Clumsy elephant brothers struggle to stay on their feet while climbing slippery slope
During a recent safari holiday in the Kruger National Park, we were treated to some of the best game viewing in Africa. The Kruger National Park is one of the biggest protected wildlife areas in Africa and hosts and incredibly diverse amount of fauna and flora. Out of all the animals in the African bush, the African elephant is a big favourite amongst tourists and visitors of the National Park. Not only are elephants the largest land mammals on the planet, they are also seen as the most intelligent of all animals in the African wild. At a young age, elephants are amazingly entertaining. Their clumsiness and playfulness while learning the skills of life in the African bush is just so funny to watch. We came across a herd of elephants bathing in a large river. While majority of the elephant herd started leaving the water after their swim, we noticed two young bull elephant brothers, still having to make their way out of the river. The first part of their climb up the river bank was very muddy and slippery while the remaining part was hard and very uneven terrain for them to walk on. The older brother was the first one to make an attempt which failed miserably with the young elephant slipping, then falling down onto his little brother. From there both young male elephants looked hilariously clumsy while they made an attempt to climb up the river bank. The mother elephant immediately came over to see if her two struggling boys were fine. She carefully watched her two sons slipping and sliding, staying close should they need help. In the end, help from the mother was not needed. The older brother took the lead and carefully made his way up the slope. His young brother followed right behind, looking very awkward on his wobbly legs. The young brother’s attempts were very entertaining to watch, with his backside sliding to the side the whole time. Just as we thought he might fall down, the young male elephant showed real focus and determination and finally managed to get himself up the river bank and stable on his feet. Once again, the African elephant was by far the most entertaining animal to watch during our whole safari holiday.
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Tourist films rare and strange snake behavior
During a recent stay in the Kruger National Park we decided to go for an early morning walk through the rest camp we were staying at. While we were spending time watching birds, my wife suddenly noticed a snake moving across the pathway no too far ahead of us. We decided to go closer and see what type of snake it was. It was a hot summers day which usually leads to high snake activity in the African bush. It was a long thin green snake and we easily identified as a spotted bush snake. The spotted bush snake is an alert, day-active snake that climbs well and is often found between the walls and ceilings of outbuildings, where it hunts for geckos and frogs.
Their favorite prey is geckos. This fetish for geckos brings these little snakes into direct conflict with humans daily. They will go wherever their food can be found and more often than not, it’s into human habitats. When disturbed, these snakes move very quickly in the opposite direction and can vanish into the smallest spaces. They are harmless to humans. The spotted bush snake is also very common in the Kruger National Park. Knowing all of these common facts about them, we noticed that this specific bush snake displayed no common behavior at all. It was behaving in the most bizarre manner. It started with some outrageous dance-like body movements. The snake was throwing around the top half of its body all over the place while hanging down from a small bridge on the pathway. It suddenly stopped acting weird. The snake was just hanging there for a short while. After that, all was normal again and the snake comfortably slithered away like nothing happened and like we were not even there. We were totally confused by this behavior and have never seen anything like this before.
Since our encounter with the strange behaving snake, we have asked various snake experts about this unusual behavior we managed to capture on film. The most popular theory for this behavior was the possibility of a parasite inside the snake that alters its behavior. It is the kind of behavior you get when certain parasites change their host’s behavior to make it more likely that the host will be eaten in order for the parasite to complete its life cycle inside another host. It was very interesting to learn that these behavioral changing parasites have been studied inside various animal species but no one is hundred percent sure if that was the case with this spotted bush snake. Many experts believe there could be various other causes for this behavior and in the end the behavior was described as abnormal and very seldom seen. In the end we like to see it as just one of the many wonderful mysteries Mother Nature keeps to herself.
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Playful baby zebra starts chases bird on mom's back
One of the highlights on any African safari is finding wild animals with their young. The offspring of most mammals are normally adorable and very cute. Watching baby animals in the wild is always a heart-warming experience while their playfulness and clumsiness makes for very entertaining viewing. Baby zebras fit this description very well and these little stripy foals seem to amaze us more and more by the day. During a safari in the Kruger Park, we came across a small herd of zebra, busy feeding in the distance. There was a number of baby zebras seen in the herd. We spotted one specific foal that looked very playful and full of energy. It was then when the young foals became the center of our attention.
The young zebra suddenly seemed pretty amused by one specific bird that was flying around between the baby zebra and its mother. The bird landed on the mother zebra and started moving around on her body. The playful zebra then decided that the bird can no longer stay on its mother and had to go. The only problem was that the bird sat on its mother’s back, too high for the little zebra to see the bird. The baby zebra wasn’t going to give up and jumped up against its mother with its front legs while standing on its hind legs in an attempt to chase the bird away.
This made for very entertaining viewing as we have never seen a baby zebra standing on its hind legs. The bird didn’t look too bothered by this. It would just lift itself into the air for a short while before landing again on the mother zebra. It was really funny to see how obsessed and amused this baby zebra was with one single bird. In the end the baby zebra gave up and the bird was left to continue searching its mother’s skin for a tasty snack such as ticks and parasites hiding between the hair on her body.
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Young elephant dunks brother's head under water during play fight
In my opinion, there are no other terrestrial mammal species on this planet that loves water more than elephants do. Watching the largest mammal on earth enjoying itself in water is always a very amusing and entertaining experience. Splashing and swimming around during a hot day is the elephant’s favorite day time activity besides eating. Lacking respiratory glands, elephants can not sweat to cool themselves. Elephants have to cool themselves by using different methods such as flapping their ears, standing in the shade during the heat of the day or go for a swim. It was during a safari on a hot summer afternoon in the Kruger National Park that we came across a herd of elephants swimming in a river.
It looked like they were having so much fun. The young elephants in particular were very energetic with many ongoing play fights in the water between siblings. Our attention was drawn to a group of young males busy playing and wrestling in the water. One young male elephant was chasing his smaller brother around in the water. The young elephant caught up with his smaller brother and decided it was time for him to understand who was the big brother in charge here. We were totally amazed by this hilarious and typical sibling like behavior. The young elephant went on to climb on top of his smaller brother and dunked his head under the water using his two front legs to hold him down.
We were getting worried there for a few seconds as he kept his brother’s head under the water for longer than what we thought he would, seeing that they are only playing around. After a number of seconds, the smaller brother pulled his head out of the water, pushing his brother off him. Luckily elephants do have a large lung capacity and the youngster was just fine. It was such an entertaining sight to watch these play fighting siblings We all agreed that it was a typical ‘boys will be boys’ scenario with two brothers settling the ranks dominance while having fun at the same time.
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Baby zebra humorously struggles to remove bird on its ear
It is always special to see the various relationships that exist between two or more different species of animals in the African wild. One great example of this is the relationship of a bird called the oxpecker and wild mammals in Africa. Their relationship is specifically known as a symbiotic relationship where both or all species involved benefit from the relationship. In this case the bird is checking the skins of animals for ticks and parasites they can feed on. In return the animals get rid of pesky bloodsucking parasites that can be detrimental to their health.
This sighting was a great example of when baby animals don’t yet understand this type of relationship and is more seen as an annoyance than a benefit. During a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park, we stopped to watch a small herd of zebra busy feeding in the open. It was summer time which meant that there were many baby zebras around in the herds. Zebra foals are always adorable and they make for very entertaining viewing. We noticed one oxpecker bird jumping around the animals in the herd, looking for easy pickings between the hairs on their skins. The bird landed on the head of one baby zebra. It was not long before the little zebra became evidently annoyed with the bird continuously wanting to nibble in and around its ear.
The ears of grazing mammals are one of those hard to reach places that is crucial to be cleaned. Only the bird can reach in the ear but it can clearly be a very annoying experience at the same time. It was so funny to watch the baby zebra shaking its head in an effort to get rid of the bird. The bird was relentless and kept going for the baby zebra’s ear the whole time. The bird simply would not go away while sticking to the side of the zebra’s head searching inside its ears for a snack. The pesky bird ended up annoying the little zebra so much that it hilariously started jumping around, kicking into the air while going a little crazy for a few seconds. The bird also became annoyed eventually and flew off to irritate another zebra in the herd.
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Young elephant refuses to share mud bath with brother
While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we found a small herd of elephants standing a riverbed. The sun was sitting high already and it was getting very hot. We saw some of the elephants took the opportunity to go lie down in the mud, cooling themselves down in the process. At the same time the elephants can get rid of any pesky insects and ticks sitting on their skin. Watching elephants enjoying themselves while having a mud bath is mostly a very entertaining experience. Unlike any other animal, elephants really do have fun in all sorts of ways when they are in the mud or water. We were watching two young male elephants lying in the mud when a third young male appeared.
The young male wanted to join his two brothers for a cool down in the mud. When the elephant decided to go lie down in between his two brothers, the one brother was having none of that. He simply stretched out his one leg and pushed his brother away, making it clear that he cannot come closer to share the mud bath. At one stage the young elephant kept his brother away from him for quite some time using his stiff leg up in the air, pushing against his brother’s side. The middle elephant eventually realized that he was not going to get comfortable in the small space between his two brothers.
He leaned against his brother for a short while before getting kicked again repeatedly. The young elephant got the message that he was not welcome and decided to move on and find his own mud bath. It was really funny to watch these two young males fooling around in the mud. As they say, ‘boys will be boys’ and these two elephants displayed the typical behavior of two brothers not preparing to share much at a young age.
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Confused zebras caught off guard by wildebeests' erratic behavior
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.
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Hippo bull chases antelope away from ‘his’ watering hole
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.
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Safari guests enjoy breakfast in restaurant while watching elephants relaxing in the garden
As frequent travelers we are fortunate enough to have stayed in many hotels, resorts and lodges all over the world. Most of these places usually deliver great settings where one can enjoy a relaxing atmosphere during meal times, whether it be indoors or outdoors. Never in my life have we been treated to a breakfast experience like the one recently at a wilderness camp in the Kruger National Park. After a late morning safari, we arrived back at our camp and were heading straight to the restaurant for a well-deserved late breakfast. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were told at the entrance to please be very quiet and slowly take our seats. When we got to the outside section of the restaurant, we couldn’t believe what we saw. Less than twenty meters away from the table where we were supposed to sit was a small herd of elephants standing and lying in the shade on the lawn of the garden. What a surprise it was indeed. The video shows the table where we were going to sit. We didn’t take our seats immediately, standing in awe while watching the elephants carrying on as if they could not be bothered by us. A few other people were already eating and looked pretty comfortable having their breakfast while enjoying this amazing sight. We did the same and enjoyed a long breakfast while watching the elephants. The young elephants were playful in the beginning while the older elephants just wanted to rest. It was late morning and getting very hot already. These elephants knew that the biggest shady trees are located in the camp during the dry season. The camp was not fenced at all and these elephants enjoyed coming in and out of camp at their own time. Out of all the holiday breakfasts I have ever had in my life, this breakfast in true African style was and still is the most memorable one by far.
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Itchy rhino calf gets interrupted by his mother while enjoying a body scratch
During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park, we came across a family of white rhinos all covered in mud. White rhinos love wallowing in the mud, cooling themselves down and getting rid of pesky insects on their bodies at the same time. Once a rhino finished wallowing in the mud, the remaining mud becomes dry and hard on the skin. Numerous ticks and insects are trapped in the cakes of mud still stuck to the rhino’s body. Their skin then becomes very itchy, forcing the rhino to find an object against which it can scratch its body. Old tree stumps and rocks are popular rubbing or scratching posts. The video shows how the mother rhino and her young calf were using a big fallen tree stump as a rubbing and scratching post. It was clear that the young male rhino was very itchy after his mud bath and needed a good scratch badly. While scratching his belly, the young rhino calf became super excited. It was hilarious to see the little rhino jumping and bouncing around. The relief of the itch was clearly very satisfying. The rhino calf made for very entertaining viewing, scratching its belly from all angles while standing in the most amusing and awkward positions. While the calf was having a blast rubbing his belly against the stump, the mother rhino was standing next to him, patiently rubbing her horn against the stump. Suddenly the mother decided that her calf enjoyed enough belly scratches and that it was her turn to get a good body scratch. The mother rhino gently pushed her calf to the side while moving herself in between him and the rubbing post. To our amazement the young rhino reacted by pushing and shoving his mother in an attempt to move her away and reclaim his rubbing spot. The calf’s mother was not going anywhere. After his funny and very unsuccessful attempts, the rhino calf decided that it was better to let his mother enjoy her scratch and moved away. We couldn’t believe the cheeky attitude the young male rhino showed towards his mother. The calf’s belly must have itched so much that not even his own mother was welcome to use his rubbing post.
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Tourists watch elephant casually drink from garden hose in backyard
While on a safari holiday in the Kruger National Park we stayed with a group of tourists in a remote wilderness camp. These wilderness camps provide a true wilderness experience, situated far away from civilization and not fenced. Wildlife are free to move through the camp. This means staying in one of these camps can be adventurous and you have to be aware and vigilant at all times. While relaxing in camp one afternoon, we suddenly noticed a young bull elephant casually walking into the camp garden onto the lawn.
There was a large sprinkler busy irrigating the lawn and the elephant walked straight to that sprinkler. To our amazement the elephant pulled the garden hose from the sprinkler and shoved it into his mouth. We couldn’t believe we were watching an elephant in the garden of our camp, drinking water from a hose pipe. I grabbed my camera and started filming this unusual sight. The elephant was so relaxed he even lifted his front left foot and rested it on top of the sprinkler. This made for a hilarious pose. The elephant dropped the hose and effortlessly picked it up again and easily put it back into his mouth. Once the elephant had enough to drink, he threw down the garden hose. The elephant then started pulling the hose pipe, looking like he wanted to roll up the hose and put it away. We quickly realized he actually wanted to pull the hose pipe from the tap to see where the source of the water was. It was not long before the young bull became annoyed with trying to reel in the long hose pipe.
Luckily the elephant lost interest eventually and no taps were pulled out of the ground or garden hoses snapped. This was definitely one of the most unusual and funny sightings we’ve seen in the African wild. Elephants not only love water in general but they also love their water to be clean. When they have a choice, elephants are picky about their water and they will much rather prefer to drink clean and clear water instead of brown murky water. This elephant clearly knew that the water used for irrigation at the camp was much tastier and cleaner than the water in the nearby river.
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Baby owl takes a nose dive from picnic table during flight attempt
The semi-arid Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is situated in the remote northern western part of South Africa. It is one of the last true wilderness places left in Southern Africa. It is a vibrant semi-desert wilderness area with a surprising abundance of life. There is a diverse number of fauna and flora and one of the great attractions are the incredible number raptors found in the park. Birds of prey include various species of eagles, hawks, falcons, vultures and owls. During a recent visit to the park we stopped at one of the few small picnic spots where you can get out of your vehicle, stretch your legs after a long drive and have something to eat. We were the only people at the rest stop at that stage. While we were relaxing I suddenly noticed a movement on another picnic table on the other side of the resting area. I grabbed my camera and started filming. We realised it was a baby spotted eagle owl, standing on the table looking a little confused. The owlet kept looking upwards into the tree as if it urgently had to get back up into the tree. We decided to drive a little closer and see what this little one was up to. The owlet was still standing on the table looking unsure when it suddenly made an attempt to fly back up into the tree. The clumsy little owl failed miserably in its attempt. It looked more like the juvenile took a leap of faith and ended up nose diving straight down to the ground. We couldn’t help but to find this sudden fall very funny. The baby owl looked a bit shocked and confused after the fall. With us laughing at the owlet’s failure, it decided to sneak off and hide behind the tree. We drove around the tree and found the youngster hiding under a fallen stump on the ground, staring at us with its huge bright yellow eyes. It was as if the baby owl felt embarrassed by its sudden fall from the table and just wanted to hide. We decided to leave the owlet in peace and continued with our journey.
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Male kudu antelope use their majestic horns during dominance fight
When you spend a lot of time in the African bush as a safari guide, you get to see and learn allot about the behaviour of various animals on a daily basis. Observing animals and getting to understand their common behaviour is key to delivering a great safari experience to our visiting tourists. Every once in a while Mother Nature will surprise even the most experienced safari guides with an unexpected, uncommon or rarely seen sighting in the wild. While guiding a recent safari in the Kruger National Park, we noticed a large cloud of dust hanging over the bush a short distance ahead of us. There were also loud clashing noises coming from the same area. We decided to drive closer and investigate what was going on. When we arrived at the scene, we were stunned by what we saw. Two big male kudu antelope were locked in a serious fight using their incredibly large and powerful horns. We could clearly hear the loud bashing sounds of their horns clashing together. The kudu bulls were evenly matched and were pushing each other around while creating a huge dust cloud. Near the end of the intense fight one kudu bull managed to hook the other male around the neck and dragged him around in a solid grip. This particular fight lasted over half an hour until one male eventually gave up and ran away. In my 10 years of guiding and living in the African bush, this is only the second time ever I have witnessed such an event. After the eland antelope species, the kudu is the world’s second largest antelope. The kudu male has the longest and most impressive horns of all the African antelope. The male kudu is normally not aggressive with each other at all. Usually, dominance is established by a peaceful lateral display. During a lateral display, mature bulls will weigh up their opponents only by a show of their good looks and posture. The biggest and most impressive contender will then peacefully maintain all mating rights with the females while the other contender moves on without any objection. Only under rare circumstances when two animals are equally matched, will they actually fight using their large majestic horns. These fights can also potentially go all the way till death. Watching these majestic antelope doing battle with their magnificent horns was a priceless experience indeed.
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Grumpy Elephant Chases Thirsty Warthogs Away From Watering Hole
For nearly two thirds of the year, the Kruger National Park goes through a dry period. During these long dry seasons, water and food becomes really scarce. These tough conditions create a hostile environment where the competition for food and water among animals becomes more fierce and intense. Across the park there are a number of widespread man made watering holes that are pumped right through the year from underground water sources. During dry periods these watering holes are great places to watch wild animals coming from far to quench their thirst. During a safari we decided to stop at one of these watering holes. On our arrival there was a herd of elephants already gathered in and around the water. Elephants are known for drinking huge amounts of water as well as their love for water in general.
Elephants love their water so much that majority of the time they will not allow any other species of animal to share the water with them. While we watched the elephants enjoying their time at the water, a young warthog appeared, carefully making its way to the water for a long awaited drink. Suddenly one elephant in the water was alerted by the presence of the warthog. This behavior then triggered another elephant to come around and investigate what was going on. In the meantime a second warthog appeared, hoping to get a few sips of water. The elephant saw the warthogs and became really grumpy. Immediately the elephant charged towards the warthogs while letting out a loud trumpeting noise to scare them even more. The warthogs had no choice but to give up their opportunity of getting a drink.
They quickly turned around and ran off into the bush. The elephant continued to run after the warthogs until they disappeared. We couldn’t believe that an elephant weighing a few tons would pick on something so small as a warthog weighing a mere sixty kilograms. In the process the rest of the elephant herd got a fright and became uneasy for a short while. After the whole commotion the elephants settled down again and continued as if nothing happened.
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Trio of squirrels hold onto each other to keep warm
The Kruger National Park is one of the most visited wilderness parks in Africa. Tourists flock to the park every year to see the great variety of African wildlife living in their natural environment and habitats. The most sought after animals are called the big five and consists of lion, leopard, buffalo and elephant. While these big animals steal the show, there are many other smaller species of wildlife to be seen that can add to a great safari experience. It is the smaller animals that people tend to miss and overlook while on their search for the more popular and bigger animals. We went on a recent safari in the park and the weather turned for the worse. It was cloudy and miserably cold.
On days like these it is usually difficult to spot any animals as they tend to lie down and not move. We had to make the best of the situation and still went out on safari to see what we can find. While braving the cold safari on an open game viewer vehicle, our guide suddenly noticed a large fury ball up in a dead tree. We drove closer to see what it was. To our amazement we came across the most adorable sight. Three cute squirrels were holding onto each other to keep warm while the cold wind was blowing. Such caring and loving behavior by the squirrels made for heart-warming viewing. The squirrels used this snuggle time for mutual grooming which is an important part in strengthening their family bonds.
The video shows how much they do enjoy these grooming sessions with armpits, eyes, ears and the rest of the body thoroughly check for any irritating parasites. The squirrels would then rotate positions, giving each one a chance to be groomed while holding onto each other to keep warm at the same time. We never anticipated for squirrels to deliver such an amazing wildlife sighting and we were glad we made the effort to go out on safari during the unpleasant weather conditions.
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Baby hyena struggles to stay awake while lying belly up next to mommy
The Kruger National Park in South Africa is home to a great variety of large predator species. While the big cats such as lion and leopard are very popular amongst safari goers, one specific predator has a very different reputation. The spotted hyena, mostly viewed with fear and contempt because of their scavenging habits and their alleged cowardice. Among the beliefs held by some cultures, hyenas are thought to influence people’s spirits, rob graves, and steal livestock and children. With such a reputation it would be hard to believe that these amazing creatures can also be very cute and adorable, especially when they are still young. We had the fortunate experience to witness some of that unknown hyena cuteness. During a safari in the Kruger Park we stopped at what is called a communal den, usually a hole or burrow inside a termite mound. The focus of a hyena clan centres on a communal den where all the females keep their young. On our arrival we found one large female lying outside the den together with her cute little cubs. Our attention was drawn to one specific cub that stole the show. The cub was lying on its back and belly up next to its mother. This adorable baby hyena made for entertaining viewing as it was clear that it was very tired and could hardly keep its eyes open. The mother hyena was fast asleep and the baby hyena tried to keep itself busy and not fall asleep. Even chewing on its own leg didn’t really help and we could see how the baby hyena’s head was slowly falling backwards. For a little while the hyena cub could resist the sleepiness until it just became too much. The baby hyena finally fell over onto its side, lying in a much more comfortable position, joining mommy for a nap. Watching this cute baby hyena in its attempt to try and stay awake was hugely entertaining and funny at the same time. It also shows that hyenas are far more diverse and fascinating than the dull, one-dimensional creatures most people think of when they hear the word hyena.
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Tourists unexpectedly find massive lion in front of room
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a vibrant semi-arid wilderness area with a great variety of wildlife. One of the main attractions are the big cats such as lion and leopard. Finding leopard can be tough but lions are seen on a regular basis and the park hosts a strong and healthy population. Temperatures in the park can reach between forty three and forty seven degrees Celsius. Big cats such as lion do not move at all during these hot times of the day. They will spend majority of the day resting or sleeping under the shade of a tree. The only problem is that there are not always many big trees around in this semi desert wilderness. This means that the lions of the Kgalagadi have become very innovative over time in their ways of finding shade where no trees are nearby.
We were out on safari one morning for over four hours when we decided to head back to our wilderness camp. The heat was becoming relentless and the temperature was already thirty eight degrees Celsius at ten o clock in the morning. The camp had beautifully constructed rustic chalets made out of wood. Each chalet could sleep two people and each one had a veranda with a great view and most importantly great shade. These type of wilderness camps are also un-fenced, so wildlife can come and go through these camps as they like. For this very reason you are always collected and dropped off by a safari vehicle as walking around is forbidden. We quickly realized first-hand the purpose of the no walking around policy. We drove into the wilderness camp ready to go and relax and cool down at our chalet. Upon our return, our guide said he heard that it won’t be possible for us to go back to our chalet just yet.
I thought he was joking at first but then became confused by this rather disappointing news. We asked him why? and he said he would go and show us. As we came around the corner of our chalet we got a big surprise. There he was, a big male lion, lying in the shade in front of our chalet. My wife and I were totally stunned by this unexpected visitor lying in front of our accommodation and we couldn’t say a word. We realized that we had to go find ourselves some other shade for the time being and wait for the lion to move on. Luckily we could spend our time in the restaurant until we were eventually told after three hours that the lion moved on and we could go back. Not every day that a lion beats you to your own house in search of a shady resting spot.
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Baby rhino fascinated by his mom's horn
White rhino are the second largest land mammals on earth and as such take their place amongst the Big 5 animals of the African continent. The rhino’s most prominent feature is its horns. They are weapons of deference used during bouts of combat or to protect itself and its offspring from predators. Unfortunately a ridiculous number of rhino are poached and killed every year in the Kruger National Park purely just for their horns. The illegal demand for rhino horn is driven by the myth that their horns have medicinal value to humans. Rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine, but increasingly common is its use as a status symbol to display success and wealth. The horn of a rhino is made of keratin which is the same substance as fingernails. Scientifically proven there is no medicinal value to humans whatsoever. With the senseless killing continuing, it is always a huge occasion to find a baby rhino in the wild.
While on safari in the Kruger National Park we had the opportunity to sit and watch the most adorable baby rhino spending time with its mother. It was a little male and he was only two weeks old. The cute rhino calf only had a tiny bump on his nose for a horn. The little rhino’s two big ears were prominent and made it look so adorable. While spending time playing around with his mother, we noticed that this little guy was extremely fascinated by his mother’s big horn.
The video shows how the baby rhino playfully investigates his mother’s horn. It looked like he was still discovering the huge thing stuck on his mother’s nose. The bull calf clearly knew that it was something he would use one day and even practiced his strength and combat skills against his mother’s massive horn. This baby rhino was energetic and full of play, bouncing and running around while being fascinated by his mother’s horn. It was great to see the little one was doing well and already starting to learn the skills he would need later in life. Seeing a baby rhino in the wild can be challenging and this was definitely one of our best rhino sightings in a very long time.
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Travelling friends find man sleeping on horse next to road
The Kalahari region in the Northern Cape province of South Africa is a special place, characterized by its vast semi-arid wilderness and farmland areas. It also hosts the lowest density of people in the country. Life in the Kalahari runs at its own pace and many will say it is a place still stuck in its own time. It is not strange to see many people still using horses or donkey carts as a mode of transport. Today this is still the only safe and reliable mode of transport available to many people in the rural areas.
My friend Rudi and I were driving a long stretch of dirt road from their farm in the Kalahari to town which was an hour’s drive away. It was late Saturday afternoon and we were on our way to a social function in town. In the distance we noticed something rather odd. There was a lone horse standing next to the road in the middle of nowhere. As we came closer we quickly realized what was going on. On the back of this horse was a man lying, passed out and not moving. We decided to check it out and stopped next to the horse. At first we called, whistled and hit the hooter of the vehicle a few times to see if we might get any reaction. The obviously very loyal and obedient horse briefly looked at us but no movement came from the man.
My friend Rudi decided to get out and investigate. I warned him not to go too close to the back of the horse as it might kick him. Rudi walked up to the horse and shook the man a few times while asking if he was OK. Suddenly the guy woke up, looking much disorientated and confused. His response was that he was on his way home. At the end of the video Rudi said to the guy in Afrikaans, “OK, the traffic light is green, you can go now” and off he went in a gallop on the back of his very trusty horse. It sure looked like the guy had a little too much to drink and passed out on the back of his horse while on the way home. Maybe he was just tired after a long journey and decided to take a power nap next to the road. None the less, it was one of the strangest and funniest things we have seen in a long time.
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Fearless oryx chase hyena away from watering hole
Wildlife in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is constantly driven by a great thirst. Water in this semi-arid wilderness is scarce and animals rely on a few man-made waterholes scattered across the park. These water holes are very far apart and animals must travel great distances in extremely hot conditions to get a drink of water. There are times when these waterholes get busy with all different kinds of animals congregating at the water. Understandably there are times when conflict arise between species around these waterholes.
During a safari in the park we came across a lone spotted hyena at one of these man-made waterholes. Not too far away was a small herd of Oryx antelope. The predator was standing in the water to cool down while the Oryx antelope did not look very happy with the presence of the hyena in the water. The Oryx antelope looked intimidating, like warriors with painted faces and spears on their heads. The hyena clearly knew the dangers of these spear like horns. One Oryx bull started walking slowly towards they hyena and with a sudden quick burst of speed ran forward to give the hyena a fright and warning at the same time.
The hyena responded to the warning and quickly got out of the water and ran a short distance away from the water. Unexpectedly the hyena turned around and approached the water again as if nothing happened. Another Oryx bull then stepped forward and with an intimidating attitude and kept on walking towards the hyena. Finally the hyena got the message that he was not welcome anymore at the water and decided to rather run off before it got more trouble than it could handle. The small herd of Oryx clearly decided that this specific water hole belonged to them for that period and they were definitely not going to share it with a hyena that they also see as threat in general.
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Two falcons fight for meal, jackal walks away with it
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a vibrant semi-desert, with a surprising abundance of life. It is a place where animals face a daily struggle to find food and water. Amazingly they manage to survive and flourish in extremely difficult conditions. In their quest for survival, wild animals living in this enormous open wilderness area become extremely adaptive to their environment. This can lead to very unusual, innovative and fascinating behavior from all kinds of wildlife species in order for them to be resourceful and opportunistic.
We spend a few hours at a waterhole in the reserve, watching mostly birds coming to the water. Over time, predators and birds of prey have learned that the smaller birds coming to drink in the mornings and afternoons can actually be a great food source for them. Hunting a doves or finches that can suddenly take off with lightning speed when threatened, is a great challenge for the predators and not an easy task. One specific bird of prey that is faster and quicker than most birds is called the Lanner Falcon. These falcons are extremely good aerial hunters. Once a flock of small birds start gathering around the water hole, the falcon would come speeding through the air and swoop over the water hole in attempt to grab a small bird.
We noticed nearby under a tree was a black backed jackal, patiently lying and watching the falcons trying to catch a meal. Suddenly we saw one falcon that managed to grab a bird call a Namaqua dove. What happened next blew our minds. The nearby jackal saw this and surprisingly started running after the falcon, chasing it at full speed. At the exact same time another Lanner falcon came speeding past the jackal, heading straight for the other falcon with the meal in its talons. The one falcon caught up with the other one and it was clear the falcon was making an attempt to steal the dove from the other falcon. The slow motion part of the video shows the dramatic but brief interaction where the first falcon let go of the dove and the second one trying to grab it in the air. The second falcon unbelievably missed its target by a small margin and the dove tumbled straight sown to the ground. Within a flash the jackal was right there and ran straight towards the dropped meal and claimed the prize.
We were absolutely amazed by the fact that the jackal ran after one of the fastest birds of prey in the hope that it might steal the kill from the falcon. How the jackal knew that there was an opportunity to get a meal was just mind blowing and incredible to watch.
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Heron displays impressive balancing skills on back of hippo
During a recent safari in the Kruger National Park these people were treated to the site of a large bird, daringly sitting on the back of a hippo while showing amazing balancing skills in an attempt to remain on the back of the hippo. The visitors stopped at a large dam to observe a variety of wildlife in and around the water. There were various species of water birds present together with a huge number of large crocodiles scattered around the edges of the water. Inside the water there were pods of hippo spread all over.
Suddenly they spotted a large bird called a grey heron, flying over the water. To their surprise, the heron landed on the back of one hippo in the middle of the dam. Grey herons are large water birds that are commonly found around shallow water bodies such as shallow rivers, lakes and open marshes. They spend their time hunting mainly fish, with a menu that stretches to aquatic invertebrates, rodents and even small birds. This specific bird seen in the video is no ordinary heron. Over time this bird has developed the insight to find an alternative fishing tactic. Instead of only hunting along the shallow edges of this deep dam, the bird amazingly figured out to use the back of hippos as a perching point to fish from. In the middle of the dam the bird has the opportunity to get to larger fish swimming in the deep waters.
Most of the time these hippos will tolerate the bird on their backs but there are times when things do not always go according to plan for the bird. The video shows the heron was perched on the back of a hippo that kept on moving around with no regard to the bird standing on its back. The hippo would roll from side to side and the heron would react to keep its balance by walking forward or backwards, just like someone would attempt to keep their balance on a drum floating in the water. This made for very entertaining viewing and we could not believe how determined this bird was to stay on the back of the hippo.
Eventually the movements of the hippo became more erratic when it started fighting with another hippo. Finally the bird gave up and flew off over the water. To everyone's amazement the heron didn’t seem to give up and flew over the water straight onto the back of another hippo with half its body exposed outside the water. It is rare to see an interaction between such two very different wildlife species. Hippos are known as one of the most aggressive and dangerous mammals in Africa. To see a large bird showing off incredible balancing skills on the back of one of these feared creatures was a fascinating encounter.
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Elephants rush over to help youngster out of muddy bank
Besides being the largest mammals on the planet, elephants are most likely the most intelligent and caring mammals roaming the African bush. Their strong family bonds are incredible and related females stay together for life in what is called a breeding herd. The gestation period for an elephant cow is twenty two months. For that reason baby elephants are a huge investment not only for the mother but the whole breeding herd all together.
This video was recorded during a safari trip in the Kruger National Park. These people came across a big breeding herd of elephants enjoying a mud bath in a wallow. Once all the elephants got out of the mud wallow all their attention was suddenly moved to a tiny baby elephant that remained behind in the wallow. Getting in was rather easy but getting out became a huge struggle for this little female.
The video shows how the baby elephant attempts to get out but she is just too short and weak to pull herself up the embankment. As usual the mother was right there but even she herself found it difficult to rescue her baby from the deep wallow. The baby elephant looked in real distress and very clumsy at the same time when she slipped in the mud trying to keep on her feet. At first the mother elephant attempts every possible way to get her little one out. She goes down on her knees while attempting to use her trunk. When that failed she turned around while stretching out one of her back legs, hoping for the baby to use her trunk and grab onto one of her mother’s legs. That tactic also did not work. Then suddenly the baby elephant decides to move down the wallow a little to a place where the embankment was not that steep. Her attempts to get out by herself failed again. Suddenly to everyone’s amazement we see other herd members running towards the struggling mother and her calf. One big female then joined the mother and in a joint effort managed to rescue the baby using their trunks to lift her out. These people were very relieved to finally see the baby elephant get out of the wallow and reunite with her mother.
For the poor baby elephant it didn’t end there as she took a knock from her mother’s knee in the face by accident during the rush to move on. She pulled herself together and ran after her mother where she then suddenly tripped and fell. She quickly got up again with great determination and continued running hard to keep up with the herd that was very much in a hurry to leave. This video is a great example of the care and intelligence that exist among elephants and that life as a new baby elephant can be really tough at times.
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Elephant gracefully steps over boom barrier with ease
The African elephant is Africa’s largest land mammal and a big male can weigh over five and a half thousand kilograms. At the same time they are most likely the most intelligent and intriguing animals that roam this planet. With this in mind, most people would never think that such a massive creature could actually perform delicate stunts with incredible agility, precision and style. Adult elephants are everything but clumsy and their ability to break into places where they should not be is astounding. Breaking into camps in the Kruger National Park, South Africa is one of their specialties. Gone are the days of elephants performing tricks in circuses.
This video shows that wild elephants do not need any training from humans to be able to achieve their own stunts. The video is from a security camera located at the security gate of a private camp in the Kruger National Park. The camp was empty for 2 days and management thought it good to take all staff to town for a few hours. They left the camp unattended for four hours. On their return they did not notice anything out of the ordinary until they suddenly saw a number of trees snapped in half. Flowerbeds were destroyed and a great deal of greenery eaten. They immediately knew an elephant was in the camp and went to check the fences.
Elephants have the ability to break through electric fences with great ease. None of the fences were damaged and the crew ended up back at the security gate. There the security guards noticed the tracks of the elephant at the gate. They immediately made their way into the control room and checked the recorded footage. To their amazement this bull elephant clearly knew that no one was home. He walked up to the gate and curiously touched it with his trunk to inspect it. Then the big bull elephant proceeded to step over the security gate one foot at a time. The boom pole of this gate stands at 1, 3 meters high and the elephant stepped over it without touching it once with any of his feet. The crew was stunned with the ease this guy made his way into the camp. Besides planting new trees and flowers, they could only laugh and make sure next time they always leave some people behind in camp to check the gate!
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Amusing monkeys decide to cool down in a fish pond
During a recent visit to the Kruger National Park we came across a very amusing and entertaining sight while checking in at one of the rest camps. It was late afternoon and extremely hot when we arrived at the reception of the camp. Near the entrance was a fish pond and in the fish pond we spotted something moving in the water from a distance. To our amazement we realised there was a primate, called a vervet monkey, swimming in the pond. The monkey even had its head under the water looking like it was swimming breaststroke lengths in the pond. It was clear to us that this monkey was very comfortable being in the water and actually looked like a great swimmer. It was not long before a second monkey joined in for a relaxing cool down swim. A third monkey arrived but decided to leave them in peace. It soon became clear that the second monkey was a male joining the first monkey, which turned out to be the female. Like a true couple they spend time together enjoying a relaxing afternoon cool down session. We could not never imagine finding monkeys swimming in a fish pond right at the entrance of a rest camp. To see any primates swimming is a rare and unusual occasion. During extreme heat conditions various primate species have been observed cooling down only in shallow waters. The deep fish pond was ideal as there were no predators lurking like crocodiles as they would find in the rivers and lakes out in the bush. On this day the heat was just too much for these monkeys and they adapted by swimming in the safe waters of the pond. At the same time the male saw this quiet moment as a great opportunity to spend quality time with the female in the water. Something we have never seen before.
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