EmotionsofAfrica

The video shows the incredible moment of one fearless and angry buffalo bull protecting his herd from a hungry hunting lion. The cape buffalo is part of the Big five animal group in Africa, and so for good reason. Buffaloes are massive creatures, and they can become incredibly aggressive and dangerous when under threat or spooked. These large black bovines move mostly in big herds that can number up to a thousand individuals strong. Lions are also part of the big five animals of Africa and these cats need little introduction to the world. Lions do prefer to hunt bigger prey animals such as buffaloes. While an eight-hundred-kilogram buffalo is the perfect size meal for a pride of lions and a big reward, these big rewards come with great risk. Buffaloes can become very angry and fearless when being hunted and they can inflict serious injury or kill a lion. Lions have been trampled to death by big buffalo herds or killed with the lethal horns of a buffalo. The video shows how one lioness believes she has a chance of catching a buffalo out of a big herd. The lioness clearly overestimated her chances. The lioness spooked the whole buffalo herd, sending them turning and running. During this chaotic period, lions then single out and target one specific individual and then go for it with everything they have. What the lioness did not know, was that there was one large buffalo bull in the whole herd that had his fear turn into anger. This angry bull suddenly turned around and charged towards the lioness at full speed. The lioness got the surprise of her life, and she immediately knew she was in trouble. The lioness turned around in a flash and ran for her life. The massive buffalo chased after the lioness until he couldn’t see her anymore. Incredible to see how one individual out of so many buffalo had the guts to turn around, chase off the lioness and protecting the rest of the herd with his actions at the same time.

Filmed in Kruger National Park, South Africa. The video shows a little squirrel trying to make the most of this healthy and rare snack. This made for some comical viewing as the little one was running around like crazy, trying to get as many as quickly as possible. Most people will know squirrels to be herbivores. Generally they will feed on most plant foods around such as fruits and flowers, seeds, nuts, roots and bulbs. On rare occasions, after the first rains in this very dry African Wilderness area, these flying ants and termites emerge from their nests in their millions. Highly rich in protein, these insects are enough to turn any herbivore into a carnivore for a little while.

The video shows an angry hippo, suddenly bursting out of the water, chasing away a thirsty pride of lions from the river. Hippos and lions are two of Africa’s most dangerous animals. While the hippo is not part of the big five animals, these massive aquatic creatures are extremely dangerous and kill more people in Africa every year than any other animal. The lion on the other hand is at the top of the big five animals, ruling as the king of beasts across the African savannah. Hippos and lions do not associate with each other, but when they do meet on the rare occasion, you can be sure there will be hostility. Hippos instinctively know that lions are a threat, specially to younger hippos. Lions on the other hand know that they are no match for a fully grown adult hippo. The scenario in the video shows just that. While a thirsty pride of lions settled down next to a river to drink, a male hippo quickly took notice and was clearly not happy with the presence of the lions. Suddenly, the hippo bursts out of the water, charging towards the pride of lions. The lions immediately reacted by running away from the edge of the river. The hippo charged a second time while another hippo also came into the picture to show its annoyance with the lions. The hippos were honking, sending a clear threat message to the lions. The lions were clearly very careful of the hippos and in the end the lions decided to move onto another part of the river while the hippo claimed victory on this occasion.

The video shows a leopardess, very keen to get the attention of her lazy and grumpy male, who does not seem to be interested at all. The leopard is most likely the hardest animal to find when going on a safari. The leopard is part of Africa’s big five animals and very much one animal everybody would love to see when out on safari. These elusive big hunting cats do manage to evade many safari goers and seeing a leopard in the wild is an incredible experience. All you need is time in the bush spent and a bit of luck on your side. Leopards are solitary big cats and deadly hunters, using their beautifully camouflaged coat to disappear in the blink of an eye. Seeing two leopards together, like in this video, is a very rare and special occasion. Not many people get to see more than one leopard in a sighting, if they do see a leopard at all. On this day we had incredible luck on our side. We managed to find a pair of mating leopards. The female leopard, who is a lot smaller, started with her attempts to get the attention of her lazy male. This was hilarious to watch and see how this leopardess went about getting her male’s attention. The female leopard decided that repeatedly jumping on top of her male was going to do the trick. The female had to jump on the male numerous times, and we could see the lazy male was just getting more and more grumpy, with no interest shown at all. The female leopard stuck to her guns and finally got the attention she wanted, accompanied with loud snarling and growling noises coming from the male’s side. The female looked satisfied, and she was even looking for a quick cuddly afterwards. The male was having none of that and slowly moved away from the female. The grumpy male leopard went to lay down a good distance away, enjoying his peace and quiet. The female still looked like she remained in a trance, chilling on her back with her feet up in the air. A rare leopard interaction moment I will never forget in my life. We left the two leopards and moved on with our safari, feeling totally overwhelmed with satisfaction.

Hyenas are mostly perceived as scary, ugly looking creatures that are made for nightmares, but this video actually shows how incredibly cute they can be. The spotted hyena is arguably the most successful large carnivore in Africa. This formidable creature is both a proficient hunter and scavenger, exhibiting resourcefulness and stamina in its foraging pursuits. Throughout history and across cultures, the hyena has been condemned as a scary, evil and ugly villain with a demonic laugh. With such a bad reputation, the hyena is always seen as the bad guys in traditional folklore and even today in movies such as The Lion King. Once you get to know more about the hyena, you realize that these complex creatures are like none other on earth and that the stereotype reputation is far from the truth. Not only are hyenas extremely intelligent but they also fulfill the vital ecological function of eliminating sick and old animals from populations while their scavenging behavior keeps the African bush clean from rotten carcasses and the possible spread of disease. Many people will also claim that the hyena is not a very attractive animal to look at. While this might be the case, their offspring at a young age is a totally different story. Hyena cubs are some of the most adorable baby animals in the African bush. When going on safari, it is always one of the highlights to see cute hyena cubs in their natural environment, if you are lucky enough. One of the best ways to find hyena cubs is to find a hyena den during the winter months of the year. The focus of a hyena clan centers on a communal den where all the females keep their young. During a recent self-drive safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, I did just that. I decided to go to an old hyena den I got to know about over the past few years. Hyena dens are usually located in disused termite mounds, large sand structures that are easy to recognize. On my arrival at the den, I was happy to find the den active with two cubs and one female adult. Hyena cubs are in general very playful and make for entertaining viewing. On this occasion things turned out to be the total opposite. I noticed the two cubs lying against each other while basking in the early morning sun. They looked very tired and sleepy, struggling to keep their eyes open. Hyenas are creatures of the night and are mostly active during this time. It was clear that these two cubs had a long night out. Both cubs attempted to keep their heads up but it seemed to be a tough task. It was adorable to watch how the hyena cubs started nodding off while their heads would tilt to the one side as gravity took over. The hyena cubs would suddenly wake up, only for their eyes to close again and their heads falling over again. It was really funny to watch actually how tired these cubs were. Eventually the one cub found itself in a more comfortable position. The second cub finally fell over, fast asleep, with its head hitting the ground. The two cubs did not move again for quite some time. Even though the cubs were not their normal playful self, I was still totally amused by the cute behavior of these two sleepy hyena cubs. With a smile on my face I decided to leave them to sleep in peace and continued with my safari.

This video is one example of how male lions always dominate and rule every aspect of life in the world of lions, especially when it comes to food. The male lion, Africa’s largest and most dangerous big cat and the king of all beasts. Lions are the only social cats on earth, living majority of the time in prides, creating family bonds and care one another in many unique ways. There is also one rule that always stand in the family life of lions, and that is that male lions are in charge. While females will do majority of the hunting, male lions will always start feeding first on the kill made by the females. Depending on how many males there are in a pride, it happens often that two males will eat two thirds before letting five or six other females finally start eating. Many prides will also have youngsters like sub adults and cubs. All the younger lions eat at the very end whatever is left over. Should the male lions not have had their fill to their satisfaction, they will not tolerate any females or younger lions near their meal. Male lions are extremely aggressive when it comes to their food and feeding time as shown in the video. The pride in this video was made up off two massive male lions, five females and two younger males. The male lions already ate so much of the carcass but still they would not let any of the other hungry family members come near or close to their meal. With aggressive snarling, roaring, biting and pawing, the male lions would without hesitation attack any of the family members who dared coming into their feeding space. The male lions would get up and aggressively attack a female or a younger male, leading to chaos around the dinner table. The sounds of aggression were overwhelming and incredibly intense, leaving many safari tourists with witnessing something they will not quickly forget.

This video shows one of the weirdest and strangest wonders in the African wild. At first glance, this might look like a magic trick or even camera trickery. Tiny little seeds lying on the ground, bouncing and jumping around on its own. This is no magic trick at all and the real reason for this is a rather interesting story. It all starts with a very interesting tree called the Tamboti. A medium sized deciduous tree found in the warm regions of Southern Africa. Majority of these trees are found in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The Tamboti is notorious for its poisonous properties. It contains toxic latex that causes blistering, eye irritation and even death if ingested in quantity. Burning on campfires leads to diarrhoea and severe headaches, especially if meat is cooked on the coals. The fruit and seeds of the Tamboti is probably the most interesting part of this tree. The fruit looks like a three lobed capsule. In summer months when they ripen, these capsules bursts open with an audible clapping sound before dropping from the tree. Eventually the ground below the Tamboti will be covered by all the seeds bursting out of the fruits. By now the seeds are infested with the larvae of the knotthorn moth (Melanobasis). The movement of the larvae inside the seeds makes them jump, particularly when they lie in the sun. When you walk past these trees on a warm summer afternoon, one can clearly hear the soft snapping, crackling and popping sounds. Looking closer you will discover thousands of these seeds jumping around, hence the name ‘jumping beans’. The only other place in the world where one can see these jumping beans is in Mexico and better known as Mexican jumping beans. African jumping beans tend to move allot more erratic than their counterparts in Mexico.

The video shows the scary moments when a lioness unexpectedly took a keen interest in a vehicle with two tourists inside. Going on a self-drive safari to one of the many National Parks across Africa is always a great adventure and top of the list for most foreign tourists visiting the continent. While enjoying the freedom of exploring and searching for animals from the comfort of your own vehicle, tourists are always warned about being vigilant when it comes to wild animals. While the inside of your vehicle is the safest place to be, and getting out is forbidden, there might just be the rare occasion that something from the outside wants to get inside, like a lioness in the wild. Lions will almost always ignore vehicles, as they do not pose a threat and they don’t see it as food. The video shows one of those rare and unexpected moments when a lioness did not just ignore a tourist vehicle as they normally do. Scary enough, this lioness took a keen interest in the vehicle and its occupants. This behavior can be very dangerous as the lioness even tried to open the door with her paw and scratching at the window, seeing the people on the inside. Luckily the driver closed the window quick enough, as the lioness easily could have put her paw through the opening which could be devastating. The couple in the car kept calm while the lioness continued to curiously investigate their vehicle. After a few more sniffs, the lioness luckily lost interest and moved on, leaving two people with a close and very tense lion encounter in the African wild.

To witness the birth of life in nature is always such a fortunate and special experience. Getting the opportunity to watch the tallest land mammal on the planet give birth in the wild, right in front of us, was a real-life changing experience. It was during a recent safari in the Kruger National Park that we came across a small herd of giraffes. These tall giants are always on the list of safari goers ‘must see’ list and one of the most photographed wildlife species in Africa. The unique build and structure of the giraffe is what most people find very amusing as no other animal on earth can really be compared to a giraffe. While everyone was entertained by the beautiful creatures all around us, I suddenly noticed an adult female in the distance. She was standing some distance away from the herd on her own and she did not look very comfortable in the way she was standing. I decided to slowly drive a little closer. The female giraffe was standing with her legs much wider apart from each other than what they would normally do. When we came to the backside of the female giraffe, we were totally stunned by what we saw. The female was busy giving birth right there and the new born calf was already hanging out half body, with its neck and front legs already out. We couldn’t believe that we were actually watching the tallest land mammal on earth giving birth right in front of us in the wild. We could only imagine what the mother giraffe must have gone through giving birth to such a large calf. The mother giraffe stood strong while she continued to push, standing with a wider stance. Everyone was holding their breaths when the whole calf suddenly dropped down to the ground. Luckily the calf itself is already tall at birth so the tumble to the ground was not that far as some would believe it to be. This miracle moment was met by a great sigh of relief from everyone on the safari vehicle.

The video shows how a hippo manages to chase away close to a hundred buffalo with just a few shakes of the head. The African cape buffalo is one of the most dangerous big game animals that lives in the African wild. Buffalo are part of the well-known big five animal group, and they are also known as black death. Should you meet a buffalo on foot in the African wild, you most likely will have serious problems. While hippos do not make part of the big five group, they are known to kill more people in Africa than any other animal in the African wild, making them creatures not to be messed with. Big and dangerous species like buffalo and hippo usually leave each other alone and altercations between them are very rare. There are the rare instances, like shown in this video, where the two species meet by chance. On a hot summer day this big herd of buffalo decided it was a good idea to cool off in a waterhole. In the waterhole was a male hippo, amazingly tolerating all the visitors in his waterhole in which he spends most of his days. More and more buffalo started getting into the water, until the hippo was surrounded. It was like the buffalo didn’t even realize the hippo was in the water. The hippo remained very calm and tolerant of the buffalo herd entering his space, until one buffalo literally bumped into the hippo. That was just one too many for the hippo and suddenly the hippo’s head popped out. The hippo saw all the buffalo on top of him and he didn’t like it and looked angry. The hippo then lifted his head out the water and shook it about a few times, splashing the water aggressively. With that, the hippo got the attention of the buffalo. It was like a delayed fright kicking in and suddenly the whole buffalo herd stormed out of the water. It was incredible to see how quickly one hippo could get such a large herd moving. The hippo looked totally satisfied with his actions in the end.

The video shows the incredible escape move of a tiny gosling that was caught by a leopard in the African wild. Leopards are one of Africa’s big cats and the most elusive of them all. Finding a leopard in the African wild is a rare and incredible experience. The solitary big cats are very elusive and hard to find. While a group of safari tourists was lucky to find a young leopard in the wild, the sighting took a dramatic turn when suddenly, out of nowhere, a little gosling appeared, looking very lost. The gosling immediately grabbed the attention of the leopard. The confused gosling was clearly looking for its mother when it stumbled across the leopard relaxing in the sand of a dry riverbed. The gosling thought it was safe to hide under the safari vehicle but soon it was flushed out by the leopard after which the leopard easily chased after the little bird before catching it. The leopard didn’t kill the gosling immediately. It looked like the gosling was playing dead, which caught the leopard of guard. While the leopard was still thinking about its newly found snack, the gosling amazingly jumped up and ran off, leaving the leopard looking totally surprised by what just happened.

The video shows the incredible number and variety of African wildlife that came to drink at one waterhole over a ten-hour period in one single day. Going on safari during the peak of the dry season can be seriously dusty and extremely hot but so worth it when it comes to game viewing in Africa. On a trip to Zimbabwe, we visited a large national park during the hottest and driest period of the year. It was incredibly dry, with temperatures raging way over forty degrees Celsius every day. With all natural water sources dried up, it is up to the park to provide some water for the masses of wild animals living all over a vast wilderness landscape. These waterholes are few and far between, with animals having to travel huge distances just for a drink of water, only to walk huge distances again away from the water in search of food. During this time of the year, you can be sure that you will find wildlife at a watering hole, and lots of it. We decided to spend three full days in a lookout point or a hide overlooking a popular waterhole. You sit there, relax, and wait and observe, watching wild animals of all kinds coming and going from the morning, right through the night and into the morning again. The numbers of wild animals that visited the waterhole was mind blowing and the diversity of species made it even more incredible. I decided to film whatever wildlife came in to drink over a ten-hour period on one of the days I was there. It started off in the morning with a lioness casually walking past some elephants, busy having their fill of water for the day. The lioness didn’t even stop for a drink. Impala and kudu antelopes were the most abundant during the day, with many herds coming and going nonstop. There were a small number of buffalo that appeared while the warthog families came for a quick drink during the heat of the day. Zebras were seen during most of the day in some dazzling numbers. Elephants dominated everything and they were the species that were there in the largest of numbers, drinking the most water and more often than any other animals. There was even a large monitor lizard that made its way for some water. A great variety of birds was in and around the water right trough the day till sunset, creating beautiful nature sounds in the background. All I can say, what a privilege it was to have filmed and experienced such a natural spectacle as we did during our three days stay.

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

The African Wild dog is one of Africa's most endangered carnivores, second only to the Ethiopian wolf. Just to see Wild dogs on a safari in Africa is a rare occasion. Finding them with a whole lot of puppies is just priceless and really special. Wild dog puppies are extremely playful and make for entertaining viewing. This video shows exactly just that. We manage to locate a pack of <a href="https://rumble.com/v3ctsl-robotic-spy-puppy-meets-wild-dogs.html" target="_blank">Wild Dogs</a> with nine pups. When we arrived it was hot already and they were all lying in the shade, sleeping. Well, almost all of them. There was one playful little pup that caught our attention. He wasn't tired and most likely he was bored. Then he found his brother's leg rather inviting and looked like something nice to chew on. This was such a comical behaviour. At first it was just a few nibbles but then he really started pulling and chewing the leg. The best of all is that the <a href="https://rumble.com/v31s1z-sleepy-cat-gets-swarmed-by-adorable-puppies.html" target="_blank">sleepy</a> little brother hardly even woke up from all of this. Eventually he was half awake. He stretched, closed his eyes again and rested his hind legs on his busy brother's back. At the end, the playful puppy looked back, saw the other leg on top of him and had a go at that one too. This was really funny to watch as the playful puppy just could not resist the urge to bite and chew. This playing around and chewing on everything helps them to develop their muscles as well as the lifestyle skills they will require as adults. They grow up in an extremely hostile environment, filled with danger and many challenges. Every day, life in the African bush is about the survival of the fittest. So while they are young, they must play and chew as much as they can, because they will definitely need those skills to stay alive as adults. Enjoy the funny video of these brothers!

Baby elephants make for very entertaining viewing most of the time. They are still very inexperienced and constantly struggle with their daily life challenges in an adorable way. This baby elephant faces one of those real obstacles of daily life in the African bush. After cooling down in the river with the rest of his family, he decides it is time to get out of the river and go to mommy. Climbing out of the river suddenly becomes a monumental task for this <a href="https://rumble.com/v42bkl-cute-video-of-baby-elephant-sitting-on-lap-at-chai-lai-orchid.html" target="_blank">little elephant</a>. During his first attempt, the young elephant repeatedly slips while trying to climb out the river using his knees. Just as it looks like he might make it, the young elephant helplessly slides down the muddy slope back into the water. This incredibly funny first attempt surprisingly gives the little one extra motivation and he takes on the same challenge for the second time. This time he is more determined and committed and gives it another go. At first it goes slippery and slow again but then suddenly it looks like he engages into four wheel drive. This whole time the mother elephant patiently stood and watched her young one. She moves closer as if she wants to help him. The baby elephant amazingly succeeds and makes it out of the <a href="https://rumble.com/v4dptr-cute-baby-elephant-stumbles-through-river-crossing.html" target="_blank">river</a> on his knees, without any physical help from his mother in the end. He finally gets on the top of the river bank, still on his knees. Quickly he jumps back up onto his feet and moves behind his mother with great relief. Everyone watching this sighting from a distance felt extremely proud of this baby elephant. This challenge was just one of the many struggles this brave little youngster will have to face on a daily basis. The lessons learned during these tough times will be vital for the survival of this baby elephant in a hostile and dangerous environment.

The video shows a big bull elephant casually sitting down on top of a restaurant table at a safari lodge in Zimbabwe. During a recent group safari to Zimbabwe, tourists were met with the rather unusual sight of an elephant using a table at a restaurant as rubbing post to scratch an itch. After a long morning safari, the group of safari tourists returned to their safari lodge to enjoy a late breakfast. It was a sunny day and they decided to sit outside at the tables on the lawns in front of the restaurant. Did they get a surprise of their lives. Before a seating area could be arranged for the tourist group, it was clear that a big elephant bull got there first. The elephant bull was already sitting down, but not on a chair but on the table. The elephant bull was clearly not there for breakfast but rather to get rid of an itch it could not scratch. You can clearly hear how the wooden table cracks under the weight of the elephant, but amazingly the table did not break completely. Once done scratching its backside on the table, the elephant got up, casually bashed away a few chairs in his way and slowly moved off again. After that spectacle, the tourists could finally sit down and enjoy their breakfast, still looking over their shoulders every now and then.

Fighting a losing battle is most likely the first phrase that comes to mind when watching this video. It shows the frustrating and never-ending task of a lone hyena, trying to keep hundreds of vultures away from a giraffe carcass. Trying to enjoy his meal and warding off a mass of vultures at the same time seemed like an impossible task!

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”?

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

During a safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, these people came across a pack of African wild dogs resting in the early morning sun. These dog-like predators are one of Africa's most endangered carnivores, second only to the Ethiopian wolf. They are covered in blotches of yellow, black and white with each individual having its own unique pattern by which they are identified. To see wild dogs on a safari in Africa is a rare occasion and always a highlight on a safari should you be so lucky to see them. Finding them with a whole lot of puppies is just priceless and really special. Wild dog puppies are extremely playful and make for entertaining viewing. These puppies are the cutest little creatures, filled with energy and very playful. The video shows how these wild dog puppies particularly enjoy chewing absolutely everything they can find. While one of the young males chewed on a piece of bone, his younger brother suddenly climbed on top of him. The next thing the youngster starts chewing his brother’s ear like it is a piece of rubber and it looks painful. Amazingly the puppy at the bottom didn’t seem bothered or in pain and continued chewing his bone. This rarely seen behavior had everyone amazed. The playing around and chewing on everything helps them to develop their muscles as well as the lifestyle skills they will require as adults. They grow up in an extremely hostile environment, filled with danger and many challenges. The mortality rate of these wild dog puppies is incredibly high and life in the African bush is about the survival of the fittest. So while they are young, they must play and chew as much as they can, because they will definitely need those skills to stay alive as adults.

While on Safari in the Greater Kruger Area of South Africa, we came across a small herd of Elephant. One particular Elephant walked up to the vehicle for closer inspection. While approaching the vehicle, we noticed that this was clearly a male. It literally looked like he had a fifth leg and everyone was stunned and in awe. African Bull Elephants hold the title for the largest relative genital organ size of all terrestrial life on this planet. It can measure up to six and half feet and weigh up to 55 pounds. No wonder it almost looks like another leg.

The video shows that the King of the jungle is not always perfect, coming short with a glorious fall down a riverbank. The male lion is known as the King of the jungle all around the world. The image of the mighty male lion is a symbol of power and strength. In the African wild this rings true as the lion is at the top of the food chain and feared by most animals. With this image in mind, it is easy to think that if a big male lion can bring down a giraffe or a buffalo, then getting out of a river onto the bank should be an easy task for the king. The video shows three big male lions crossing through the depths of a river that is in flood. Lions normally do not like swimming, but they will take on rivers like this to get to another part of their territories. Once the three lions managed to get to the other side and out the strong current of the river, it was time for just one last obstacle, getting up the steep riverbank. A task that seemed easier than swimming across the river. As the first male lion peaked his big mane over the edge, he almost got his whole body to the top when the soil under his back paws gave in, sending the big male lion back down to the bottom in spectacular fashion. Looking at the fall in slow-motion, it looks like the king of the jungle literally took a fall from glory.

The video shows a beautiful silhouette moment with giraffes, just after sunset, in the African bush. Together with zebras, giraffes are the most photographed animals in Africa. Every safari tourist rates these animals incredibly high, and they are a must-see on every safari. The giraffe is unique, like no other animal on this planet. They are fascinating and graceful creatures, making them one of Africa’s most iconic animals. With their tall necks and legs, giraffes elegantly roam the African savanna, and during sunset, these animals can make for some of the most beautiful scenes in nature. I recently had the opportunity to find a small number of giraffes right at sunset. With their tall figures against the beautiful colors of the sky at dusk, giraffes make for some of the most beautiful silhouette moments. Not every day do you find giraffes at the right time and place to get such footage. I didn’t hesitate and grabbed my camera to capture the moment. It was a peaceful early evening, with the sounds of the bushveld adding to a stunning moment in nature.

Meet Murphy, an adorable ten month old black Cockapoo filled with energy, love and friendliness. Murphy has an outgoing personality and is very intelligent at the same time. This normally leads to amusing behaviour and Murphy hardly ever fails to entertain. One of Murphy’s favourite activities is burying and hiding his treasures around the outside of the house. These treasures will range from bones to the majority of his toys. Never has Murphy attempted to bury anything inside the house. It was an early cool winters evening and Murphy’s owner Sarah, was sitting outside when she suddenly heard a noise coming from the lounge area. She immediately knew Murphy was busy with something and went inside to take a closer look. Sarah makes her way to the couch and finds Murphy adamantly attempting to bury his bone inside the brown blanket lying on the couch. The nights were getting colder and Sarah took out this brown blanket for the first time so she and Murphy could snuggle under the blanket while watching TV. Murphy had different plans for this newly discovered blanket. He is clearly fascinated by this brown blanket and sees it for a pile of soil or dirt. The bone is lying on top of the blanket in the corner of the couch. He proceeds to shovel the blanket with his nose, ploughing it forward just like a pile of dirt. Once he manages to cover the bone, his imaginary dirt would then just fall back like sand and uncover his bone all over again. Murphy starts again to shovel and pile his imaginary dirt onto the bone, only for the blanket to move back again to its original stretched position. This Cockapoo was determined to turn this challenge into a success. He continued adorably to bulldoze his newly found pile of “soil’. This made for amusing and entertaining viewing. At the end Sarah asks Murphy what he is doing. He responds with giving his bone one last lick. Looking a little shy, Murphy left his bone burying activities and moved outside for a well-deserved rest.

Meet Bella, an incredibly loving and caring female South African Mastiff living in the suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa. One of Bella’s unique abilities is that of wagging her tail upon her owner’s demand. Too funny!