EmotionsofAfrica

This video shows the adorable moments of a shy baby hyena, hesitant at first, overcoming its fear of leaving the safety of the den, in order to reach its mother for a drink of milk. While adult hyenas might not be the prettiest animals in the African wild, their babies on the other hand are a sight of cuteness overload. During the first three months, baby hyenas are pitch black little fur balls, adorable in all aspects. Seeing hyenas breeding in the wild and watching how they behave in their families is a rare and special opportunity for anyone going on safari. We have been lucky enough to observe and study a hyena family at their den site for three months. During that time, we were fortunate to share many special and adorable moments with these creatures in their natural environment. We arrived one morning at the den site only to find no one home. We decided to wait around a little and it was not long before a large female hyena arrived at the den site. She was the leader of the clan and a mother. The mother hyena came to a halt a few meters from the entrance of the den, carefully scanned her surroundings and went to lie down. The next moment one tiny hyena baby pops its head out of the den, clearly realising that mommy is back. The baby hyena hesitantly came out the den a little more, staring at its mother lying a few meters away. The hyena cub looked a little shy and nervous to leave the den and go to its mother. The baby hyena retreated halfway back into the den, staring at its mother and checking out the surroundings. During the first two months the mother use to go lie right at the entrance of the den for her cub to drink, but now she is a ‘scary’ few meters away from the den. It was the little one’s first time to leave the den further than the entrance and it’s also the mother’s way to allow her offspring to start venturing a little further away from the den as they grow older. The baby hyena gave his head one shook, with a puff of dust lifting from its head and slowly gathered confidence. The desire for milk clearly became overpowering while the baby hyena made these little crying sounds. Suddenly the cub couldn’t resist anymore and decided to run towards its mother with great excitement. There was only one thing on the cub’s mind and it went straight for mommy’s milk. It was such an adorable moment to watch the cute baby hyena finally making those ‘scary’ few meters to mommy. The mother hyena scanned her surroundings for danger one more time before going back to sleep while her baby peacefully drank its milk.

Baby elephants can be adorable and hilarious at the same time, like shown in this video. This adorable baby elephant decided to plonk itself face first into the mud before making the most hilarious attempts to get back onto its feet again. When you on safari and come across a large herd of elephants, it is a good time to stop in the distance and watch. You will almost always see the most interesting behaviour in any large breeding herd of elephants out in the wild. Breeding herds of elephants consists of females and their young. There is also a good chance that there will be a few baby elephants in such a herd which always make for entertaining viewing. We did just that when we came across a large breeding herd of elephants. We stopped in the distance under a shady tree with the elephants spread out in front of us. It was already hot during the late morning and some of the elephants enjoyed splashing themselves with mud and water at a small watering hole. There were a few baby elephants in the herd and one particular baby elephant caught our attention. The baby elephant was standing around at the edge of the mud wallow before it suddenly went straight down into the mud, face first. This baby elephant clearly decided that plonking itself down in the mud will be a lot quicker than spraying itself with the mud. The baby elephant looked really funny with the one side of its face resting in the mud and its backside up in the air. The baby elephant eventually went to lie down on its side, enjoying the cool mud on its body during the heat. Things then became hilarious when the baby elephant decided it was time to get back onto its feet. The baby elephant attempted to use momentum by lifting its body and kicking in the air, moving from side to side and up and down for a number of times. This adorable baby elephant’s attempts to get back up was hilarious to watch. Eventually the baby elephant gained enough momentum to get onto its knees. The baby elephant paused for a bit before finally getting back onto its feet, looking so cute and funny with the one side of its face and body plastered with mud. The baby elephant ran off to its mother and we left the herd with great joy, being overly entertained by the adorable baby elephant.

Jack Russell Terriers are well known to be intensely energetic dogs. This video shows when a fearless attitude is combined with all that energy, you get a jack russell that does not hesitate for one second to show a big and dangerous elephant bull who is the boss of the camp. Botswana is host to the world’s largest elephant population and encounters between man and the largest mammal on this planet is not uncommon. There are no fences around any reserves in the country and elephants can move freely as they like. When you stay in a wilderness safari camp, there are no fences around the camp either, and the tents are exposed to the wild as it is. While elephant herds normally do not cause too much trouble, it is usually the old big lone elephant bulls that can become troublesome and encounters with humans can be very dangerous. Elephants also freely move through camps and sometimes they will feed around the tents peacefully. It is on the odd occasion that you might have an angry and grumpy old elephant bull that likes to charge anything that moves or that comes in his way. This behaviour is usually caused by a period of musth which older male elephants go into when they are ready to mate. That means an overdrive of testosterone and hormones for the big bulls which makes them extremely dangerous. The video shows one of those bulls that came into a safari camp in a remote area of Botswana. The bull elephant looked like he was not in camp for casual feeding. As soon as the bull elephant saw movement of people between the tents, it started showing some intimidating behaviour, mock charging towards the tents while kicking sand and throwing dust around with his trunk. Some people banged on the tables to try scare the elephant away but this big bull was in no hurry to leave. Suddenly out of nowhere, a jack russell comes bursting through, charging straight at the elephant bull while barking. The bull elephant stared down at the charging and barking dog with his ears raised. Instead of charging towards the dog, which is ten times smaller, the bull elephant got a big freight and turned around and ran off. The feisty jack russell chased after the elephant for a few more meters before she had enough and turned around, casually walking back, looking really impressed with herself. The elephant then stopped, looking back all confused by what just happened. The elephant then decided it was better to move on and ran out of the camp. What an amazing show of self-confidence and fearlessness by the jack russell.

The African wild dog is one of the rarest predators on the African continent. To have the opportunity to observe two wild dog parents, who successfully added nineteen puppies to the population, go about caring for their adorable puppies, is priceless. Getting to see African wild dogs in their natural environment is always a special occasion. We were fortunate enough not only to encounter wild dogs in the Kruger National Park, but to get the rare opportunity to see their behaviour when they have puppies. Every time there is news of wild dogs breeding in the wild, it is good news, as the population numbers of these wild dogs are dwindling. After we learned about the location of a wild dog den in a remote part of the Kruger National Park, we didn’t waste any time and started our journey with high anticipation. After a few hours drive we managed to locate the wild dog den. African wild dogs make use of burrows in old termite mounds, providing a safe place to hide and nurse their puppies for about twelve weeks. Wild dog packs can range from five to twenty plus individuals and in a pack, there is always an alpha male and an alpha female. These alpha pairs are the only ones that are allowed to breed in the pack. For this reason, many wild dogs will never breed in their lifetime and only assist with the protection and feeding of the puppies. We arrived at a large termite mound where we spotted one male adult wild dog near the entrance of the den. The male wild dog looked intently focused on the entrance of the den. We suspected he was calling the puppies out of the den. Our timing was perfect and suddenly to our amazement, the most adorable puppies started bubbling out of the mound. First there was one, then two, then three and then they just started pouring out. It was not long before the alpha female joined her male, luring the puppies out of the den, down the backside of the mound. We decided to drive around and park on the opposite side of the mound. Outside the den we counted a total of nineteen puppies and their high-pitched squeaking and chirping sounds became louder as they gathered around the mother with excitement. We realized it was feeding time. Wild dog pups are weaned at five weeks and from then they take meat from their parents, which is regurgitated by the adult dogs after returning from a morning hunt. The puppies were so cute, looking like little black and white furballs, swarming together with great excitement while making the most adorable twittering sounds. The feeding was quick as every small piece of meat delivered by the parents was devoured in a flash. The pups spent about ten minutes outside the den before they disappeared back inside the den. The adults went to rest under a nearby tree and the whole scene went dead quiet. We left knowing that we were so lucky with our timing and that we saw a sight only a small amount of people ever had the opportunity to see.

The African lion is well known as the biggest, most fearsome and powerful predator on the continent. To see a big male lion displaying his sheer brute strength, right in front of you when dragging a giraffe carcass around all by himself, gives you a whole new perspective of what the words ‘powerful predator’ means. During a long visit to the Kruger National Park there was one morning when a pride of lions hunted down a large and very old male giraffe. The pride consisted of one big male lion, four lionesses and three cubs. The pride of lions then continued for about three days gorging themselves until on the third evening, the females and the cubs decided they had enough and moved on to a watering hole some distance away. The male lion decided to stay behind with the remains which included the whole neck of the old male giraffe and all his legs and hooves. We arrived the next morning to check up on the male and his remaining meal. He was still alone and we could see that during the first hours of the morning, vultures spotted the carcass from the air as the carcass was still lying in the open. A whole lot of vultures would become troublesome for the male lion all by himself as he would just run around chasing hungry vultures away and wasting unnecessary energy as the day heats up. As more vultures started closing in from a distance, the big male lion decided it was time to move his remaining carcass into the thickets and out of sight from all the nosy scavengers. I started to film the male lion’s solo attempt to drag the carcass, thinking that even with the whole body of the giraffe gone, it will still be too heavy for the lone male. The neck alone of a giraffe can weigh up to six hundred pounds and is about six feet long while the legs are also around six feet long with each leg weighing up to two hundred pounds. I was totally shocked by the sheer brute strength of this big male lion. The male lion grabbed the giraffe carcass by the neck and started dragging it out of the open. I thought he would not get very far but the lion was persistent to protect the remainder of his meal and get it out of sight. The male lion continued with his mind-blowingly powerful effort while every once in a while, he would pause, take a few big breaths, change his grip and continue putting in all his strength to drag his food for almost fifty meters in the end. The male lion then reached some deeper thickets into which he disappeared with his food, out of sight from all of us. I was absolutely amazed by the determination and full-on display of his power when he really needed it.

Baby lions are some of the most adorable creatures on this planet. This video shows just how cute they really are when three male lion cubs become playful, with one brother deciding it’s a good time to practice his hunting skills on his brother’s tail. During this time their mother was lying passed out in the background, taking a well-deserved nap. The African lion is known as the king, the one that rules the savannah plains of Africa. Lions are the top predators in Africa and feared by prey animals and man. While these fearsome animals leave you with an adrenaline rush every time encountered in the wild, it is a totally different story when one is lucky enough to encounter lion cubs in the wild. These adorable baby animals immediately make lions go from scary and dangerous predators to cute little furballs, creating a sight filled with heart-warming moments and a cuteness overload experience. During a safari in the Kruger National Park, we were fortunate enough to come across a pride of lions which included three adorable male cubs. We were totally amazed by our find and decided to spend time with the lions. Most of the pride was resting and the mother of the pride looked totally passed out with some of her feet up in the air. As youngsters do while their parents try to rest, the lion cubs became full of energy and decided it was time to play. One of the lion cubs stole the show and made for the funniest and cutest part of the playtime. While playing around, this lion cub decided it was a good time to grab hold of his brother’s tail, acting like he was catching something. Lion cubs love biting, pulling and chewing on things when they are young as it simulates the actions and skills needed for hunting live prey when they grow older. His brother’s moving tail made the perfect target and the pulling and biting continued all while mommy was fast asleep in the back ground. The lion cub looked like he was going to drag his brother around by the tail and it was so cute and funny to watch the whole time. The lion cub that had his tail in his brother’s mouth decided he had to get his tail released and in a playful manned started wrestling his brother for his tail. Soon the tail was released and the lion cub went straight for the other brother’s tail. This adorable type of playfulness continued for a few more minutes until the cubs lost interest in their game and went to lie down to rest. The large lioness never even opened one eye to see what was going on, from our arrival until our departure. She must have been totally exhausted. We left the sighting full of joy and a warm feeling of gratefulness for the one of the cutest moments ever in the African wild.

Hyenas can be bizarre looking animals in general but finding one in the wild walking around on its front two legs just took the bizarreness to a next level. It was during a recent safari in the Kruger National Park that we came across one of the weirdest looking animals I have ever seen. We were driving through the bush for some time without seeing much until our guide suddenly stopped. He spotted something in the distance sitting in the grass. At first, we could not see what it was but when it got up, we quickly identified it as a hyena. Hyenas are found in the Kruger Park in great numbers and seeing these animals randomly in the bush often happens. It was only when the hyena moved from the long grass into the road that we realized that something about the hyena looked very odd. We were totally confused by the strange manner the hyena was walking until we could clearly see that this hyena was strangely walking on its front two legs while the back two legs were dangling in the air. It looked like something that escaped from a horror movie and incredibly weird. I couldn’t believe how this hyena miraculously managed to survive by only walking on its front two legs. The hyena was rather shy and quickly disappeared down the road. Hyenas are incredibly tough animals and can adapt to almost any situation. To see how this hyena adapted and managed to carry on walking on two legs was just beyond our believe. After some investigation, we learned from other safari guides in the area that this hyena has been spotted before and that this hyena was attacked by lions a few years back and luckily survived. The lion attack left the hyena with serious injuries in its hips and back feet that it had to adapt to walk on its front two legs in order to survive. The hyena’s willingness to live and survive in such a hostile environment is an incredible story from Mother Nature.

Baby hyenas are just plain cute and very playful. This video captures the adorable moments of hyena cubs, full of energy, busy playing all over their mother’s head while she is trying to take a nap. While hyenas can have a scary and dangerous reputation, they have also proven to be beautiful and fascinating creatures, with surprising social behaviours and the most adorable looking babies. During a safari in the Kruger National Park, we had the privilege of visiting the den site of a large hyena family. On our arrival at the den, the whole family was outside and there were hyenas everywhere. It was amazing to come so close to such incredible creatures. There were six adult hyenas lying around the den, resting in the morning sun with a total of eight babies running around and playing. Our attention was drawn to the largest of the adult hyenas who was the mother of the hyena cubs. The mother hyena was taking a nap in the morning sun, looking tired after a long night out. Her nap did not last for long. Suddenly one of the baby hyenas decided that on top of its sleepy mom’s head was the perfect place to lie down and chew a piece of grass. The baby hyena looked full of energy, stepping and bouncing on its mother’s head while being amused by a piece of grass. This behaviour looked like fun to the other smaller cubs and soon the playful baby hyena was joined by another two smaller cubs that wanted to part take in the fun. It was so adorable and funny to watch the baby hyenas jumping, sitting and rolling over their sleepy mother’s head. One cub even had a quick nibble on the mother’s ear. Through all of this the mother hyena didn’t look all too bothered by her youngsters playing around her head while trying to sleep. The playfulness of the hyena babies became more intense until the mother eventually lifted her head to calm them down a little. It was incredible to see how much bonding, love and care there was between the mother hyena and her adorable babies. We left the hyena den with a totally different perspective on hyenas and overwhelmed by the heart-warming moments we experienced while being with these animals.

When it comes to baby elephants and mud, you can be sure it will be an entertaining sight, just like this little elephant strangely enjoying rubbing its own face in the mud. During those scorching hot days in the African bush, elephants do love to spend lots of time near water and mud as it helps them to cool down. Enjoying a mud bath after a drink and a splash of water is a common routine for elephants. Over and above cooling down, baby elephants also normally use this time for fun and play. This is where the real entertainment starts. It was during a very hot afternoon on a safari in the Kruger National Park, when we came across a big herd of elephants gathered near a watering hole. Just below the watering hole was a mud wallow. A few elephants were at the mud wallow already and I knew this was where the fun was going to be. While watching the small herd of elephants at the mud wallow, we suddenly noticed one baby elephant on its own, busy entertaining itself in the mud. This baby elephant was not rolling and splashing around in the mud like most others would do. No, this particular baby elephant decided it would be so much fun to take its own face and shove it in the mud. It was hilarious to watch this little elephant, rubbing its face through the mud, up and down. It even looked like the baby elephant got mud into its own mouth at one stage. Once the baby elephant was done with this hilarious looking behaviour, it got up, with its whole trunk and mouth covered in mud, and quickly ran off to its mother. This was such a funny short moment with such incredible creatures going about their business in their natural environment.

Boys will be boys, a saying not only applicable in the human world but also very true in the world of elephants. The video shows how two young, playful elephant brothers are just being boys when they start a trunk wrestling match, testing each other’s strength. Watching elephants during an African safari is always a great experience. These intelligent giants can display an incredible number of different behaviours at any given time, making them rather unpredictable sometimes. Spending some time just to watch a herd of elephants going about their daily business can be rewarding and many times very entertaining. It was during a recent safari in the Kruger National Park that we came across a large herd of elephants. There was a good number of young elephants in the breeding herd. With so many youngsters around we decided it could only be entertaining to stay and watch for a while. It was not long before my attention was drawn to three young bull elephants standing together. I realised they were sizing each other up and it was not long before two of the young male elephants decided to start a trunk-wrestling match. From a young age, even-sized elephant bulls will engage in such trunk-wrestling contests to start establishing dominance. These contests never turn violent and will mostly consist of pushing and shoving each other around until one decides to give in and walk away. Like two typical young boys, the elephant brothers started pushing and shoving each other around using their trunks. It was so amusing to watch how these two young elephant brothers locked their trunks during the interaction. As real boxers will do in a fight, the two young elephants took a few pauses in between every now and then to catch their breath before they would continue wrestling. The two playful elephant males continued pushing each other around with no clear winner standing out. Suddenly the one young brother elephant decided he had enough and pulled out of the contest. The other elephant brother triumphantly raised his trunk in the air, claiming the win. We left the herd with smiles on our faces and highly satisfied with the entertainment provided by the two young elephant brothers.

When hearing the word tortoise, the first image that pops up in my mind is that of a notoriously slow-moving creature, with the ability to carry its own home on its back while mostly seen alone. When you find three tortoises together and the tensions are high, it is amazing to watch these creatures do battle in real ‘speed’. I was driving along a main road in the Kruger National Park when I spotted small odd shapes in the distance of the road. As I approached the small strange looking figures in the road, I quickly realised it was three leopard tortoises together. It is not uncommon to have to stop and wait for a single leopard tortoise to slowly cross the road, but to find three tortoises together was an amazing experience and a first for me. I quickly realised that these three tortoises were not busy crossing the road. I stopped a few meters away to see what this gathering was all about. The one tortoise was climbing onto another tortoise and the third tortoise right behind them. To my total surprise, the third tortoise suddenly decided to spoil the moment and bashed into the much larger tortoise, pushing it off the back of the other tortoise. It was all suddenly clear what was going on here. Its extremely hard to determine the sex of a tortoise by just looking at it from the top. Based on the behaviour I witnessed, it was clear that I was looking at two males and a female leopard tortoise. The large male that’s been pushed off did not take well to a much smaller male busting his moment. I even thought to myself that this smaller male either had some serious confidence or he was just plain silly. The large male tortoise lost all interest in the female and zoned all his focus onto the smaller male, retaliating with a full bulldozing attack. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The large male lost it and kept pushing and bulldozing the younger male around without stop. The female decided she was not going to hang around for this fight and without the males even noticing, the female got away at great ‘speed’. The males continued with their battle, with the large male clearly in charge until suddenly the smaller male tortoise realised that he had one advantage over the large male. He was smaller and ‘faster’ and finally decided to set foot and attempt to outrun the larger male. It was so hilarious to watch two tortoises running down the road and chasing each other at great tortoise speeds. It was the fastest I have ever seen any tortoises move in my life. Even though the smaller tortoise was lighter and faster, it seemed the larger tortoise managed to make better ground with his bigger strides. I was a bit disappointed not to have seen the end to this battle as both disappeared into thick grass where I am sure their battle continued. One of the most amusing and unexpected sites I have seen in a very long time

The males of most animal species have the task of finding a female. It’s one thing finding a female but impressing a female is a different story. The aim of the game is to impress and be accepted but as this video shows, sometimes the attempts to impress can be a little too much. Birds are most likely some of the most fascinating animals in the animal kingdom to watch when it comes to males attempting to impress the females. Males are mostly more brightly coloured and have all sorts of moves to show off to the females. Some are more charming than others. It was during a late afternoon safari that we came across a bird called a Swainson’s francolin. It was a male bird standing on top of a termite mound. These birds usually become vocal just before sunset and they usually call from an elevated spot such as mounds, fallen logs or a big rock. My first thought was that this male francolin bird was going to perform his vocal call from the top of the mound. I quickly realised that this male bird had other plans. While focusing with my camera on the male bird, waiting for him to start performing his call, the bird suddenly changed behaviour. The male francolin puffed out his feathers and with his head held low, looking very awkward, the male bird made his way down the mound in a hurry. I followed the bird with my camera till he suddenly came to halt stop right in front of a female francolin bird. I quickly realised that the female francolin must have arrived in the time I was focused on the male bird and that she caught his attention in the process. The male bird went and stopped right in front of the female and shoved his face right into the female’s face. It was a matter of seconds before the female ducked and with a lightning side step got out from under the rather scary looking male bird. I have no idea how the male bird thought that his moves were charming but it looked a little scary and intimidating to me. The female quickly headed up and over the hill. The male, still looking weird, chased after the female until they disappeared into the long grass. It was amazing how entertaining such a short little moment in the wild could be.

The white rhinoceros is one of Africa’s Big five animals as well as one of the continent’s most threatened species to date. The white rhino generally looks like a dangerous animal not to be messed with but on certain occasions these amazing creatures can surprisingly be just as funny and entertaining to watch. The video shows how these intimidating looking creatures can become playful while having a little fun in the mud. It was during a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, when we came across the magnificent sight of six white rhinos at a watering hole, busy drinking and wallowing in the mud. It was incredible to see so many rhinos together at once. The magnificent horns of these rhinos are the first striking feature that grabs your attention. The horn of a rhino is the only weapon of defence it has in nature and unfortunately their horns have also put them in a terrible battle for survival against constant human poaching. Watching these incredible animals going about their business in the wild was such a privilege. The group of rhinos were enjoying themselves in the mud, cooling down after a long hot day while getting rid of some pesky insects and flies on their skins. After a mud wallow, it is common practice for a rhino then to go find a rubbing post such as a tree or a rock, where they can scratch off the caked mud while getting rid of any last remaining itchy spots on their bodies. My attention was drawn to one male rhino deciding that he was not going to even leave the wallow to find a rubbing post. The male rhino looked at his brother, having a relaxing lie down in the mud, and started scratching his face against his brother’s backside. The male rhino then proceeded to lie with his head on top of his brother while pushing forward and backwards, scratching his neck and shoulders against his brother’s backside. Just as the rhino got comfortable with his newly found rubbing post, the brother rhino decided this was not working for him and quickly got back up from his resting position in the mud. The rhino looked a little annoyed with his brother bumping and scratching against him while he was enjoying his own mud bath in peace. It was really funny to watch such formidable creatures having a comical moment in the mud before they headed off again into the bush and disappeared.

Seeing baby animals in the wild while on safari is always an exciting and heart-warming experience. Watching how this adorable baby rhino attempts to let his mother know that he also wants a little space to cool off in a mud wallow was incredibly entertaining to watch. During a very hot afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park, we decided to visit the watering holes in search of animals. During the heat of the day, various animals gather around the water for a drink while certain animals turn to the mud for a cool-down session afterward. It was not long before we came across the first watering hole. There was a small herd of buffalo at the water on our arrival. We decided to spend some time at the watering hole to see what other animals could potentially arrive. A large female white rhino and her most adorable male calf arrived at the water to our amazement. The rhinos looked thirsty and enjoyed a drink of water. After the two rhinos had their fill of water, the real entertainment was to follow. On the edge of the watering hole was a small mud wallow. The mother rhino decided it was time to cool down in the mud and comfortably went to lie down in the cool mud for a rest. The baby rhino clearly felt left out and wanted to do the same as his mother. The only problem was that pretty much the whole mud wallow was occupied by his mother. The male baby rhino did not let this problem stand in his way, and the behavior that followed was hilarious to watch. The baby rhino was adamant about joining his mother and hilariously turned around to push his mother in the face with his backside, leaving a patch of mud on the one side of her face. The baby rhino sent his mother a clear message that he demanded some space in the mud wallow. The sleepy mother rhino quickly got the message and went to lie on her side to make space for her busy youngster. The restless baby rhino prepared his comfortable spot before finally coming to rest next to his mother. In the end, the mother rhino and her calf both looked comfortable and happy in the mud for quite some time thereafter, while a few nearby buffalo just stared at them, looking rather confused.

This video is overloaded with cuteness. To see the adorable babies of one of Africa’s rarest carnivores, in the wild, was just priceless. Together with the Ethiopian wolf, the African wild dog is the rarest carnivore in Africa and getting to see these top hunting predators is rare. The wild dogs of Africa are excellent hunters and together in packs, they roam incredibly large areas in the last remaining protected areas in Southern Africa. Once a year during winter time, the African wild dog breeds and having the opportunity to see their young in the wild is a once in a lifetime experience. During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, we were lucky enough to visit a wild dog den that was discovered a few days earlier by a local ranger. The African wild dog usually uses a burrow in an old termite mound as their den which they dig deeper to their preference. On our arrival at the den, the mother was outside alone and we could not see any puppies. It was not long before the mother moved to the entrance of the den and started calling her babies. The next moment a whole bunch of the most adorable wild dog puppies burst out of the hole in the mound. The wild dog puppies looked incredibly happy to see their loving mother. After greeting and checking on each one of her thirteen puppies, the wild dog mother allowed her babies to have their fill of milk. It was incredible to see so many puppies drinking on the mother all at once. After the mother wild dog was done, she allowed her extremely playful puppies to play and enjoy themselves outside the den. The wild dog puppies were very energetic, while biting, pushing and jumping on each other. The wild dog puppies totally maximized their somewhat fifteen minutes outside the den before they disappeared back into their hole. We left the sight of the den feeling very privileged to have seen such a natural wonder out in the African wild.

It’s fascinating to watch how elephants use their trunks to drink water. The baby elephant seen in this video took a different approach after deciding that shoving its face into the water for a drink was much easier than using its trunk. Besides being the largest land mammal on earth, elephants are one of the most amusing and interesting wild animals to find while on a safari in Africa. Probably the most striking feature of an elephant is its trunk. An elephant’s trunk is a unique apparatus not shared by any other mammal on earth. During a recent safari in Kruger National Park, we came across a herd of elephants standing around a watering hole busy drinking. We were fascinated by how meticulous and precise the elephants were in using their trunks to slowly slurp up just enough water before spraying it into their mouths. For baby elephants, mastering the task of drinking water with their trunks takes a lot of practice during the first two years of life. We managed to see this first hand when the most adorable male baby elephant decided to also have a drink in the manner the adults do. This task seemed more like a bit of a struggle for the youngster. We could see how the water just streamed back out of his trunk and mouth every time he attempted to get a drink of water. At first the baby elephant looked a little hopeless in his attempts but he was not bothered at all as he had a much easier and quicker way of drinking than any of the other elephants. To our amazement the baby elephant shoved his face in the water and took a few big gulps of water. It looked awkward and hilarious at the same but it was clearly effective. The baby elephant then continued to practice the use of his trunk before he decided one more time that drinking straight with his mouth is just so much quicker and easier than practicing to so the proper thing. It was such an amazing experience watching the little fellow going about his own way of doing something like drinking water.

Having to constantly chase intruders away from your lunch table can become a tiresome business. Watch how two hyenas relentlessly charge into a large number of very hungry vultures, hopelessly attempting to save what is left of their meal. Surviving in the African wild is a tough deal for wild animals and the phrase ‘Sharing is caring’ does not apply. When there is food around, competition is fierce and there is always someone else in line that will challenge you for it. It was during a safari in the Kruger National Park that we came across a carcass of what seemed to be that of an old giraffe. There was not much left of the carcass besides the bones and bits of meat in between. At the carcass was two hyenas busy feasting away on the left-over food. Hyenas are not the only scavengers in the African bush and it was not long before a small number of vultures arrived. At first the two hyenas were not much bothered by the arrival of the vultures but it quickly changed when the number of vultures increased immensely. The vultures started feeding on the strips of meat between the bones on the one side of the carcass and the two hyenas were crushing bones on the other side. We could sense that tensions were rising and that the hyenas were not prepared to share their food with all the vultures. Suddenly the one hyena chases into the vultures with a burst of speed. There would be a flutter of wings as the vultures were scared off but as soon as the hyena turned its back the vultures would move back in. The second hyena also had a go and charging into the vultures became more and more frequent. It started to look like a hopeless case for the hyenas as their threatening running charges did little to scare off the vultures. It started to look like the hyenas will end up hungrier than what they originally were. It all became too much for the hyenas. One hyena gave up and disappeared and it was not long before the second hyena realised that it was totally outnumbered. The last hyena finally dropped the leg of the giraffe it was chewing on and slowly disappeared into the bush. Once the hyenas finally gave up their meal, it was swarmed by vultures immediately that finished off most of the remains during the rest of the day. It was incredible to watch how the whole story unfolded right in front of us and we realised that even if you are as big and scary looking as a hyena, in the end, determination with great numbers on your side usually wins the day.

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.

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.

When talking about scary noises coming from the African wild, it is common to think that the scariest noises might come from large predators such as lions, hyenas and leopards. Even elephant bulls can sound scary at times but few things beat the fearful and intimidating roars and grunts of two hippo bulls during a territorial display standoff. It was during a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park when we came across a large dam and decided to spend some time observing the life in and around the water. The most prominent animals in the area were a small number of hippos in the water. While scanning around for birdlife and other potential smaller animals, we suddenly heard these nightmarish sounds coming from the other side of the dam. We drove around to investigate and came across two male hippos standing half body out the water facing each other. The one hippo bull was clearly way larger and older than the other and the two bulls was not happy with each other. Hippos are very territorial and mature hippo bulls control a whole area such as the dam that we were at. Territorial bulls usually tolerate bachelor males within their domain as long as they behave submissively. There are times, as in this instance, that the mature bulls have to put these young rivals in their place with what is called dominance or threat displays. These displays involve yawning to show off their dangerous tusks, water scooping and head shaking, explosive exhalation accompanied by the scariest sounding grunting and roaring sounds. Watching this incredible display of dominance playing off in front of us was absolutely mind blowing while the noises send chills down our spines. The two hippo bulls continued with their showdown and scary noises until the young bull suddenly stopped, showing submissiveness in the end. Just like that the noises and jaw snapping stopped and the hippos returned back into the water as if nothing happened.

Sitting in the comfort of your own plunge pool while admiring the African wildlife in front of you is a holiday experience never to be forgotten. Having the African wildlife come to your pool for a drink, like these elephants did, is a whole different and unforgettable experience on its own. During a recent break away weekend, my wife and I decided to treat ourselves to a safari lodge in the Greater Kruger area of South Africa. With the current pandemic there are unfortunately no international tourists currently coming on safari in South Africa and all safari lodges have dropped their prices to make it more attractive for the domestic travel market. We decided to take advantage of this and even got ourselves into a room that had a plunge pool in front of it. It was sheer luxury in our minds and nothing beats sitting in your own private plunge pool on a hot summer day while viewing the wild animals in the distance. It was one of those hot afternoons and we decided not to go on safari but rather relax at the comfort of our room and swimming pool. I just got comfortable in the pool when I noticed a large herd of elephants in the distance. I got out to get my camera. On my return I got back into the pool and realised that the elephant herd was slowly making their way towards my direction. At first, they looked a little nervous and I just remained quiet sitting in the back corner of the pool. Before I knew it, the front part of the large elephant herd walked right up to the swimming pool, reached with their trunks over the edge of the pool and started drinking water from the swimming pool. I could not believe what I was seeing in front of me. It was like I did not even exist and the elephants continued drinking from the pool. There was even a little baby elephant among the herd but the little elephant unfortunately could not reach the pool water with its trunk. The elephants rotated and majority of the herd had their fair share of water which also left the pool with more than a third of its water consumed. The herd eventually moved on with their journey leaving me totally stunned with my close experience with these incredible giants.

Few things on a safari are as entertaining as watching baby elephants play in the mud, especially when they end up in the most awkward positions. It was during a late morning safari in the Kruger National Park when we came across a small herd of elephants standing around a mud wallow. The heat of the day was already rising and these elephants were taking the opportunity to cool themselves down by splashing their bodies with the mud. We decided to stop and watch the elephants enjoy their mud bath. In the herd there were a few younger elephants and baby elephants. Watching these youngsters being active near mud usually delivers really entertaining viewing. It was not long before I spotted one elephant that went to lie down flat on its side in the mud. It was the quickest way for the elephant to get most of its body covered with mud. While watching the elephant enjoying his lie down in the mud, things became even more entertaining when a male baby elephant arrived on the scene. The elephant lying in the mud was too much of a temptation for the baby elephant to ignore and signalled playtime to the youngster. The baby elephant then proceeded to climb on top of the bigger elephant. The bigger elephant bull lying in the mud did not seem too amused by the fact that there was young male elephant jumping onto him. The baby elephant was looking adorable while attempting to slide his body over that of his big brother. The elephant lying down finally decided to ignore the baby elephant and laid down his head, causing the baby elephant to lose his position, tumbling down onto his back with all four feet up in the air. This was one of the funniest moments with baby elephants I have seen in a long time. The baby elephant was lying down on his back with all four feet kicking up in the air for quite some time in the attempt to get back onto his feet. Eventually the baby elephant managed to fall over onto his side. At the same time the older elephant quickly got back onto his feet and decided to rather move on after his mud bath was interrupted. The baby elephant slowly managed to get back onto his own four feet, after his playful ‘falling around’ adventures came to an end and left with the rest of the herd. We left the area feeling really happy and heart warmed by the funny and adorable moments these elephants created for us.

There are times when rare events and sights in the African wild can absolutely stun you. I recently came across one of those rare and very unusual sights; an adult male elephant with one leg amputated, amazingly walking around and surviving in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. It was in the middle of a hot day in a private rest camp in the Kruger National Park. Safari guests were taking a break from the heat after a long morning safari drive. The beauty of this rest camp was that there is a watering hole in the front of the camp. This gives everyone the opportunity to enjoy game viewing from the comfort of the rest camp located in the shade. A large herd of elephants came to visit the watering hole during the heat of the day and made for a spectacular sight in front of the camp. After quenching their thirsts, the herd of elephants slowly started moving away from the water. From the opposite direction, a lone elephant appeared from the bush approaching the watering hole. This elephant was clearly one of the stragglers in the herd. We suddenly noticed there was something very strange about the way this elephant walked and to our shock realized that this adult male elephant was walking on three feet only. I have never seen anything like this in my life. I ran to grab my camera and started filming this bizarre looking sight in front of us. It was incredible to see how this male elephant actually managed to move forward. It did not look very comfortable at all but he was moving forward effectively. Due to this slow walking manner, the male elephant was clearly lagging behind the rest of the herd. The first thought that came through my mind was that this elephant must be in incredible pain after losing part of his leg. After closer inspection we realised that the amputated leg had no signs of any raw flesh and we did not see any blood. With the relief of knowing that the elephant was not walking around with a raw open wound, we come to realise that this male elephant has been going like this for many years. We could even see the cracks on the worn skin at the bottom of the amputated leg, which also appears on the feet of elephants. My sense of shock turned into a huge admiration and level of respect for this male elephant. The African wild is one of the toughest places on earth to survive, and that is said for animals with all their limbs intact. This male elephant has taken determination to survive to the next level and we are sure, even though he was lagging behind, the hundred plus elephant herd that he belongs to has protected him all along against the many predators such an animal can easily fall prey to. The most accepted reason to why the male elephant lost part of his leg was that he most likely got caught in a snare during his young years and in the process lost that part of his leg. This male elephant gave me a whole new level of respect for the determination for survival of the African Elephant.

Watching baby elephants are one of the most rewarding things you can do while on an African safari. The video shows just how adorable baby elephants can be while dealing with their daily real-life struggles such as attempting to get back onto your feet while lying down in slippery mud. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, it didn’t take long for us to find our first sighting which was a small herd of elephants. The herd of elephants were on the banks of a small river busy drinking water and playing in the mud. Whenever elephants are near any water or mud, you can be assured that it will be a great experience to watch. Just observing the unique manner in which elephants drink water is a magical experience on its own. Some elephants, especially the youngsters, usually decides to cool down in the mud after their drink of water. This is usually where the real fun and entertaining watching starts. It didn’t take long to spot one of those funny and entertaining moments amongst the herd members. On the opposite side of the river bank was two baby elephants, one was kicking around in the mud in front of him while the smaller baby elephant was lying on its side in the mud. The baby elephant lying down in the mud was making sure that he got that one side of his body covered in mud, helping the elephants to cool down during the heat of the day. The most amusing part of the bay elephant’s behaviour was when it looked like it was making an attempt to get back on to its feet. The baby elephant managed to roll from its side onto its belly. From the belly down position the baby elephant looked very lazy and not very committed to really get back up onto its feet. With what looked like a real big effort, the baby elephant finally managed to get onto it is feet only to suddenly find itself in another wobbly moment. The mud under its feet was clearly slippery and the baby elephant nearly lost his footing before finally gathering himself to stand up straight next to mommy. We wholeheartedly enjoyed our experience and time with the herd of elephants. We left the herd alone and drove off, each person on the vehicle with a smile on their face and the fresh memories of the adorable baby elephant in the mud

While it is true that size does matter when involved in pushing and shoving, the right attitude on the other hand can make a huge difference, no matter the size of your opponent. Watch how a baby elephant shows that a determined attitude can go a long way, even when size is not on your side. It was during a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park when we came across a herd of elephants. As a safari guide you know that it is always wise to switch off your vehicle and observe. Elephants are almost always active and spending time watching a herd of elephants will mostly deliver some sort of entertaining behaviour. It was a large herd and the elephants were scattered all around us in smaller groups busy feeding. A sudden movement to my left drew my attention to two young male elephants, looking very busy. Suddenly the young elephants had everyone’s attention when they came smashing through the shrub. The one elephant still looked like a baby elephant while his older brother seemed considerably larger in size. Even though it might seem that the two young elephants were just fooling around, these displays are part of a young male elephant’s life. From an early age, young males establish a hierarchy through these ‘play fights’ that includes head butting, pushing, ramming and shoving each other with the head. Due to elephants being the largest land mammals on the planet, dominance in the hierarchy is established through size. It was so adorable to watch the young elephants going about their battle of pushing and butting each other around with their heads. What stood out the most about the events unfolding in front of us was how tenacious the baby elephant was, showing a real fighter attitude even though he was outsized by his brother. The smaller elephant stood his ground, pushing back as hard as he could. Near the end of the video the baby elephant even mock charged towards his bigger brother, giving him a fright in the process. After that, the bigger elephant brother decided that enough was enough and finally pushed his annoying little brother one last time for a good distance till the baby elephant finally realized that in the elephant world size really does matter.