of the highlights, but by far the mammals that Hwange is most famous for are its elephants. We visited Hwange National Park during the late dry season. We decided to spend one whole afternoon at one of the man made waterholes in the park. We sat in a shaded structure called a hide, overlooking a waterhole with a great vista of the surroundings. We could not have imagined what we were about to see over the next five hours. On our arrival at the waterhole, there were many elephants already at the water. For the whole five hours that we were there, herds and herds of elephants were coming and going from all directions. The movement of elephants in front of us was nonstop and absolutely mind blowing. With all the elephants gathering, we could clearly hear the many noises made by them, ranging from rumbling, screaming and trumpeting sounds, echoing across the open savanna. The nonstop variety of many strange noises added immensely to the whole experience. Never in my life have I seen so many elephants in one place and there are very few places in the world where you would be lucky enough to see something like this. I started filming right through the whole afternoon. The video shows a collection of some of the many elephant moments around the waterhole during that one afternoon. We counted an estimated six hundred and fifty elephants that visited the waterhole during our five-hour stay that afternoon. At the end of the afternoon there was a dramatic sunset and the elephants kept coming and going. After sunset we had to leave but the elephants just kept coming and coming. This was by far one of my greatest experiences while on safari in a very long time. I could gladly leave and say that we have witnessed a great natural spectacle, not really to be found anywhere else in the world.

Few animals in the African wild can be more entertaining than baby elephants. During an African safari it is always a great pleasure to spend time with elephants when you do find them. If there are baby elephants in the herd, it is a real bonus and definitely worth spending a little longer watching and admiring these fascinating creatures. To see the largest land mammal on earth in baby form, out in the wild, is one of the great highlights of many safaris. Baby elephants are just plain adorable looking, while their clumsy behavior always provide for entertaining viewing. If baby elephants are found during safari, you can be sure there will be many smiles and heart-warming moments for safari goers. It was a hot summer afternoon when we headed out on safari in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. The best places to find animals during the heat of the afternoon are near and around the watering holes. Animals gather around a few remaining watering holes to quench their thirst during the heat of the day. One species most likely to dominate these watering holes are elephants. It did not take long for us to arrive at the first watering hole. There was a small herd of elephants standing around the water while drinking. We immediately noticed two young elephants in the herd, one which was still a baby. The elephant herd was about to leave the watering hole. The mother elephant took the lead and started walking. The baby elephant was right behind its mother and quickly started following her. After a few steps the mother elephant suddenly just stopped, with her left front foot in the air, looking like she wanted to turn around. In the process, the baby elephant walked slap bang face first into its mother’s big front foot. The baby elephant looked a little bewildered afterwards while the mother elephant looked like she was rather annoyed with both young elephants right behind her. She turned around while making it clear to both little elephants that they now need to start behaving and to get out from under her feet. Once the mother elephant gave each young elephant a push with her trunk, she turned around and led the herd onto their next destination. The whole incident happened so fast and after slowing down the video, we could get a better look and feel for the whole situation. Even though it was pretty funny to see, we still wonder who was really in the wrong here? The mother elephant suddenly just stopping without any warning? Or the baby elephant being clumsy and not watching where it was going? Either way, we all had a big smile on our faces after watching elephant family life unfolding right in front of us.

One of the great thrills of going on a safari in the African wild is the searching and finding of wild animals in their natural environment. This is a great opportunity for anyone to come face to face with some of the continent’s most unique wildlife species. There are also many great photographic opportunities to create those lifetime memories. Once photos are taken, most people would rush off in search of the next sighting. The experience of a safari can be enhanced even more when people are prepared to spend a little more time with the animals they find. When spending extra time watching the animals, you will start to notice the <a href="https://rumble.com/v8fcxy-baby-elephant-adorably-attempts-to-sit-on-womans-lap.html" target="_blank">different types of behaviors</a> of the animals roaming their natural habitats. It is usually during this time that one might see some animals behaving in the most fascinating, funny or bizarre ways. One species of wildlife that almost never fail to entertain safari goers with their behavior is the African <a href="https://rumble.com/v681lh-baby-elephant-play-with-his-father.html" target="_blank">elephant</a>. Not only are they the largest land mammals on this planet, elephants are also among the most intelligent. This is evident in the great variety of intriguing behaviors displayed by these large creatures. On a recent safari in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, we decided to spend time with a small herd of elephants. Among the adult elephants was one baby elephant that quickly got everyone’s attention. Suddenly we were confused for a few seconds by the baby elephant’s awkward looking behavior and body movements. Soon we realized what was going on. This baby elephant had an itchy body that needed a decent scratch. The little elephant cleverly found a rock at just the right height and started off with his stomach. Standing with its front legs stretched out over the rock, the baby elephant moved back and forth, scratching its itchy belly on the rock. This was really funny to watch. We then noticed that the baby elephant had more than just an itchy belly. There were other body parts that also needed a good scratch. The baby elephant looked determined to get the job done and pushed its mother out the way before sitting down on the rock. The next moment the baby elephant adamantly started moving its backside from side to side, vigorously scratching its itchy bum. This was even more hilarious to watch and we could see this baby elephant was determined to get rid of its great itch. Finally, there was relief and the little elephant continued the journey with the rest of the herd. In the end it paid off to spend a little more time with the elephants, getting to see this baby elephant finding an amusing but effective manner to get rid of the itch on his body parts.

Do you consider that elephants are animals capable of possessing a dominant attitude? Watch this video and see how this elephant scares all the animals around it! In some African countries water is very scarce, so many elephants often fight for water, since in many cases water is not enough for everyone. In this case, this elephant tries to get all the animals out of the water, since he considers that he needs more water than they do, so the elephant begins to chase the animals and shouts at them with great force to scare them. This elephant is very brave! Elephants can adapt to a wide variety of habitats and conditions. They can almost always be seen in African grasslands, although it is not uncommon to see them also in savannas, forests and areas with a nearby water source. At the same time, elephants also like to wallow in the mud or apply a much needed "rain of dust" to mitigate the effect of sunrays and insect bites. The vast majority of African specimens that exist today are in protected parks, although many of them prefer to migrate throughout the year, especially when the destruction of their habitat at the hands of man becomes imminent. As for the Asian elephant, these animals have populations in some Asian tropical forests of China and India. Elephants are animals of a herbivorous nature, so their diet consists mainly of herbs, tree bark, small shrubs, plants and fruits. In most cases, an adult can eat up to 250 kilograms of food per day. When they are born, young people only receive breast milk, but after two years they supplement their diet with fruits, branches and fallen leaves, small tree barks, etc. Obviously, the large size of these animals and the capacity of their beautiful trunk allows them to reach food in the highest and most inaccessible areas of the trees. In general, an adult specimen envelops the branch or trunk of the tree with its trunk, and violently shakes it so that the fruits fall to the ground and their young feed. As part of the ecosystem, <a href="https://rumble.com/v73gz6-grumpy-elephant-chases-thirsty-warthogs-away-from-watering-hole.html" target="_blank">elephants</a> play an essential role in the balance and maintenance of the environment. For example, when they consume fruits with seeds and travel great distances, they can disperse the seeds in other areas, even up to 60 kilometers from the origin. This is of great importance to enrich the habitat and contribute to the maintenance of other animal species. At the same time, elephant dung acts as a highly effective natural fertilizer for vegetation, providing minerals and nutrients that contribute to soil health and crop development. All animals are important to conserve the environment and the ecosystem!For some species, the dung of these animals is an important source of food, and even for some insects and frogs it represents a small ecosystem to develop. Elephants are also excellent water trackers, since they can travel great distances in search of this liquid and, with it, help other species, including humans. Elephants are fantastic <a href="https://rumble.com/v834a1-helpless-bird-caught-on-fish-bait-gets-saved-by-heroic-bystander.html" target="_blank">animals</a>!

During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park we came across a small herd of elephants standing around at a watering hole. It was early afternoon and the heat was relentless. The majority of the elephant herd was drinking water while some members of the herd used the opportunity to enjoy a mud bath at the same time. After quenching their thirst on a hot day, elephants love splashing themselves with mud. The layers of mud on their skin help the elephants to cool down their bodies. At the same time the mud helps the elephants to get rid of insects and parasites stuck to their rough skins. When the elephants were done at the watering hole, they slowly started walking away. This was when the funny behavior of two elephants caught our attention. The elephant herd made their way past a long stretch of flat rock just below the watering hole. Two specific elephants in the herd amazingly identified these rocks as a great place to stop and relief themselves with a quick butt scratch. First it was an adult female elephant that grabbed the opportunity to get rid of an itch in the hard to reach places of her body. The elephant cow casually sat down on the rock and started scratching her bum vigorously, moving her backside from side to side. It was hilarious to watch, and we found this behavior very fascinating at the same time. While the female got rid of her itch in such a comical manner, we noticed about at the same time, there was a young male elephant that followed the example of the female and got into the action himself. We could not believe that we were watching two elephants scratching their bums in this awkward but funny looking manner. After covering themselves in mud, elephants will normally stand or lean against a tree trunk, scratching off the hard-baked mud which encrusted all the insects and parasites on their skins. To see the largest land mammals on earth actually sitting down to scratch their bums is not something you see everyday on safari. It was definitely a sight to remember and the highlight of our safari.

The African bush is an unforgiving and hostile place, hosting a unique collection of fauna and flora that has the ability to survive and even thrive under the harsh conditions. Wildlife found in the Kruger National Park must face a daily struggle to find food and water, be on the watch out for constant looming danger and move across difficult and dangerous terrain to get to the next meal. The life of a baby elephant is no different. Elephants are nomadic, travelling great distances in herds to find food and water. Baby elephants have to keep up with the pace of the rest of the herd and they have to face daily struggles while growing up, learning all the necessary life skills needed to survive in the African bush. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we came across a herd of elephants, busy crossing a river. The majority of the herd consisted of adult elephants and among them there was one baby elephant. The adult elephants were crossing the river with real ease and it didn’t seem like a difficult crossing at all. The baby elephant’s mother was right in front of it and she entered the river. The baby elephant had no choice but to follow and stay close with its mother. Right from the very first step we realized that this clumsy baby elephant was not going to have it easy. After the first step, the baby elephant fell forward, face first into the water. While the mother elephant was walking through with real ease, her baby right behind her was taking nose dive after nose dive while struggling to stay on its feet due to the uneven and muddy bottom of the river. The baby elephant knew it had to keep up with its mother and showed real determination through the whole crossing. We felt sorry for the baby elephant falling face first into the water every few meters but we were also impressed by its determination to keep up. It all looked very tiring for the baby elephant but to our surprise, the little elephant was actually still full of energy after reaching the other side. The baby elephant turned from being clumsy to being cheeky when it became aware of a dark blue bird sitting on the bank of the river. The cheeky baby elephant decided to show the bird who’s the boss. The baby elephant stalked the bird for a little and then exploded forward. The baby elephant did everything to be as intimidating as possible. This was so hilarious to watch and we found this behavior very entertaining and funny at the same time. With ears flapping, the baby elephant chased the bird up the river bank, while letting out an attempted trumpet sound which turned out to be more like a little squeaking sound. The bird flew off in a rush and the young elephant clearly felt on top of the world with its efforts. The elephant herd continued with their journey and slowly disappeared into the bush. We were totally amused by the whole sighting and it was by far the biggest highlight of the safari.

Together with the Ethiopian wolf, the African wild dog is the rarest carnivore on the African continent. These fascinating creatures live a nomadic lifestyle, covering massive distances on a daily basis while hunting together as a pack. This makes it incredibly difficult to find them and you will be very lucky to spot any African wild dogs while on safari in the African wild. During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park, we were treated to a once in a life time sighting when we came across a den where a pack of African wild dogs were breeding. Finding these animals in the wild is an incredible experience but we were totally stunned when we came across their breeding den sight. The pack of dogs were resting in the nearby shade while the mother was nearby the den. These den sights are usually located in old burrows inside termite mounds. We stopped at a safe distance and waited, hoping that the puppies would show themselves. After waiting with great anticipation for a good twenty minutes, the mother wild dog suddenly got up and walked straight to the entrance of the den. We could hear she was calling softly and the next moment a whole bunch of the most adorable puppies came bursting out of the burrow. They were super excited to get out and very energetic at the same time. There were sixteen puppies and they were about 3 weeks old. During their first few weeks of their lives, wild dog pups are only allowed out of the den around three times a day during which they get fed and have time to play, getting some exercise at the same time. This limited time out of the den is for their own protection as their play time outside is usually chaotic and noisy, potentially drawing the attention of other dangerous predators such as hyenas which will kill the pups without hesitation. Once the puppies were let out the den, serious play time ensued. There were puppies everywhere and it was chaotic. Some were running up and down, many were chewing on something, be it a branch or their brother’s tale. One pup even fell down the burrow while chasing another one and a few spend the time wrestling and biting each other in a playful manner. We could see these puppies had the time of their lives and so did we. There was just so much interaction between all the pups at once, we didn’t know where to look. This was definitely one of my most remarkable sights ever in the African wild. To see such rare creatures and their young interacting in their natural environment was just a priceless experience.

It was during a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park that we came across a large herd of elephants scattered all around a large watering hole. When you find elephants near water during a safari it is always a good time to turn off the vehicle and observe for a while. Elephants love water a lot and besides their big thirst, elephants also loves swimming and playing around in the water. During this time elephants are at their most relaxed, keeping themselves busy with everything else but eating, mostly leading to amusing and entertaining behavior. While filming a part of the herd in front of us on the far side of the water going about their daily antics, we suddenly heard a huge a splash in the water to the near right side of us. Our attention was quickly moved to the commotion close to us. We saw a male elephant that literally just tackled his brother into the water during their wrestling match and started pinning him down. With an elephant already past the size of puberty, it is very difficult for them to get back up on their feet while lying down flat on their sides. The bull elephant at the top clearly knew this and took the opportunity to show his brother that he was in charge and winning this wrestling match. The male elephant lying in the water made several attempts to get up but his brother refused to let him go. The struggling elephant became annoyed and started to cry out these deep and loud screams every time he couldn’t get up. The loud screams were so loud that it left us feeling extremely overwhelmed and intimidated. Eventually the screaming elephant managed to shrug off his brother and got back onto his feet. The elephant looked pretty mad and it was then when the other elephant realized that he better get some distance between the two of them otherwise there was going to be trouble. In the end, the frustrated elephant bull handled the situation surprisingly well, looking all calmed down a lot quicker than we anticipated. Everyone really thought he would get up and give his brother some of his own medicine but to our surprise, it didn't happen. As if nothing happened, the brothers left the water together in peace.

During a safari in Kruger National Park, we came across a small herd of elephants. They were slowly making their way through the shallow muddy water of a river crossing. The last elephant to cross was a young bull. In the middle of the crossing was a large bird standing. Young male elephants in their teen years are typically very cheeky and always ready to show off their size. Even if it means picking on something a hundred times smaller than you. The young bull was halfway through the river when he decided to stop next to the bird, called a grey heron, standing in the water minding its own business. The young male elephant gave the bird one look and without hesitation, used his trunk to splash the bird with water in an attempt to scare it away. Like a real teenage boy, the young male elephant wanted to show this bird who is boss. The cheeky elephant was swinging his trunk repeatedly in the direction of the bird in an attempt to intimidate it, while he let go of a few loud trumpets to add to his show. The best part of it all was the reaction of the bird during the whole interaction, not looking bothered at all by this laughable behavior. Amazingly the bird never showed any real fear, even though it was totally out sized by the testosterone driven young male elephant. The heron just kept moving away a short distance every time the elephant splashed water towards it. Eventually the elephant decided the message was clear and slowly continued through the muddy crossing. It was such a funny experience to watch this cheeky young male elephant going about picking on a bird that is a hundred times smaller than him. This was a great example of the typical behavior seen among male elephants in their teen years, feeling confident and ready to take on anything, something most teenage boys can relate to.

Driving around in the bush while on a safari in Africa, you get to experience the wonders, sounds and beauty of a unique natural world. Encountering wild animals in their natural habitat always delivers a fascinating and unique experience. The African Elephant is a huge favorite among tourists. While elephants are the largest land mammals on this planet, they are also among the most intelligent. Elephants are mostly very entertaining to watch and amazingly, humans can relate with so many of their fascinating and amusing behaviors. During a recent safari in Kruger National Park, we stopped to watch a small herd of elephant busy enjoying a mud bath. Spending time in a mud bath is the favorite pass time activity of any elephant, young and old. Not only does the mud cool elephants down during hot days, it also serves as a very important and healthy scrub, getting rid of itchy ticks and parasites stuck to their skins. Our attention was quickly moved to a young male elephant standing in the mud. To our amusement, this young male elephant decided that today he was going to shove his whole face into the mud. The young elephant was leaning forward, before he suddenly planted his face straight into the mud. Looking very awkward, the young elephant had his bum in the air while using his back legs to push forward, shoving his face even deeper into the mud. The young male shoved his face up to above eye level. The young elephant stayed in that odd-looking position for a few seconds before lifting his face out of the mud, looking like it was having a royal time. This young male elephant was very adamant to get his whole face covered with mud, clearly indicating that pretty much his whole face was itchy and he had to get rid of his itchy face quickly. This behavior put a smile on everyone’s face, while relating to the times when we as humans also have those days when we just feel like sticking our own faces into the mud, just for very different reasons than that of the young male elephant.

The Kruger National Park is a pristine African wilderness area filled with a great variety of wild animal and plant life. Thousands of people visit the park every year to see wildlife in their natural environment. Watching animals going about their daily activities in their natural environment is a great experience for anyone appreciating nature. One of the most popular species is none other than the largest land mammal on this planet, the African elephant. Not only are they big, elephants are also incredibly intelligent and fascinatingly complex in their behavior. We were driving on safari through the park on a hot summer day when we came across a herd of elephants busy cooling down in a large mud wallow. Watching elephants enjoying a mud bath is always very entertaining, specially when they start wrestling and playing around in the mud. While watching the herd messing around in the mud our attention was drawn to a young male elephant, slowly starting to put his front feet on top of his bigger brother. The big elephant brother was lying flat on his side in the mud. The young elephant then proceeded to put both his front legs on top of his brother. It looked like he was pinning down his brother in a mud wrestling match. To our amusement, the young elephant then proceeded to climb right over his brother in a very awkward manner. Head first, the young elephant then slid down the side of his brother, making for very entertaining viewing. The bigger brother did not seem entertained by his young brother climbing over him and interrupting his mud bath. In the end the big elephant brother gave his young brother a slight kick in attempt to get him to move off, clearly showing he had enough of his brother interrupting his mud bath. The young elephant looked like he couldn’t be bothered by his brother’s irritation with him. It was hilarious when we realized how much most brothers will be able to relate to this kind of behavior.

During a recent safari holiday in the Kruger National Park, we were treated to some of the best game viewing in Africa. The Kruger National Park is one of the biggest protected wildlife areas in Africa and hosts and incredibly diverse amount of fauna and flora. Out of all the animals in the African bush, the African elephant is a big favourite amongst tourists and visitors of the National Park. Not only are elephants the largest land mammals on the planet, they are also seen as the most intelligent of all animals in the African wild. At a young age, elephants are amazingly entertaining. Their clumsiness and playfulness while learning the skills of life in the African bush is just so funny to watch. We came across a herd of elephants bathing in a large river. While majority of the elephant herd started leaving the water after their swim, we noticed two young bull elephant brothers, still having to make their way out of the river. The first part of their climb up the river bank was very muddy and slippery while the remaining part was hard and very uneven terrain for them to walk on. The older brother was the first one to make an attempt which failed miserably with the young elephant slipping, then falling down onto his little brother. From there both young male elephants looked hilariously clumsy while they made an attempt to climb up the river bank. The mother elephant immediately came over to see if her two struggling boys were fine. She carefully watched her two sons slipping and sliding, staying close should they need help. In the end, help from the mother was not needed. The older brother took the lead and carefully made his way up the slope. His young brother followed right behind, looking very awkward on his wobbly legs. The young brother’s attempts were very entertaining to watch, with his backside sliding to the side the whole time. Just as we thought he might fall down, the young male elephant showed real focus and determination and finally managed to get himself up the river bank and stable on his feet. Once again, the African elephant was by far the most entertaining animal to watch during our whole safari holiday.

During a recent stay in the Kruger National Park we decided to go for an early morning walk through the rest camp we were staying at. While we were spending time watching birds, my wife suddenly noticed a snake moving across the pathway no too far ahead of us. We decided to go closer and see what type of snake it was. It was a hot summers day which usually leads to high snake activity in the African bush. It was a long thin green snake and we easily identified as a spotted bush snake. The spotted bush snake is an alert, day-active snake that climbs well and is often found between the walls and ceilings of outbuildings, where it hunts for geckos and frogs. Their favorite prey is geckos. This fetish for geckos brings these little snakes into direct conflict with humans daily. They will go wherever their food can be found and more often than not, it’s into human habitats. When disturbed, these snakes move very quickly in the opposite direction and can vanish into the smallest spaces. They are harmless to humans. The spotted bush snake is also very common in the Kruger National Park. Knowing all of these common facts about them, we noticed that this specific bush snake displayed no common behavior at all. It was behaving in the most bizarre manner. It started with some outrageous dance-like body movements. The snake was throwing around the top half of its body all over the place while hanging down from a small bridge on the pathway. It suddenly stopped acting weird. The snake was just hanging there for a short while. After that, all was normal again and the snake comfortably slithered away like nothing happened and like we were not even there. We were totally confused by this behavior and have never seen anything like this before. Since our encounter with the strange behaving snake, we have asked various snake experts about this unusual behavior we managed to capture on film. The most popular theory for this behavior was the possibility of a parasite inside the snake that alters its behavior. It is the kind of behavior you get when certain parasites change their host’s behavior to make it more likely that the host will be eaten in order for the parasite to complete its life cycle inside another host. It was very interesting to learn that these behavioral changing parasites have been studied inside various animal species but no one is hundred percent sure if that was the case with this spotted bush snake. Many experts believe there could be various other causes for this behavior and in the end the behavior was described as abnormal and very seldom seen. In the end we like to see it as just one of the many wonderful mysteries Mother Nature keeps to herself.

One of the highlights on any African safari is finding wild animals with their young. The offspring of most mammals are normally adorable and very cute. Watching baby animals in the wild is always a heart-warming experience while their playfulness and clumsiness makes for very entertaining viewing. Baby zebras fit this description very well and these little stripy foals seem to amaze us more and more by the day. During a safari in the Kruger Park, we came across a small herd of zebra, busy feeding in the distance. There was a number of baby zebras seen in the herd. We spotted one specific foal that looked very playful and full of energy. It was then when the young foals became the center of our attention. The young zebra suddenly seemed pretty amused by one specific bird that was flying around between the baby zebra and its mother. The bird landed on the mother zebra and started moving around on her body. The playful zebra then decided that the bird can no longer stay on its mother and had to go. The only problem was that the bird sat on its mother’s back, too high for the little zebra to see the bird. The baby zebra wasn’t going to give up and jumped up against its mother with its front legs while standing on its hind legs in an attempt to chase the bird away. This made for very entertaining viewing as we have never seen a baby zebra standing on its hind legs. The bird didn’t look too bothered by this. It would just lift itself into the air for a short while before landing again on the mother zebra. It was really funny to see how obsessed and amused this baby zebra was with one single bird. In the end the baby zebra gave up and the bird was left to continue searching its mother’s skin for a tasty snack such as ticks and parasites hiding between the hair on her body.

In my opinion, there are no other terrestrial mammal species on this planet that loves water more than elephants do. Watching the largest mammal on earth enjoying itself in water is always a very amusing and entertaining experience. Splashing and swimming around during a hot day is the elephant’s favorite day time activity besides eating. Lacking respiratory glands, elephants can not sweat to cool themselves. Elephants have to cool themselves by using different methods such as flapping their ears, standing in the shade during the heat of the day or go for a swim. It was during a safari on a hot summer afternoon in the Kruger National Park that we came across a herd of elephants swimming in a river. It looked like they were having so much fun. The young elephants in particular were very energetic with many ongoing play fights in the water between siblings. Our attention was drawn to a group of young males busy playing and wrestling in the water. One young male elephant was chasing his smaller brother around in the water. The young elephant caught up with his smaller brother and decided it was time for him to understand who was the big brother in charge here. We were totally amazed by this hilarious and typical sibling like behavior. The young elephant went on to climb on top of his smaller brother and dunked his head under the water using his two front legs to hold him down. We were getting worried there for a few seconds as he kept his brother’s head under the water for longer than what we thought he would, seeing that they are only playing around. After a number of seconds, the smaller brother pulled his head out of the water, pushing his brother off him. Luckily elephants do have a large lung capacity and the youngster was just fine. It was such an entertaining sight to watch these play fighting siblings We all agreed that it was a typical ‘boys will be boys’ scenario with two brothers settling the ranks dominance while having fun at the same time.

It is always special to see the various relationships that exist between two or more different species of animals in the African wild. One great example of this is the relationship of a bird called the oxpecker and wild mammals in Africa. Their relationship is specifically known as a symbiotic relationship where both or all species involved benefit from the relationship. In this case the bird is checking the skins of animals for ticks and parasites they can feed on. In return the animals get rid of pesky bloodsucking parasites that can be detrimental to their health. This sighting was a great example of when baby animals don’t yet understand this type of relationship and is more seen as an annoyance than a benefit. During a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park, we stopped to watch a small herd of zebra busy feeding in the open. It was summer time which meant that there were many baby zebras around in the herds. Zebra foals are always adorable and they make for very entertaining viewing. We noticed one oxpecker bird jumping around the animals in the herd, looking for easy pickings between the hairs on their skins. The bird landed on the head of one baby zebra. It was not long before the little zebra became evidently annoyed with the bird continuously wanting to nibble in and around its ear. The ears of grazing mammals are one of those hard to reach places that is crucial to be cleaned. Only the bird can reach in the ear but it can clearly be a very annoying experience at the same time. It was so funny to watch the baby zebra shaking its head in an effort to get rid of the bird. The bird was relentless and kept going for the baby zebra’s ear the whole time. The bird simply would not go away while sticking to the side of the zebra’s head searching inside its ears for a snack. The pesky bird ended up annoying the little zebra so much that it hilariously started jumping around, kicking into the air while going a little crazy for a few seconds. The bird also became annoyed eventually and flew off to irritate another zebra in the herd.

While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we found a small herd of elephants standing a riverbed. The sun was sitting high already and it was getting very hot. We saw some of the elephants took the opportunity to go lie down in the mud, cooling themselves down in the process. At the same time the elephants can get rid of any pesky insects and ticks sitting on their skin. Watching elephants enjoying themselves while having a mud bath is mostly a very entertaining experience. Unlike any other animal, elephants really do have fun in all sorts of ways when they are in the mud or water. We were watching two young male elephants lying in the mud when a third young male appeared. The young male wanted to join his two brothers for a cool down in the mud. When the elephant decided to go lie down in between his two brothers, the one brother was having none of that. He simply stretched out his one leg and pushed his brother away, making it clear that he cannot come closer to share the mud bath. At one stage the young elephant kept his brother away from him for quite some time using his stiff leg up in the air, pushing against his brother’s side. The middle elephant eventually realized that he was not going to get comfortable in the small space between his two brothers. He leaned against his brother for a short while before getting kicked again repeatedly. The young elephant got the message that he was not welcome and decided to move on and find his own mud bath. It was really funny to watch these two young males fooling around in the mud. As they say, ‘boys will be boys’ and these two elephants displayed the typical behavior of two brothers not preparing to share much at a young age.

There are times when animals in the wild have the ability to totally stun you with their strange and unexplained behavior. As humans we are mostly inclined to find a reason for everything that happens but there are times when our answers are only one of many possible reasons and no one really knows. This was true during a safari in the Kruger National Park. We stopped to watch a small herd of zebra. Together with the small herd of zebra were two male antelope, better known as blue wildebeest. One was lying down, rolling around in the grass while the other wildebeest casually walked past. Everything seemed normal and relaxed with the animals going about their daily routines. Two zebras entered the frame of my camera. At that very moment, the standing wildebeest suddenly exploded with a burst of energy, jumping up in the air, then spinning right round with great speed before coming to a standstill, casually walking as if nothing happened. It did not last long as the normal behavior of the wildebeest suddenly turned very erratic again. This time the loony looking wildebeest started sprinting at full speed while running around in a circle. The zebra looked totally confused and the look on their faces were priceless. There were just as many confused looks among everyone that was on the safari. While confused, we found it hilarious to see this wildebeest having a crazy moment. While the first wildebeest hilariously ran around looking silly, the second wildebeest joined the party. It jumped up and started spinning around two times at a great speed before coming to a standstill. The running wildebeest also slowed down and came to a standstill before it started feeding again. The zebra kept staring while getting a little nervous at the same time. Can you blame them? Then, very quickly, it was all over. Everything looking calm and normal again as if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. We continued to watch the wildebeest for another twenty minutes. There was not one funny, strange or erratic behavioral display again. It was like it never happened. There might be many reasons for this erratic behavior but no one will ever really know. We like to think that it was just two male blue wildebeest enjoying a little crazy time together, letting go of all their worries while having a bit of fun while being silly.

There are many days when the African bush is dead quiet with not much happening at all. None the less, you always have to expect the unexpected as things can change with the blink of an eye. While enjoying a morning safari in the Kruger National Park, we decided to stop and spend some time at a watering hole. The sun was sitting high and the heat was already becoming uncomfortable. We thought it would be a good time to see wildlife coming to the water hole to quench their thirst. There wasn’t much happening at the watering hole when we arrived. We scanned the area and spotted one lone hippo bull resting under the water with just a small part of his back sticking out. It looked like a big rock in the water. Soon three male kudu antelope arrived. Two males started drinking without hesitation. Everything seemed peaceful and quiet. One male kudu antelope decided to walk along the bank of the watering hole. The nervous looking kudu stopped and stared around into the bush. Prey animals are always nervous before they drink water. Most places with water are in the open, exposing the animals while drinking. At the same time, they cannot see what is going on around them while they lower their heads to drink. This makes prey animals vulnerable to attacks from predators. The male antelope then turned around, assured that there was no danger and that he could now go closer to the water to drop his head for a well-deserved drink. The antelope never checked the water for any dangers. The unsuspecting kudu immediately got a big surprise when he approached the water. The lone male hippo suddenly burst through the water, charging a few meters towards the antelope. The kudu clearly got a big fright and quickly jumped around and ran towards the nearest bush to hide. All three antelope then stood there staring at the hippo looking very confused by what happened. Male hippos are extremely territorial and possessive. The big hippo clearly decided the kudu antelope came too close for comfort and he had to warn him to stay away from the watering hole that he occupied for himself.

As frequent travelers we are fortunate enough to have stayed in many hotels, resorts and lodges all over the world. Most of these places usually deliver great settings where one can enjoy a relaxing atmosphere during meal times, whether it be indoors or outdoors. Never in my life have we been treated to a breakfast experience like the one recently at a wilderness camp in the Kruger National Park. After a late morning safari, we arrived back at our camp and were heading straight to the restaurant for a well-deserved late breakfast. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were told at the entrance to please be very quiet and slowly take our seats. When we got to the outside section of the restaurant, we couldn’t believe what we saw. Less than twenty meters away from the table where we were supposed to sit was a small herd of elephants standing and lying in the shade on the lawn of the garden. What a surprise it was indeed. The video shows the table where we were going to sit. We didn’t take our seats immediately, standing in awe while watching the elephants carrying on as if they could not be bothered by us. A few other people were already eating and looked pretty comfortable having their breakfast while enjoying this amazing sight. We did the same and enjoyed a long breakfast while watching the elephants. The young elephants were playful in the beginning while the older elephants just wanted to rest. It was late morning and getting very hot already. These elephants knew that the biggest shady trees are located in the camp during the dry season. The camp was not fenced at all and these elephants enjoyed coming in and out of camp at their own time. Out of all the holiday breakfasts I have ever had in my life, this breakfast in true African style was and still is the most memorable one by far.