Mating lions cause traffic jam in National Park
The video shows a pair of mating lions, causing a spectacle in the middle of a main road in the Kruger National Park, South Africa.
The world-renowned Kruger National Park in South Africa is one of the largest game reserves in Africa, covering a prime wilderness area of just under 20 000 square kilometres or 2 million hectares. It is about the size of Israel and slightly smaller than Belgium. The park boasts an incredible diversity of fauna and flora with 2 000 plant species, 147 species of mammals, 114 reptile species and 510 species of birds. The world famous Big Five animals which include lion, buffalo, leopard, elephant and rhino are mostly at the top of the list of things to see for most tourists visiting the park. With this picture in mind, it is clear that this place is a true nature lovers paradise. Following a network of tarred and gravel roads, tourists can self-drive through the park and enjoy the wilderness at their own time. There are a total of 3000 kilometres of road for tourists to access of which 850 kilometres are eco-friendly tarred roads and the rest are all dirt roads. Still, tourists only have access to roughly 20% of the total park, with the rest of the park’s wilderness area never seen or visited by anyone, leaving remote areas untouched. With this background information on this special wilderness area in mind, one can imagine that driving around in the park for a few days, your chances of seeing amazing sightings or be surprised by something you have never seen are very good. Even if you go there over and over, everyday and every drive delivers something new and interesting.
This video shows just one of the many surprises that can await you while driving along one of the main roads in the park. My wife and I were on a self-drive holiday for a few days in the park. On this particular morning we were heading north, following one of the main tarred roads in the park. In the distance we saw several vehicles standing still together in one place. When tourist vehicles all stop around the same spot on the road, you can be sure there is something of real interest. We slowly approached all the vehicles to see what was going on. We quickly realized what made everyone stop. A big male lion and a female, lying in the middle of the road. Seeing lions crossing the roads of the park are not uncommon but these lions were literally lying in the middle of the road. What followed next took us by surprise and it all made sense why this male and female were lying together so close to each other. These big cats were a pair of mating lions, casually going about their mating business, with not a care in the world about who and what was around them. Seeing lions in the wild is a great privilege but to see a pair of lions mating in the wild is a rare occasion and priceless. Seeing such a rare sighting, right in the middle of a tarred road, out in plain sight, was like nothing we could ever imagine seeing. Vehicles started piling up from both directions as travelling tourists started to arrive at the sighting. The lions blocked one of the busiest main roads of the park and no one was really prepared to disturb the mating lion pair. The whole sighting was extremely mind boggling for us at the same time. We asked ourselves the question “why here”? With almost two million hectares of bush and all the privacy in the world, why did these lions decide to mate in the middle of one of the busiest roads in the park, right in front of a crowd of onlookers? The answer to this one can be anyone’s guess. These lions clearly did not have the care in the world about all the onlookers or that they are blocking a main road causing a traffic jam. The pair usually mates for less than a minute, but it does so about every 15 to 30 minutes over a period of four to five days. After sitting watching this mating pair for close to an hour, they eventually decided to lie down on the side of the road, finally giving a long string of vehicles the opportunity to pass. Never did I think we will witness such a show right in the middle of a tarred road. The question still remains with me today, “why there”?
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Hyena pups treat mom to a grooming session
This video shows the adorable moments of three very cute baby hyenas, grooming their mother with lots of enthusiasm and love.
While hyenas in general will not make it to the podium at a beauty pageant, their babies on the other hand will take all prizes for the cutest and most adorable looking baby animals in the African wild. Hyenas have a fearsome reputation in general but when you get to spend more time with these magnificent creatures, you come to realise that these unique animals have a fascinating social structure. Hyenas live in clans of up to forty individuals and strong family bonds are kept and maintained in various interesting ways and manners. Females rule the world of hyenas; clans are led by matriarchs and males remain subordinate for life. Female hyenas are also bigger and stronger in build than males.
What I saw on this day while sitting at a hyena den in the African wild made me realise once again how much love exists among animal parents and their babies, scary looking or not. The big mother hyena was lying outside her den. Hyenas normally use old burrows in termite mounds as a den where their babies will remain in and close by for several months after birth. The mother hyena was guarding the den with her three cubs on the inside. Hyena babies are called cubs and contrary to their dog like looks, hyenas are more feline related than canine. The mother hyena was enjoying an early morning nap when her three adorable cubs came out the den all curious. At first only one hyena cub started but soon all three jumped in, eagerly nibbling, and licking at their mother’s head. These cute hyena babies decided it was time to give their mother some love and care, simultaneously treating mommy to a proper grooming session with lots of love. The mother hyena looked like she had a smile on her face the whole time and seemed super relaxed. The large female hyena slowly opened her mouth for a big yawn, creating a scary looking image for a quick moment, momentarily interrupting the ongoing cuteness. After a few minutes of grooming their mother, the cubs lost interest and wondered off to explore the area around their den.
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Safari guide comes face to face with lioness
This video shows the nerve-wrecking moment when a lioness gets too close for comfort during a safari in the African wild.
Going on a safari, especially on an open vehicle, the experiences can vary and be anything from ‘not much happening’ to ‘exciting and adventurous’ to ‘hair-raising in a second’ like shown in this video. Unlike in East Africa where safaris are done in closed vehicles, in Southern Africa most safari operators operate their safaris in open vehicles. These vehicles are specially equipped and designed for safaris out in the African wild. A safari is normally lead by two people. The nature guide will be driving the vehicle and interact with the safari guests. On the front left of these safari vehicles, a seat is mounted. This seat belongs to some of the bravest people in the African wild, the tracker guides. The tracker guides sit out there in the front, focusing on the road and surroundings in search of any animal tracks or signs. These guys are incredibly observant and are master animal trackers. Together with the nature guide they make a formidable team to try and find the best possible sighting for their guests out in a vast wilderness area where animals roam free.
During this safari shown in the video the guiding team managed to find a great lion sighting for their guests. It was an incredible sighting indeed. A total of seven lionesses lying next to the road in the open. There were great photographic and video opportunities. The lionesses were all just lying around and not even really paying attention to the safari vehicle. Well that was until one lioness casually walked across the road and suddenly came to a standstill right in front of the tracking guide on his seat. This lioness had her eyes fixed right onto the tracker. With her ears pointed, eyes staring straight into the eyes of the tracker and her tail wiggling from side to side, the danger signs were there. This lioness was suddenly very interested in the person in front of her and way too close for comfort. Through all of this, the tracker did not even flinch or move, looking very calm, like he was chilling on a couch. Luckily the guide in the driving seat read all the danger signs and decided to start the vehicle and get some distance between them and the lions. Everyone on the vehicle was stunned by the incredibly close lion encounter they just witnessed. Salute to the tracker guide for keeping his cool and not moving or triggering anything further while face to face with a wild lion out in the open.
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Three-legged Elephant Still Surviving In The African Wild
The video shows a three-legged elephant that was first seen a year and a half ago, amazingly still surviving in the African wild and doing fine.
During a safari in the month of April 2021, we came across the unusual site of an adult elephant walking on only three legs. https://rumble.com/vfmzn7-watch-how-male-elephant-amazingly-manages-to-walk-with-only-three-legs.html.
Not only were we stunned to see that the elephant managed to be mobile on three legs, but also by the fact that the elephant managed to survive for that long out in the African wild. One major factor I could tie to his success of survival is that this male elephant on three legs was part of a massive herd even though he straggle behind most of the time.
During early November 2022, I was leading a safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The Park boasts a healthy population of over thirty thousand elephants, and you get to see many big herds and individuals during a safari. During this specific safari we came across several big herds of elephants. Watching these incredibly intelligent giants going about their business is always a great experience. We decided to stop at a watering hole to observe another large herd of elephants busy drinking during the heat of the day. Suddenly I saw one elephant walking funny in the distance and I couldn’t believe my eyes. There he was! The same three-legged elephant without his tail, still with his protective herd.
In a nineteen thousand square kilometre wilderness area, among thirty thousand plus elephants, there was the same elephant from one and half years ago. What are the chances. I told my group of tourists the story and everyone was happy to know that the elephant was still doing great and carrying on with life in his herd as normal. The elephant is suspected to have lost his leg in a snare many years ago. Amazingly he has lived past fifteen years of age. With his determination to survive and with the support and protection of his family, this brave elephant bull will hopefully live many more years to come. I hope to see him out there again one day. Respect.
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Pink baby elephant spotted swimming in the African wild
The video shows a rare sighting of a pink male baby elephant swimming with his family in a river in the African wilderness.
A while ago I was leading a safari that produced one of the rarest and most adorable sights I have ever seen out in the African wild. It was a sweltering hot afternoon and we decided to drive along a river bank, in the hope to maybe find animals near the water. It was not long before we came across a big herd of elephants in the river. The elephants made use of the opportunity to enjoy a cool down session of swimming in the water. Suddenly one of my guests yelled from the back,” what the hell is that swimming among the elephants!? “. I quickly grabbed my binoculars and couldn’t believe what I saw. It was definitely an elephant but it was pink!! Everybody including myself sat there totally dumbstruck, watching a bright pink baby elephant swimming among the rest of the elephants right in front of us.
I realized that we found a true albino baby elephant, with no protective skin pigment, melanin, with unpigmented eyes and not so white but pink skin. Only a handful of sightings have ever been reported on pink elephants in the African wild. Finding albino elephants among the Asian species is more common. For a true albino baby elephant to make it to adulthood in Africa is very rare. The harsh African sun makes survival a struggle for non-pigmented animals. Over time the sun can also cause blindness in their unpigmented eyes. Over and above all these factors, albino animals also stand out, are less camouflaged, which makes them much more vulnerable to predators. Luckily this pink baby elephant has a massive herd protecting him.
It looked like the pink baby elephant had the time of his life swimming with his family during the heat of the day. When it was time to get out, like with any other baby elephant, it was an adorable struggle to get up the slippery riverbank. The baby elephant made one attempt only to slide back into the river. With a little courage and help form his mother, the pink male baby elephant managed to get out and disappear into the bush with his family. Everybody was in awe, and we left the area feeling totally stunned by what we saw out in the African wild.
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Tourists Surprised By Relaxing Hyenas At Their Room Upon Check-in
The video shows a group of safari tourists, totally surprised on arrival by two hyenas casually lazing around their accommodation.
Going on a safari holiday in Africa is an adventure and a trip of a lifetime. If you love unspoiled wilderness nature, the African wild is the place to be. Working and living in such a wilderness area gives me the opportunity to see daily how tourists react to various experiences while on their safari holiday. Doing two safaris per day is one of the major highlights, while the food and accommodation plays an equally important role. Most safari camps are unfenced, so wild animals can roam through most camps at any given time. This concept gives everyone an authentic wilderness experience, up close and personal.
Tourists are always accompanied by a field guide when outside their accommodation and if everyone follows a few simple instructions, there is not much to worry about. This video shows one of those random unexpected encounters with wildlife inside a safari camp. I was driving a group of guests to their remote lone standing hut when I noticed something lying on the one side of the building. I stopped the vehicle and quickly realised it was an old female hyena taking a nap in the shade that the tourist’s accommodation provided. It was after all just past two in the afternoon which is check in time and it was sweltering hot. There are not much shade around the safari hut, so the hyena female discovered that a thatched roof provides excellent shade and cooler temperatures on the cement around the building.
I drove around the building only to find another female hyena also casually lying against the building, enjoying the shady spot during the heat of the day. Everyone was totally surprised and even amazed by the fact that these two hyenas were blocking their checking in process. This is the African wild for you and you can always expect the unexpected. What do you do now with your guests in such a situation? I decided to rather head back to the main lodge, where everyone can enjoy an awaiting lunch and drinks and leave the checking in for a little later. Of course everyone was just too happy with the solution, giving the hyenas time to move off once it became a little cooler that afternoon. This was another great safari experience to remember.
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Stunning lion silhouette moment filmed in the African wild
The video shows a beautiful silhouette moment of a male lion and his cubs that I managed to capture just after sunset in the African wild. I was lucky enough to find myself in the right place at the right time, feeling like I was living in a scene from the Lion King movie.
Living and working in the African wild is a great privilege and the opportunities for filming and photographing true wilderness nature are endless. While living in the bush every day brings about constant new filming opportunities, the ultimate shots and moments come around at random times and one can go for days or even weeks without filming anything major. Like with anything else in life, it is important to keep going and eventually things will turn your direction.
It was a late summer afternoon when I followed up on a nearby pride of lions that was spotted earlier in the day. It was just before sunset and tracking a pride of lions at that time of the day becomes more difficult and dangerous. The sun was busy setting behind the horizon when me and my wife decided to call it a day. Just as we thought the search was over, we came around a corner and there they were. A pride of lions lying scattered around, elevated on top of a hill. The most prominent features were a big male lion and his cubs during this time. The sun just dropped below the horizon. The elevated lions, together with the golden orange shine at dusk glowing behind them, made for a magical silhouette moment. I couldn’t believe my luck and how much we were in the right place at the right time. It felt like I was filming a scene from the Lion King while the early evening sounds of the African bush added to the magical atmosphere. The big male lion and his two cubs were on the hill and in perfect position to create these stunning silhouette visuals. In that moment it felt surreal and as if I was in a fantasy world, created by nature right in front of me. How beautiful nature can be in so many different ways. I am glad I am able to share this special moment from the African wild with everyone else.
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Giraffe Bull Knocks Out Opponent With Heavy Blow To The Head
While giraffes are known to be graceful, calm and peaceful animals, there are the rare occasion when the males will take it next level when in battle. They literally have with the ability to knock out an opponent with a series of blows to the head.
Giraffes, the tallest land mammal on our planet and one the most photographed animals on the African continent. With their unusually long necks and legs, these animals move through the African wild with grace, elegance and beauty. Giraffes just has that fascinatingly unique look like no other animal in the African wild and will always have safari goers in awe. With this in mind, there are the few rare occasions when giraffes can surprise or shock us with their behaviour. In the animal kingdom, and the human world for that matter, establishing dominance between two males can get really intense, especially if they are similar in size. It is no different in the world of giraffes.
Giraffe bulls are generally solitary and they are not territorial. A local status hierarchy develops according to age and size. This is established through ritual necking encounters amongst bachelors from an early age. Duels are not violent unless two equally matched bulls are contending for the same oestrus cow. Bull giraffes use their long necks to swing their heads sideways, making well placed blows with their horns on their opponent’s body. While well placed blows to the opponent’s body is effective and commonly used, the giraffe male in this video took it to a whole new level. Both giraffe bulls were old and looked like veteran fighters. The most dominant giraffe of the two had a more dangerous tactic, aiming for the back of his opponent’s head. On the back of a giraffe’s head there is no protection, only a layer of skin over the skull. In order to hit his opponent at the back of that crucial spot behind the head, the dominant giraffe bull had a unique tactic of swinging his head backwards almost hundred and eighty degrees, dealing out short but very potent and accurate blows to the back of his opponent’s head.
I could see that the giraffe receiving the beating already had a deep wound in the back of his head. The losing giraffe managed to get in only one proper blow to his opponent’s body but this fight was a one-way battle in the end. The dominant giraffe bull added another few blows to his opponent’s head with his effective backwards head swing move. In the end it was just too much and the giraffe was knocked out clean, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. I couldn’t believe that the giraffe bull would go that far to knock out his opponent, but there it was, a first time for me to witness something rare like this. The knocked-out giraffe did survive in the end, most likely with a serious headache.
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Mother elephant prevents calf from getting too close to tourists
This video shows the incredible behaviour of a caring mother elephant on high alert, quickly stopping her adorable baby which was curiously straying away from her towards a vehicle full of safari tourists.
Going on safari in the Kruger National Park is a life changing experience. Driving around multiple tarred roads, slowly scanning a massive area of wilderness is all part of the thrill. You never know what will be around the next corner or what animal will suddenly appear from the bush onto the road. It’s an exciting experience and one of the must-see animals for most tourists are elephants. Not only are they the largest land mammals on our planet and fairly intimidating, elephants are also one of the most intelligent and emotionally intelligent animals that roam this planet. Seeing these giants in the wild is always a sight to remember.
The video shows an incredible moment filmed in the Kruger National Park when a safari vehicle full of tourists found a large elephant cow and her adorable calf next to the road. The safari vehicle stopped and it looked like the mother elephant and her baby wanted to cross the road. The baby elephant was the cutest thing alive in the wild right at that moment. While the elephant cow remained focussed on crossing the road, her baby took notice of the safari vehicle and curiously started straying away from its mother towards the vehicle. The caring mother elephant immediately went into high alert and quickly took her trunk and stopped her baby from going any closer to the safari vehicle. The mother elephant gently used her trunk to guide her baby back and into the right direction.
It was incredible to see how quickly the elephant cow became protective over her baby. The elephant calf listened to its mother and in a well-behaved manner, walking on the opposite side of its mother, continued to focus and follow its mother as it should. This is crucial for the survival of the calf in the wild. The gestation period of an elephant is twenty-two months, so it is very understandable that an elephant calf is seen as a huge investment and there will always be a mother around, ready to protect her calf from any potential danger. Even though the tourists were not a direct threat, the mother elephant knows all to well that there are humans that still pose a danger for them in the wild. The mother of such a small calf is definitely not something to mess with at all and its best never to get too close to a mother and her calf.
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Elephant bull shows incredible strength when he pushes over large tree
The African elephant is the largest and most powerful land mammal roaming our planet. The video shows a real-life example of just how powerful they really are when an elephant bull, almost effortlessly, pushes over a large marula tree in the African wild.
Finding elephants on safari in an open vehicle can be an intimidating experience, as we all know what elephants are capable off, being the heaviest and the strongest land mammal on earth. Reports of elephants rolling tourist vehicles in various safari parks around Africa is not unusual, while these giants have the ability to move or remove anything in their way. Many times, something does not have to be in their way, it is just because they can. Seeing this incredible display of power and strength in front of you during a safari is a next level experience. Pushing over massive trees is another speciality and ability of big elephant bulls. The video shows a big bull elephant in the Kruger National Park, busy pushing over a large tree called a marula tree. Marula trees are one of the most popular trees for elephants and giraffes to feed on. These trees hold beautiful fruits during summer and the tree itself is always storing a lot of water in its branches, down the tree trunk and into the roots, all swollen with water right through the year. Elephants know all of this and if you are big enough, pushing over and uprooting a marula tree during the dry season will supply you with a juicy meal for a good period of time. The bull elephant made it look so easy and with a few pushes, with the tree swaying back and forth, the tree fell over with a huge crashing noise. Gone is a fifty plus year old tree in under a minute. It’s sad in a way to think about it like that but on the other hand elephants play a vital role in transforming the African landscape at the same time. After the elephant would spend a day or two feeding on the tree, he would leave. There where the tree has fallen, a whole new environment and hiding places for smaller animals are created.
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Playful lion cubs learn vital fighting skills from their mom
This video shows the adorable moments between a lioness and her playful cubs, teaching them the important skills of fighting and hunting in a playful manner.
It was just before four in the morning when we decided to follow up on lions that was roaring nearby our camp in the Kruger National Park. While lions are the most feared predators in the African wild, they are also the laziest and sleep the most of all animals. Therefor to see lions in an active state one needs to brave the early hours of the morning or late hours of the night. If you find lions during the day, they will most likely be lying down, resting or sleeping. We ventured out in the direction of the roars. It didn’t take us long to find a pride of fifteen lions. The sun was about to rise and most of the pride members were up and about. The pride had seven cubs and they were the most active. Our timing was perfect to film some incredible lion behaviour during the early hours of the morning.
The pride was spread out around a watering hole with the cubs running up and down. Our attention was drawn to a lioness that decided to join her playful cubs for some early morning playful fighting lessons. The important and powerful skill of pawing came into play. The lioness would paw at her cub, the cub would throw a few quick paws at its mother before the mother would pin down her cub, gripping it in a hold for a short while before releasing again. The interaction between the mother and her cub was so adorable to watch. The whole play and learn scenario was perfectly orchestrated by the mother, teaching her cub the vital skills of fighting as well as hunting at the same time. The pawing, grabbing, pinning down, biting and getting up quickly are all important moves her cubs need to learn to survive out in the wild on their own one day.
During the play session the second cub wanted to be part of the action, biting his brother’s leg a little and in the end thought he also can take on his mother. With two quick swipes of the paw the mother put her cub hilariously back on to the ground. We could see the lioness now was ready to take a break from her teachings while the cubs continued to run a round chasing each other. What a morning, seeing such incredible interaction you will only see if you are prepared to get out of bed very early in the morning.
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Baby Rhino Looks Adorable While Sprinting Up & Down The Road
A baby rhino is surely one of the cutest creatures that inhabit the African wild. When baby rhinos start running, they explode with a serious overdose of cuteness. This video shows how uniquely adorable baby rhinos are when they run.
Rhinos are one of Africa’s big five animals and currently the most threatened of them all. Seeing these creatures disappearing in the wild purely for the sake of their horns is a sad story on its own. While rhinos face a tough time in Africa, the species on the other hand is doing great when it comes to breeding in protected areas which helps in the battle for their survival. Seeing a rhino in the wild is always a special occasion. These creatures are so uniquely different to any other animal on this planet. Seeing the offspring of a rhino is always guaranteed to be a heart-warming experience. A baby rhino is seriously one of the most adorable inhabitants on this planet and any encounter with a baby rhino will put a smile on your face. The video shows such an encounter during an African safari when a mother rhino and her baby was found standing a way down in the road. While the mother rhino was standing still, her baby was bursting with energy.
The baby rhino was sprinting at full speed up and down the road to everyone’s amazement. Everyone was not just amazed by the baby rhino’s energy, but by how adorable this baby rhino looked while running up and down. With its big feet, skinny legs, wrinkly skin, stumpy nose and pointy ears, this baby rhino looked like a soft squeezy toy you just want to pick up and give a big hug. The mother rhino eventually realised her calf was getting too far from her and followed it for a while before disappearing out of sight into the bush. The baby rhino displayed one more time how brilliantly fast and cute it was before disappearing into the bush, hasting after its mother.
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Playful baby elephant refuses to let his brother stand up
This video shows how incredibly playful baby elephants can be with this cute baby elephant jumping and sitting on his bigger brother, making it difficult for his brother to get up in the most hilarious ways.
Baby elephants are so cute and watching these animals going about their daily business can be very entertaining. While big elephants can be intimidating, their offspring on the other hand has the ability to put a smile on your face with their clumsiness and playfulness. Baby elephants love to play and a lot of times we as humans can relate to the behaviour of these incredible creatures. I was alone in a remote wilderness area of the Kruger National Park when I found a large breeding herd of elephants. There were many baby elephants and I decided to spend as much time with them as possible. The elephants were standing near a watering hole and some elephants even enjoyed a mud bath in a nearby wallow. There were two particular baby elephants that stood out for me and I started filming their behaviour.
These two baby elephants looked busy, with one rolling around on the ground and the other running up and down. While the one baby elephant was lying on the ground, busy scratching the mud from his skin, the other baby elephant saw an opportunity to play. As his brother was about to get up, the baby elephant jumped on top of his brother with his front legs, trying to hold him down and not allowing him to get up. Things got more hilarious when the baby elephant turned around, trying to go and sit on his brother’s head. The baby elephant repeatedly pushed his brother down with his backside, clearly not wanting his brother to get up, purely for fun. The brother elephant after a while decided that having his brother’s backside in his face was not fun anymore more and managed to slide from out under his brother and back onto his feet. Watching these two male baby elephants brought back many childhood memories of the fun and playful days had between brothers. I left the elephant herd with the saying ‘Boys will be boys’ ringing in my head and a big grin on my face.
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Young hyena kicks sand in his baby brother's face while cleaning out their den
This video shows the hilarious moment when a baby hyena curiously followed his brother, only to get sand kicked in his face.
I cannot think of any mammal species in the African wild, dangerous or not, that are not cute when they are babies. While hyenas are scary looking and dangerous predators, they also have the ability to be funny and cute, when they are in baby form of course. Spending time with any type of wild baby animal is always special and besides the guaranteed cuteness to be observed, these baby animals can sometimes unexpectedly surprise you with some of the funniest behaviour. The video shows one of those unexpected funny moments baby animals in the African wild can produce. We were sitting at a hyena den in the Kruger National Park for some time, observing a large female and her two cubs. Baby hyenas are referred to as cubs and not pups as they are more feline than canine, believe it or not. One of the cubs was a little older and almost sub adult, while his little brother was a black little furball. The mother hyena was lying some distance away from the den while her offspring were playing in and around the den. At one stage the young hyena got up and went to the entrance of the den. The tiny baby hyena curiously followed after his brother, curious to see what he was up to next. Suddenly the young hyena, unexpectedly started cleaning out the den, which is usually the task of one of the adults or the mother. That involved kicking sand out backwards. The little baby hyena got a massive cloud of sand right in its face. The baby hyena quickly turned around, shook the sand from his face and eyes and ran off to his mother. The older brother carried on cleaning out the den none the wiser. This made us think that throwing a pile of sand in his brother’s face was pure coincidence that created the funny moment. When he stopped digging out sand from the den, the young hyena came out looking around, wondering where his brother was. The whole moment was so unexpected and funny at the same time and we couldn’t believe the entertainment these hyenas provided. The tiny baby hyena decided not to play around with his brother further and remained with mommy.
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Baby elephant adorably mock charges safari vehicle
When a large elephant decides to charge a vehicle, it is always a really scary situation. When a baby elephant decides to mock charge a safari vehicle, it turns out to be one hilarious moment as shown in this video.
Elephants can be intimidating during any safari due to their size and many a time there has been incidents where big bull elephants get physical with tourist vehicles, ending up rolling or trashing these vehicles like it is nothing for them. Keeping a safe distance from these giants is always a good idea. While on the other hand, the smaller elephants are, of course the funnier and more adorable they are. Just watching baby elephants going about learning from their parents and then applying their skills, is sometimes some of the funniest moments ever on a safari. This video shows just one of those hilarious moments spent with a baby elephant in the wild of the Kruger National Park. While on safari in the park, we stopped to watch a herd of elephants standing in the road some distance ahead of us.
The road was blocked by elephants and we decided to sit there and watch these elephants until they decided to move on. It was a breeding herd and there were a good number of baby elephants in the herd. The herd eventually slowly started moving along the road while one particular baby elephant remained standing, swinging his trunk around, looking all cute. The next moment this little elephant lifted his head and ears in true ‘angry elephant’ style, charged towards the vehicle a few meters and stopped. This was a typical mini version of what a big elephant bull would do when angry with a vehicle. Then the funniest thing ever happened. The baby elephant hilariously lifted its front feet off the ground, standing on its hind legs before charging towards the vehicle again.
The baby elephant stopped a few meters in front of the safari vehicle before turning around like lightning, running away like the wind. Everything happened so quickly and it was like the baby elephant went from extremely confident to really scared in seconds when it realised that the vehicle is still a little big. We couldn’t believe the incredibly funny behaviour we witnessed and how unexpectedly it all was after just sitting watching elephants standing in the road.
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Shy hyena cub decides to leave the den for the first time
This video shows the adorable moments of a shy baby hyena, hesitant at first, overcoming its fear of leaving the safety of the den, in order to reach its mother for a drink of milk.
While adult hyenas might not be the prettiest animals in the African wild, their babies on the other hand are a sight of cuteness overload. During the first three months, baby hyenas are pitch black little fur balls, adorable in all aspects. Seeing hyenas breeding in the wild and watching how they behave in their families is a rare and special opportunity for anyone going on safari. We have been lucky enough to observe and study a hyena family at their den site for three months. During that time, we were fortunate to share many special and adorable moments with these creatures in their natural environment. We arrived one morning at the den site only to find no one home. We decided to wait around a little and it was not long before a large female hyena arrived at the den site. She was the leader of the clan and a mother. The mother hyena came to a halt a few meters from the entrance of the den, carefully scanned her surroundings and went to lie down. The next moment one tiny hyena baby pops its head out of the den, clearly realising that mommy is back.
The baby hyena hesitantly came out the den a little more, staring at its mother lying a few meters away. The hyena cub looked a little shy and nervous to leave the den and go to its mother. The baby hyena retreated halfway back into the den, staring at its mother and checking out the surroundings. During the first two months the mother use to go lie right at the entrance of the den for her cub to drink, but now she is a ‘scary’ few meters away from the den. It was the little one’s first time to leave the den further than the entrance and it’s also the mother’s way to allow her offspring to start venturing a little further away from the den as they grow older. The baby hyena gave his head one shook, with a puff of dust lifting from its head and slowly gathered confidence.
The desire for milk clearly became overpowering while the baby hyena made these little crying sounds. Suddenly the cub couldn’t resist anymore and decided to run towards its mother with great excitement. There was only one thing on the cub’s mind and it went straight for mommy’s milk. It was such an adorable moment to watch the cute baby hyena finally making those ‘scary’ few meters to mommy. The mother hyena scanned her surroundings for danger one more time before going back to sleep while her baby peacefully drank its milk.
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Baby Elephant Plonks Down In The Mud, Struggles To Get Up
Baby elephants can be adorable and hilarious at the same time, like shown in this video. This adorable baby elephant decided to plonk itself face first into the mud before making the most hilarious attempts to get back onto its feet again.
When you on safari and come across a large herd of elephants, it is a good time to stop in the distance and watch. You will almost always see the most interesting behaviour in any large breeding herd of elephants out in the wild. Breeding herds of elephants consists of females and their young. There is also a good chance that there will be a few baby elephants in such a herd which always make for entertaining viewing. We did just that when we came across a large breeding herd of elephants. We stopped in the distance under a shady tree with the elephants spread out in front of us. It was already hot during the late morning and some of the elephants enjoyed splashing themselves with mud and water at a small watering hole. There were a few baby elephants in the herd and one particular baby elephant caught our attention. The baby elephant was standing around at the edge of the mud wallow before it suddenly went straight down into the mud, face first.
This baby elephant clearly decided that plonking itself down in the mud will be a lot quicker than spraying itself with the mud. The baby elephant looked really funny with the one side of its face resting in the mud and its backside up in the air. The baby elephant eventually went to lie down on its side, enjoying the cool mud on its body during the heat. Things then became hilarious when the baby elephant decided it was time to get back onto its feet. The baby elephant attempted to use momentum by lifting its body and kicking in the air, moving from side to side and up and down for a number of times. This adorable baby elephant’s attempts to get back up was hilarious to watch. Eventually the baby elephant gained enough momentum to get onto its knees. The baby elephant paused for a bit before finally getting back onto its feet, looking so cute and funny with the one side of its face and body plastered with mud. The baby elephant ran off to its mother and we left the herd with great joy, being overly entertained by the adorable baby elephant.
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Fearless Jack Russell Chases Big Bull Elephant Out Of Safari Camp
Jack Russell Terriers are well known to be intensely energetic dogs. This video shows when a fearless attitude is combined with all that energy, you get a jack russell that does not hesitate for one second to show a big and dangerous elephant bull who is the boss of the camp.
Botswana is host to the world’s largest elephant population and encounters between man and the largest mammal on this planet is not uncommon. There are no fences around any reserves in the country and elephants can move freely as they like. When you stay in a wilderness safari camp, there are no fences around the camp either, and the tents are exposed to the wild as it is. While elephant herds normally do not cause too much trouble, it is usually the old big lone elephant bulls that can become troublesome and encounters with humans can be very dangerous.
Elephants also freely move through camps and sometimes they will feed around the tents peacefully. It is on the odd occasion that you might have an angry and grumpy old elephant bull that likes to charge anything that moves or that comes in his way. This behaviour is usually caused by a period of musth which older male elephants go into when they are ready to mate. That means an overdrive of testosterone and hormones for the big bulls which makes them extremely dangerous. The video shows one of those bulls that came into a safari camp in a remote area of Botswana.
The bull elephant looked like he was not in camp for casual feeding. As soon as the bull elephant saw movement of people between the tents, it started showing some intimidating behaviour, mock charging towards the tents while kicking sand and throwing dust around with his trunk. Some people banged on the tables to try scare the elephant away but this big bull was in no hurry to leave. Suddenly out of nowhere, a jack russell comes bursting through, charging straight at the elephant bull while barking. The bull elephant stared down at the charging and barking dog with his ears raised. Instead of charging towards the dog, which is ten times smaller, the bull elephant got a big freight and turned around and ran off.
The feisty jack russell chased after the elephant for a few more meters before she had enough and turned around, casually walking back, looking really impressed with herself. The elephant then stopped, looking back all confused by what just happened. The elephant then decided it was better to move on and ran out of the camp. What an amazing show of self-confidence and fearlessness by the jack russell.
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Incredible Number Of African Wild Dog Pups Burst Out Of Den
The African wild dog is one of the rarest predators on the African continent. To have the opportunity to observe two wild dog parents, who successfully added nineteen puppies to the population, go about caring for their adorable puppies, is priceless.
Getting to see African wild dogs in their natural environment is always a special occasion. We were fortunate enough not only to encounter wild dogs in the Kruger National Park, but to get the rare opportunity to see their behaviour when they have puppies. Every time there is news of wild dogs breeding in the wild, it is good news, as the population numbers of these wild dogs are dwindling. After we learned about the location of a wild dog den in a remote part of the Kruger National Park, we didn’t waste any time and started our journey with high anticipation. After a few hours drive we managed to locate the wild dog den. African wild dogs make use of burrows in old termite mounds, providing a safe place to hide and nurse their puppies for about twelve weeks. Wild dog packs can range from five to twenty plus individuals and in a pack, there is always an alpha male and an alpha female. These alpha pairs are the only ones that are allowed to breed in the pack. For this reason, many wild dogs will never breed in their lifetime and only assist with the protection and feeding of the puppies.
We arrived at a large termite mound where we spotted one male adult wild dog near the entrance of the den. The male wild dog looked intently focused on the entrance of the den. We suspected he was calling the puppies out of the den. Our timing was perfect and suddenly to our amazement, the most adorable puppies started bubbling out of the mound. First there was one, then two, then three and then they just started pouring out. It was not long before the alpha female joined her male, luring the puppies out of the den, down the backside of the mound. We decided to drive around and park on the opposite side of the mound. Outside the den we counted a total of nineteen puppies and their high-pitched squeaking and chirping sounds became louder as they gathered around the mother with excitement. We realized it was feeding time. Wild dog pups are weaned at five weeks and from then they take meat from their parents, which is regurgitated by the adult dogs after returning from a morning hunt. The puppies were so cute, looking like little black and white furballs, swarming together with great excitement while making the most adorable twittering sounds. The feeding was quick as every small piece of meat delivered by the parents was devoured in a flash. The pups spent about ten minutes outside the den before they disappeared back inside the den. The adults went to rest under a nearby tree and the whole scene went dead quiet. We left knowing that we were so lucky with our timing and that we saw a sight only a small amount of people ever had the opportunity to see.
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Big male lion shows sheer brute strength when dragging giraffe carcass through the bush by himself
The African lion is well known as the biggest, most fearsome and powerful predator on the continent. To see a big male lion displaying his sheer brute strength, right in front of you when dragging a giraffe carcass around all by himself, gives you a whole new perspective of what the words ‘powerful predator’ means.
During a long visit to the Kruger National Park there was one morning when a pride of lions hunted down a large and very old male giraffe. The pride consisted of one big male lion, four lionesses and three cubs. The pride of lions then continued for about three days gorging themselves until on the third evening, the females and the cubs decided they had enough and moved on to a watering hole some distance away. The male lion decided to stay behind with the remains which included the whole neck of the old male giraffe and all his legs and hooves. We arrived the next morning to check up on the male and his remaining meal. He was still alone and we could see that during the first hours of the morning, vultures spotted the carcass from the air as the carcass was still lying in the open. A whole lot of vultures would become troublesome for the male lion all by himself as he would just run around chasing hungry vultures away and wasting unnecessary energy as the day heats up. As more vultures started closing in from a distance, the big male lion decided it was time to move his remaining carcass into the thickets and out of sight from all the nosy scavengers. I started to film the male lion’s solo attempt to drag the carcass, thinking that even with the whole body of the giraffe gone, it will still be too heavy for the lone male. The neck alone of a giraffe can weigh up to six hundred pounds and is about six feet long while the legs are also around six feet long with each leg weighing up to two hundred pounds. I was totally shocked by the sheer brute strength of this big male lion. The male lion grabbed the giraffe carcass by the neck and started dragging it out of the open. I thought he would not get very far but the lion was persistent to protect the remainder of his meal and get it out of sight. The male lion continued with his mind-blowingly powerful effort while every once in a while, he would pause, take a few big breaths, change his grip and continue putting in all his strength to drag his food for almost fifty meters in the end. The male lion then reached some deeper thickets into which he disappeared with his food, out of sight from all of us. I was absolutely amazed by the determination and full-on display of his power when he really needed it.
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Adorable lion cub pulls brother's tail when mom isn't looking
Baby lions are some of the most adorable creatures on this planet. This video shows just how cute they really are when three male lion cubs become playful, with one brother deciding it’s a good time to practice his hunting skills on his brother’s tail. During this time their mother was lying passed out in the background, taking a well-deserved nap.
The African lion is known as the king, the one that rules the savannah plains of Africa. Lions are the top predators in Africa and feared by prey animals and man. While these fearsome animals leave you with an adrenaline rush every time encountered in the wild, it is a totally different story when one is lucky enough to encounter lion cubs in the wild. These adorable baby animals immediately make lions go from scary and dangerous predators to cute little furballs, creating a sight filled with heart-warming moments and a cuteness overload experience. During a safari in the Kruger National Park, we were fortunate enough to come across a pride of lions which included three adorable male cubs. We were totally amazed by our find and decided to spend time with the lions. Most of the pride was resting and the mother of the pride looked totally passed out with some of her feet up in the air. As youngsters do while their parents try to rest, the lion cubs became full of energy and decided it was time to play. One of the lion cubs stole the show and made for the funniest and cutest part of the playtime. While playing around, this lion cub decided it was a good time to grab hold of his brother’s tail, acting like he was catching something. Lion cubs love biting, pulling and chewing on things when they are young as it simulates the actions and skills needed for hunting live prey when they grow older. His brother’s moving tail made the perfect target and the pulling and biting continued all while mommy was fast asleep in the back ground.
The lion cub looked like he was going to drag his brother around by the tail and it was so cute and funny to watch the whole time. The lion cub that had his tail in his brother’s mouth decided he had to get his tail released and in a playful manned started wrestling his brother for his tail. Soon the tail was released and the lion cub went straight for the other brother’s tail. This adorable type of playfulness continued for a few more minutes until the cubs lost interest in their game and went to lie down to rest. The large lioness never even opened one eye to see what was going on, from our arrival until our departure. She must have been totally exhausted. We left the sighting full of joy and a warm feeling of gratefulness for the one of the cutest moments ever in the African wild.
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Safari Tourist Films Bizarre Footage Of Hyena Walking On Two Legs
Hyenas can be bizarre looking animals in general but finding one in the wild walking around on its front two legs just took the bizarreness to a next level.
It was during a recent safari in the Kruger National Park that we came across one of the weirdest looking animals I have ever seen. We were driving through the bush for some time without seeing much until our guide suddenly stopped. He spotted something in the distance sitting in the grass. At first, we could not see what it was but when it got up, we quickly identified it as a hyena. Hyenas are found in the Kruger Park in great numbers and seeing these animals randomly in the bush often happens. It was only when the hyena moved from the long grass into the road that we realized that something about the hyena looked very odd. We were totally confused by the strange manner the hyena was walking until we could clearly see that this hyena was strangely walking on its front two legs while the back two legs were dangling in the air. It looked like something that escaped from a horror movie and incredibly weird.
I couldn’t believe how this hyena miraculously managed to survive by only walking on its front two legs. The hyena was rather shy and quickly disappeared down the road. Hyenas are incredibly tough animals and can adapt to almost any situation. To see how this hyena adapted and managed to carry on walking on two legs was just beyond our believe. After some investigation, we learned from other safari guides in the area that this hyena has been spotted before and that this hyena was attacked by lions a few years back and luckily survived. The lion attack left the hyena with serious injuries in its hips and back feet that it had to adapt to walk on its front two legs in order to survive. The hyena’s willingness to live and survive in such a hostile environment is an incredible story from Mother Nature.
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Mama hyena can't sleep with rowdy cubs all over her
Baby hyenas are just plain cute and very playful. This video captures the adorable moments of hyena cubs, full of energy, busy playing all over their mother’s head while she is trying to take a nap.
While hyenas can have a scary and dangerous reputation, they have also proven to be beautiful and fascinating creatures, with surprising social behaviours and the most adorable looking babies. During a safari in the Kruger National Park, we had the privilege of visiting the den site of a large hyena family. On our arrival at the den, the whole family was outside and there were hyenas everywhere. It was amazing to come so close to such incredible creatures. There were six adult hyenas lying around the den, resting in the morning sun with a total of eight babies running around and playing. Our attention was drawn to the largest of the adult hyenas who was the mother of the hyena cubs. The mother hyena was taking a nap in the morning sun, looking tired after a long night out. Her nap did not last for long. Suddenly one of the baby hyenas decided that on top of its sleepy mom’s head was the perfect place to lie down and chew a piece of grass. The baby hyena looked full of energy, stepping and bouncing on its mother’s head while being amused by a piece of grass. This behaviour looked like fun to the other smaller cubs and soon the playful baby hyena was joined by another two smaller cubs that wanted to part take in the fun.
It was so adorable and funny to watch the baby hyenas jumping, sitting and rolling over their sleepy mother’s head. One cub even had a quick nibble on the mother’s ear. Through all of this the mother hyena didn’t look all too bothered by her youngsters playing around her head while trying to sleep. The playfulness of the hyena babies became more intense until the mother eventually lifted her head to calm them down a little. It was incredible to see how much bonding, love and care there was between the mother hyena and her adorable babies. We left the hyena den with a totally different perspective on hyenas and overwhelmed by the heart-warming moments we experienced while being with these animals.
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Adorable baby elephant rubs its face in the mud
When it comes to baby elephants and mud, you can be sure it will be an entertaining sight, just like this little elephant strangely enjoying rubbing its own face in the mud.
During those scorching hot days in the African bush, elephants do love to spend lots of time near water and mud as it helps them to cool down. Enjoying a mud bath after a drink and a splash of water is a common routine for elephants. Over and above cooling down, baby elephants also normally use this time for fun and play. This is where the real entertainment starts. It was during a very hot afternoon on a safari in the Kruger National Park, when we came across a big herd of elephants gathered near a watering hole. Just below the watering hole was a mud wallow.
A few elephants were at the mud wallow already and I knew this was where the fun was going to be. While watching the small herd of elephants at the mud wallow, we suddenly noticed one baby elephant on its own, busy entertaining itself in the mud. This baby elephant was not rolling and splashing around in the mud like most others would do. No, this particular baby elephant decided it would be so much fun to take its own face and shove it in the mud.
It was hilarious to watch this little elephant, rubbing its face through the mud, up and down. It even looked like the baby elephant got mud into its own mouth at one stage. Once the baby elephant was done with this hilarious looking behaviour, it got up, with its whole trunk and mouth covered in mud, and quickly ran off to its mother. This was such a funny short moment with such incredible creatures going about their business in their natural environment.
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Elephants start trunk-wrestling match to see who is the strongest
Boys will be boys, a saying not only applicable in the human world but also very true in the world of elephants. The video shows how two young, playful elephant brothers are just being boys when they start a trunk wrestling match, testing each other’s strength.
Watching elephants during an African safari is always a great experience. These intelligent giants can display an incredible number of different behaviours at any given time, making them rather unpredictable sometimes. Spending some time just to watch a herd of elephants going about their daily business can be rewarding and many times very entertaining. It was during a recent safari in the Kruger National Park that we came across a large herd of elephants. There was a good number of young elephants in the breeding herd. With so many youngsters around we decided it could only be entertaining to stay and watch for a while. It was not long before my attention was drawn to three young bull elephants standing together. I realised they were sizing each other up and it was not long before two of the young male elephants decided to start a trunk-wrestling match. From a young age, even-sized elephant bulls will engage in such trunk-wrestling contests to start establishing dominance. These contests never turn violent and will mostly consist of pushing and shoving each other around until one decides to give in and walk away.
Like two typical young boys, the elephant brothers started pushing and shoving each other around using their trunks. It was so amusing to watch how these two young elephant brothers locked their trunks during the interaction. As real boxers will do in a fight, the two young elephants took a few pauses in between every now and then to catch their breath before they would continue wrestling. The two playful elephant males continued pushing each other around with no clear winner standing out. Suddenly the one young brother elephant decided he had enough and pulled out of the contest. The other elephant brother triumphantly raised his trunk in the air, claiming the win. We left the herd with smiles on our faces and highly satisfied with the entertainment provided by the two young elephant brothers.
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