EmotionsofAfrica

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.

Having wildlife visiting our garden is not uncommon, but walking out the house to find a small wild antelope going absolutely bonkers chasing birds like a dog through our garden, was a totally new and hilarious experience I managed to capture on my phone. Living and working in a wilderness area give us the opportunity to be really close to nature on a daily basis. Surrounded by the African bush, we do occasionally have wild animals entering the camp area that we live in. Antelope and elephants in general are very keen visitors, especially to all the gardens where lots of greenery are found right through the year. Usually, wild animals would not just appear near the camp or my house but rather wait until there is not a lot of movement around before moving into the gardens to enjoy a quiet sneaky feed before quietly disappearing again. On this occasion it was a late Sunday afternoon and of course not much movement around my house. While lying on the couch inside the house, I suddenly heard a flutter and noise of birds in my garden. I slowly got up and saw that a small antelope was standing at the bottom of my garden. At first nothing seemed out the ordinary with the antelope being in the garden, but I quickly became totally stunned and amazed by what followed. While standing still, the antelope suddenly developed a serious surge of energy, bouncing and running around. In the process the antelope decided it will focus its energy on all the birds in the garden. It was hilarious to watch and I could not really understand why the sudden urge by this little antelope to start chasing birds through my garden just like a pet dog would do. At first, I thought to myself that this would be a quick show of rare behaviour but I was wrong. The very playful wild antelope continued running around the garden and chasing birds for at least another 5 minutes. To end the whole bizarrely funny ordeal, the antelope showed incredible agility and jumped right on top of my concrete birdbath, holding its balance while quenching its thirst after a long stint of chasing birds around in the garden. I have seen many interesting animal behaviours while living out in the wild but this very random entertaining few minutes delivered by the antelope is surely something I will remember for a long time.

During a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, these people came across a small herd of buffalo bulls lying down in the long grass. One buffalo in particular caught their attention. He was resting his head backwards against another herd member’s side. His head was facing upwards with his nose and mouth straight up in the air. Suddenly two birds came bouncing around the head of the buffalo. These birds are called oxpeckers and they are on the buffalo for a very good reason. They are looking for ticks and parasites such as blood-sucking flies, fleas and lice that they consume as food. Amazingly they also remove earwax, grease and even mucus from the buffalo’s hard to reach places such as around the eyes, nose, mouth and ears!

Many people might wonder how a five-ton elephant sleeps. While lying down is not an option, this video shows the awkward way in which a bull elephant actually managed to fall asleep while standing upright and resting his head against a tree trunk. The African elephant is the largest land mammal roaming this planet, with mature bull elephants reaching weights of over five tons. Being such a big animal, the elephant needs to feed on a constant basis, right through the day and night. It is estimated that elephants feed for about twenty hours per day and if elephants are not feeding, they are near and around water drinking and cooling down during warm days. This begs the question of when do these massive animals actually rest or sleep? Incredibly enough, elephants do not enjoy a six to eight hour sleep every night like most humans do. Due to their constant need to feed, elephants take short rest pauses as they need it. Baby elephants and sub adults do lie down for a short while to sleep while the adults stand around on guard. Lying down and going into a long deep sleep is not an option and also too dangerous for most animals, unless you are a lion or a leopard. Larger elephants sometimes lean against a tree or embankment and take their short naps in an upright position. When you a lone bull elephant weighing over five tons, like the big boy in this video, your options for getting comfortable for a quick power nap are limited. I found this lone bull while out on a safari in the Kruger National Park and his behaviour fascinated me, so I decided to film an occasion that people normally don’t get to see. The large bull elephant just finished drinking water when he slowly approached a nearby tree. The bull elephant looked very tired and everything he did was in slow motion. The elephant bull then slowly went to rest his head against the tree trunk and amazingly he started to fall asleep while standing upright. A complete head of an elephant, including tusks, trunk, and ears, can weigh over four hundred kilograms. With that in mind, it made sense for the old boy to rest that weight on a tree trunk while taking his nap. I was in awe watching the elephant bull standing in such an awkward position while being so comfortable at the same time standing sleeping. I actually felt happy for the big old elephant getting a well-deserved short nap as I can only imagine how much he has to go through on a daily basis to survive in the African wild.

The video shows a huge elephant bull, casually walking up to a swimming pool for a drink, with the safari tourists in the pool totally stunned by the unexpected encounter. When going on a safari holiday, you can always expect the unexpected. The African wild is always full of surprises and part of the thrill being on a safari holiday is finding all the wild animals the bush has to offer. On some occasions, the wildlife might just find you. Elephants are one of the most popular animals to see on safari. Seeing the worlds largest land mammal in all its glory out in its natural environment is priceless. Elephants are also by far the most intelligent animals that roam the African wild. Elephants love water and must drink daily. In the world of the elephant, the cleaner the water, the better the water. Over time, elephants have figured out interesting ways to find fresh water out in the wild. With numerous unfenced safari camps scattered around in Africa’s nature reserves, these intelligent giants developed a liking for swimming pool water. While many might think that the chlorine in the water can be harmful to the elephants, the opposite is actually true. Chlorine keeps the water clean and at a balanced ph level, making swimming pool water way cleaner than ground or river water out in the wild. Elephants know this through their sense of smell and would never drink any water that is very dirty or harmful to them. The video shows how a huge elephant bull casually walks up to a swimming pool, situated in the front of the room of safari holiday makers. The tourists were relaxing in the pool during the heat of the day and could not have asked for something more unexpected. Finding elephants while out on a safari vehicle is incredible, but having an elephant finding you in the pool while relaxing with drinks is a whole next level experience. The elephant bull stuck its trunk in the pool for a big sip of water, with the safari tourists sitting dead still in the water while admiring the giant beast drinking from their pool, right in front of them. The big bull elephant took another sip of water after which it suddenly stopped, probably realising that the two figures in the water were human beings. The elephant’s behaviour suddenly changed and with a few deep belly rumbles, the elephant slowly turned around and moved off back into the bush. It was an incredibly unusual close and possibly dangerous encounter for the holiday makers but freezing and not moving with a large elephant so close to you was the best thing they could have done. Luckily the elephant wasn’t frightened by their presence and decided to leave the stunned safari tourists in peace.

The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a vibrant semi-arid wilderness area with a great variety of wildlife. One of the main attractions are the big cats such as lion and leopard. Finding leopard can be tough but lions are seen on a regular basis and the park hosts a strong and healthy population. Temperatures in the park can reach between forty three and forty seven degrees Celsius. Big cats such as lion do not move at all during these hot times of the day. They will spend majority of the day resting or sleeping under the shade of a tree. The only problem is that there are not always many big trees around in this semi desert wilderness. This means that the lions of the Kgalagadi have become very innovative over time in their ways of finding shade where no trees are nearby. We were out on safari one morning for over four hours when we decided to head back to our wilderness camp. The heat was becoming relentless and the temperature was already thirty eight degrees Celsius at ten o clock in the morning. The camp had beautifully constructed rustic chalets made out of wood. Each chalet could sleep two people and each one had a veranda with a great view and most importantly great shade. These type of wilderness camps are also un-fenced, so wildlife can come and go through these camps as they like. For this very reason you are always collected and dropped off by a safari vehicle as walking around is forbidden. We quickly realized first-hand the purpose of the no walking around policy. We drove into the wilderness camp ready to go and relax and cool down at our chalet. Upon our return, our guide said he heard that it won’t be possible for us to go back to our chalet just yet. I thought he was joking at first but then became confused by this rather disappointing news. We asked him why? and he said he would go and show us. As we came around the corner of our chalet we got a big surprise. There he was, a big male lion, lying in the shade in front of our chalet. My wife and I were totally stunned by this unexpected visitor lying in front of our accommodation and we couldn’t say a word. We realized that we had to go find ourselves some other shade for the time being and wait for the lion to move on. Luckily we could spend our time in the restaurant until we were eventually told after three hours that the lion moved on and we could go back. Not every day that a lion beats you to your own house in search of a shady resting spot.

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.

The video shows the incredible close moments I was able to capture of a male leopard that decided that the deck of our room in a safari camp was the best place to get comfortable during the day. During a recent long weekend, I decided to treat myself and my wife to some time away in a luxury safari camp in the Great Kruger National Park. We got a whole lot more than just treating ourselves to a relaxing weekend. It was mid-morning when we arrived back at the safari camp from our three-hour safari out in the bush. We decided to grab a late breakfast before heading back to our room for a midday rest during the heat of the day. We were about to finish our breakfast when an employee of the safari camp notified us that a male leopard was just spotted moving around close by our room. We have been searching for big cats the whole morning. We couldn’t find any. The news brought excitement but confusion and a little worry all at the same time. It’s great that there is a chance that we can see a leopard but not so great that it is roaming around the camp and near our room. After breakfast we were escorted slowly and carefully back to our room, everybody scanning their surroundings. I was filming the whole way to the room, just in case we catch a glimpse of the big cat. I was behind the camp employee when we entered our room and within a few meters of entering he suddenly stopped and said, “there he is”. And there he was indeed. A big male leopard casually lying on the deck of our room. Outside the closed glass door luckily. I decided to keep filming and realised that the leopard didn’t see us yet. The reflection in the window from outside most likely stopped the male leopard from seeing into the room. My heart was beating fast with such an incredible beast a mere few meters away from me with just a glass plate separating us. I started feeling like the caged-in animal on the inside when the leopard did suddenly notice some movement through the window. The leopard’s whole behaviour changed from totally chilled to alert and focussed. That made my heart race even faster as I could see this big cat knows we are in there and he looked curious. After sitting still for a short while longer the leopard decided it was better to move on. I followed and opened the door to see where he went. The leopard stopped at the plunge pool, turned around, gave me one last stare, and disappeared over the rocks onto the next room which was luckily empty. Never in my life could I imagine getting so close to a wild leopard in Africa, and that right at my room in a safari camp.

The African male lion is the single greatest wildlife draw card on the continent. He is known as the king of the beasts and an apex predator. He rules supreme by virtue of his sheer physical strength and powerful enough to bring down prey up to three times his own size. With all of this in mind, it is really hard to imagine how anything could possibly stop him dead in his tracks. This video captures the unexpected moment when a big male lion surprisingly steps on a thorn. For a brief moment the <a href="https://rumble.com/v4aikj-battle-of-the-sexes-lioness-has-almighty-battle-with-lion.html" target="_blank">king of the jungle</a> was in real pain! His Royal Highness trots the savanna with all his glory, soaking up the afternoon sun. He is followed closely by a younger male member of the pride, both in no hurry to get anywhere. He doesn’t look to the ground, because he doesn’t have to - what member of royal blood would ever look down to the path he walks on to check for any imperfections that might hinder his magnificent stride? Just when we thought that the <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zicb-lion-opens-car-door.html" target="_blank">lion</a> will simply pass us by, he steps on something that made him wince like the little kitten that he is deep down and we all felt his pain. He may be big and burly, but when a thorn pricks you in a soft spot, you too will jump with agony and surprise. The sensation throws him off his track and makes him look at his afflicted paw. Since he knows that something is down there that will make him hurt again, he steps to his right to avoid it. We wonder who will take the blame for the insolence!

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.

The video shows a big rhino bull, suddenly charging towards a safari vehicle, forcing the vehicle to move off with great haste and narrowly escaping a potentially dangerous situation. Going on safari in any National Park in Africa will ask you to take great care when coming near large and dangerous animals. Usually, elephants are the most intimidating and dangerous animals to meet right in the road while travelling along through the bush. This video shows that not only elephants have the tendency to charge towards vehicles. Rhinos clearly have the same tendency, even though it is way less common. White rhinos specifically are normally very chilled animals and seeing them becoming angry and agitated with vehicles is not the norm. But like with anything in the African bush, expect the unexpected and be prepared. The rhinos in the video initially seemed calm with all the vehicles in its surroundings. The behaviour of the large male rhino suddenly changed when one safari vehicle transporting tourists through the park decided to move on slowly past the rhinos. Bad idea. The rhino bull suddenly stormed towards the safari vehicle in a puff of dust. The vehicle immediately sped off in another puff of dust. The rhinos all became bewildered but quickly clamed down when the dust settled. Luckily the driver of the safari vehicle reacted in good time to avoid a nasty incident.

This video was recorded in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. It shows the interesting interaction and friendship between a zebra and a bird. These birds are known as oxpeckers and share a very unique relationship with African mammals like the zebra. We noticed this juvenile oxpecker eagerly fiddling around on the mane of a zebra. It literally looked like the bird was working on the zebra's hairstyle. The bird even took a few steps back to have a better overall look at his work. He would then get back to providing his hair styling service and again went back a little to admire his styling work. Amazingly enough, the zebra was standing dead still the whole time and tolerated the bird that was busy all over his head and face. Even though they are two totally different species, these two animals are great friends in many ways and very helpful and caring to one another. The oxpecker works his beak through the mane of the zebra looking for food like ticks and parasites. While the bird enjoys a tasty meal, the zebra in return is saved from tick and parasite infestation. Infestation will normally lead to a loss of blood and energy at the same time. When mammals lose their condition they become the weakest links. In a hostile wilderness where the survival of the fittest really does matter, it is important to stay in top condition. At the same time his mane gets straightened out and the zebra maintains a clean and healthy look. This win-win relationship is known as mutualistic symbiosis. Both species involved gain several advantages from their relationship. We can happily confirm that after the oxpecker bird was done styling the zebra's mane, they both moved off, looking like very happy individuals. The zebra was looking in top condition and the bird left with a full tummy. Amazing to see how Mother Nature has a plan and reason for absolutely everything.

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.

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.

Finding a leopard in the wild while on a safari is always a special occasion. Finding a leopard mother and her cub in the wild is a priceless, once in a lifetime, experience. I recently had the rare opportunity to film the adorable moments of a playful leopard cub, totally amused by its mother’s tail. The leopard is one of the most elusive animals in the African bush. This shy and solitary big cat is part of the so called Big five animals in Africa that also includes lion, buffalo, rhino and elephant. The leopard is by far the most difficult to find and see. The leopard relies on its camouflage and stealth to bring down prey that can range from mice to large antelope species. It was during a recent safari in the Kruger National Park that we were lucky enough to come across a female leopard, lying alone in the sand of a dry riverbed. We were absolutely ecstatic with our find. We all whipped out our cameras and started filming and taking pictures. It was not long before we were absolutely exhilarated by the fact that the female leopard had the most adorable cub. Out of nowhere, the cute leopard cub appeared. The appearance of the cub took us all by surprise and we couldn’t believe that we were actually sitting with two leopards in front of us. Leopards are solitary predators and do not like to be seen. If you are lucky enough to find a leopard in the wild, it will always be alone. Only under rare circumstances will you get to see more than one leopard together such as this one with the mother and her cub and when a male and female meet up to mate. The moments that followed between this leopard cub and its mother was filled with playfulness and motherly love. When the leopard cub appeared from the bush, it was immediately interested in its mother’s tail. It was so cute to watch how the cub’s hunting instincts was triggered by its mother’s moving tail. Every time the female leopard would move her tail, the cub would playfully paw at her tail while trying to grab it. This playful behaviour continued for a while until the cub became bored with its mother’s tail. The leopard cub decided it was time to snuggle up against its mother before falling asleep. We decided that we would not overstay our welcome and left the two leopards in peace.

During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park these people were treated to the site of a large bird, daringly sitting on the back of a hippo while showing amazing balancing skills in an attempt to remain on the back of the hippo. The visitors stopped at a large dam to observe a variety of wildlife in and around the water. There were various species of water birds present together with a huge number of large crocodiles scattered around the edges of the water. Inside the water there were pods of hippo spread all over. Suddenly they spotted a large bird called a grey heron, flying over the water. To their surprise, the heron landed on the back of one hippo in the middle of the dam. Grey herons are large water birds that are commonly found around shallow water bodies such as shallow rivers, lakes and open marshes. They spend their time hunting mainly fish, with a menu that stretches to aquatic invertebrates, rodents and even small birds. This specific bird seen in the video is no ordinary heron. Over time this bird has developed the insight to find an alternative fishing tactic. Instead of only hunting along the shallow edges of this deep dam, the bird amazingly figured out to use the back of hippos as a perching point to fish from. In the middle of the dam the bird has the opportunity to get to larger fish swimming in the deep waters. Most of the time these hippos will tolerate the bird on their backs but there are times when things do not always go according to plan for the bird. The video shows the heron was perched on the back of a hippo that kept on moving around with no regard to the bird standing on its back. The hippo would roll from side to side and the heron would react to keep its balance by walking forward or backwards, just like someone would attempt to keep their balance on a drum floating in the water. This made for very entertaining viewing and we could not believe how determined this bird was to stay on the back of the hippo. Eventually the movements of the hippo became more erratic when it started fighting with another hippo. Finally the bird gave up and flew off over the water. To everyone's amazement the heron didn’t seem to give up and flew over the water straight onto the back of another hippo with half its body exposed outside the water. It is rare to see an interaction between such two very different wildlife species. Hippos are known as one of the most aggressive and dangerous mammals in Africa. To see a large bird showing off incredible balancing skills on the back of one of these feared creatures was a fascinating encounter.

Meet the bird with probably the most unusual and unique call in the whole of Africa. The Black-Bellied Bustard, a large ground-dwelling bird found in woodland and open grassland areas of sub-Saharan Africa. These birds are uncommon local residents in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The most attractive and fascinating part about this whole bird is by far its unique and rather funny call. At first the male bird is busy shaking and preening his feathers. It's very important for this male to look at his best and in great condition. During the call, he displays with his tail held in an upright fanned position. He lifts his head high and then the call starts with a "quaaaark"... There is silence for 2 -3 seconds during which he pulls his neck back down. He then finishes the call with a funny "kwww ick" sound or otherwise referred to as a "cork popping" sound. The male bird uses this unique sound to promote and advertise his presence in his territory so other males can stay away. At the same time, it also let's all the females in the area know that he is the man, and ready for action. This is a call that people will seldom only hear over the grassy plains of the Kruger Park, never mind seeing the bird in action while performing this unique call. What a great experience to have this bird right in front of us, showing off in style.

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.

The video shows the incredible work done by a wildlife rescue team in the African wild, removing a wire snare stuck around the neck of a lioness. The wildlife living on the African continent fulfils many important roles and is key to its existence. Every year, millions of tourists visit Africa, with majority making time to go on safari and admire the incredible wealth of wildlife. Because of safari tourism, millions of jobs are created for local people at the same time. Wildlife plays an even more important role on the continent by ensuring the ongoing existence of key biodiversity areas and are also deeply rooted in the history and heritage of local cultures. For these reasons, nature conservation and the protection of wildlife are ultra important. Unfortunately, not everyone shares the same view. Thousands of animals are lost yearly to poaching. The main reasons for the poaching of wildlife are usually either greed and self-enrichment or out of poverty and hunger desperation. While leading a safari in the Kruger National Park with a group of tourists, we came across a pride of lions. After viewing the lions for some time, I noticed that the one lioness was not looking in great condition. I also noticed an unusual scar around her neck. Viewing her through binoculars I realised that the lioness had a wire snare around her neck. That was not good. I immediately contacted the park’s wildlife rescue team and notified them of the situation. Poachers driven by hunger set these types of snares along well travelled game paths, in the hope to trap an antelope which will supply them with meat. Unfortunately, antelopes are not the only animals walking along these game paths. Many other animals that are not targeted for their meat, such as this lioness, also make use of these game paths and can end up in these snares, choking them around their necks. We kept an eye on the lioness until the arrival of the rescue team. The team included a wildlife vet that got onto our vehicle with his tranquilizer rifle. I followed his instructions, got closer to the lioness and the vet shot her in the back side. Slowly the lioness started dozing off and after about 5 minutes, she was out. The vet first made sure the lioness was totally tranquilized, pulling her tail and giving her a few pats on the back side to check for any possible reactions. While the rest of the team blocked off the scene for the other nearby lionesses, the vet quickly proceeded with his pliers to remove the wire snare from the lionesses’ neck. It was a great relief to see the female lion finally free from the terrible piece of wire around her neck. After the removal of the wire, an antidote was injected. It took another good ten minutes again for the tranquilizer to work out before the lioness, still groggy and drowsy, managed to get back onto her feet to go and join the rest of her pride again. The rescue team was very efficient and did a great job. We all felt good, knowing that a lioness was saved, and all our efforts contributed to the ongoing conservation efforts of looking after the precious wildlife roaming the African continent.

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.

The video shows an intense and rarely seen altercation between a very angry elephant and a mother rhino with her baby. When going on safari in Africa, the big five animals are always the most wanted to see animals on the list. The big five includes lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and rhino. Majority of the time these animals do not interact with each other unless it is predator versus prey. Due to their size, elephants tend to be aggressive and dominant towards most animals coming in their way, whether it is predators or other herbivores, it doesn’t matter. There are times on safari that you will come across something that is hardly ever seen. Like an altercation between an angry elephant and a mother rhino with her calf. The mother rhino and her baby were near a watering hole when the elephant approached for a drink. Elephants do not like sharing a water source with any other animals. When the elephant discovered the mother rhino with her calf near the water, it became very angry and started becoming very intimidating. The rhino didn’t hold back and went for the elephant with her horn, connecting with the elephant’s tusk. The rhino’s retaliation infuriated the attacking elephant, making it more aggressive and angrier. That’s when the interaction exploded into a cloud of dust, accompanied by scary and intimidating noises. For some reason the people on the vehicle witnessing the spectacle decided it was a good idea to bang on the side of the vehicle to chase off the attacking elephant. Emotions most likely got hold of everyone as rhino’s are extremely endangered and an elephant can easily kill a rhino. All the loud noises and banging eventually got the elephant to run away, leaving the mother rhino and her calf in peace.

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.

The video shows the hilarious moment when an elephant bull unexpectedly decides to throw a trunk full of soil over the person busy filming him. African elephants are the largest land mammals roaming our planet. Not only are they massive, but elephants are also rated to be some of the smartest and most intelligent mammals in the world. Watching elephants out in the wild is always a very rewarding experience as these animals have a legion of behavioural patterns that still boggles human minds to this day. This makes elephants very unpredictable and many a time dangerous, as you just don’t know what they think of you when they see you and how they will react towards you. Encounters with elephants can range from hilarious to outright dangerous, you just don’t know and must be on high alert when finding them in the wild. It was just after some heavy rains one morning that I decided to go out with my safari vehicle on my own and explore a wilderness area out in the Kruger National Park in South Africa. I was keen to see what animals will be out and about just after the heavy downpour we had. At first, I didn’t see much but then came across a lone elephant bull standing in the bush not too far from the road. I decided to switch off my vehicle to watch and film the magnificent creature, looking all relaxed while he was feeding. One sign that an elephant is relaxed is when they continue feeding while you are in their presence. This elephant bull became unpredictable and had me guessing on its next move when he suddenly stopped feeding. The elephant bull just stood there quietly, and he didn’t give me any clue on what his next move will be. Suddenly the bull looked at me and came a little closer in an intimidating manner. That behaviour got my heart racing, and I couldn’t just start my vehicle as it would have startled him. The elephant bull was still not feeding, and he was just standing there, creating immense levels of uncertainty in my mind on what the big boy’s intensions were. The few videos I have seen of elephants rolling and crushing tourist vehicles was in the back of my mind. The elephant bull stopped a few meters away from my vehicle and I noticed that he started scratching with his front foot in the wet soil. His trunk went down slowly and then suddenly, wham, the elephant bull launched a whole trunk of wet soil over me, my vehicle, and my camera. I was absolutely stunned by this unexpected behaviour and have never experienced a reaction like that coming from an elephant in all my years as a safari guide. After throwing me with wet soil, the elephant bull remained dead still, staring me down before he decided to leave me alone and slowly moved on. I immediately made sure that I moved on and away from him. Clearly, he was not happy with my presence. I was just so happy that the elephant bull opted with throwing me with soil instead of attacking or trampling me. Just another example of how unpredictable any elephant out in the wild can be.

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.

It was just after sunrise when we left our camp to go on a safari in the Kruger National Park. The first hour of the day is known by many as the ‘golden hour’, where the soft golden light creates perfect conditions for photographing and filming wildlife. It was during this time that I managed to film two male zebras, locked in combat. The biting and kicking added to the drama while the golden light and dust made for a spectacular setting overall. The first place we went to check after departure was a nearby watering hole. Many species of wildlife make use of the early hours of the morning to get their daily fill of water before the relentless heat takes over the rest of the day. On our arrival there were some buffalo near the water and a small herd of zebra more to the back of the buffalo. It was during the peak of the dry season and the landscape was barren and very dusty. We decided to spent some time at this watering hole, watching the animals coming to the water. While scanning the vast and open landscape, I suddenly noticed clouds of dust appearing from behind the nearby buffalo. I noticed that there were some erratic movements coming from the small herd of zebra standing in the distance. Two zebras in particular were rising up and down while bumping against each other. I quickly realized that it was two males starting a fight with each other. These fights usually do not last long as young males like to practice their fighting skills in short bursts of play. Fights only get serious when an interloper attempts to abduct a father’s daughter. It was soon clear that this was no play fight and the fight continued. I started filming and the video shows a part of the intense battle in the golden light filled with dust. Zebra fights consist mainly of biting and wrestling, rarely flailing with the fore feet and only occasional kicking with the back feet, the most dangerous form of combat. The two male zebras started with rearing, jostling and neck-wrestling. The fight became more serious when they dropped to the ground, then circling on their knees. This happens when an opponent seeks a grip to bite on the opponents fore or hindleg. The two zebras then quickly jumped back onto their feet and with lightning speed, the one male zebra lashed out with his back feet, hitting his opponent right under the very tip of his jaw. A kick like that hitting the head of an opponent can be fatal. The zebra that was on the receiving end of the kick was very lucky but it looked like the lightning-fast powerful kick was hurting enough for him to give up, shaking his head while looking a little disorientated. The losing zebra slowly disappeared after the incident. I was grateful for waking up early and having the opportunity to see such an unexpected event during the golden hour of the morning in the African bush.