EmotionsofAfrica

The video shows one of the biggest lion prides ever seen, walking down the road in the Kruger National Park, causing traffic to come to a standstill. The lion is the largest predator in the African wild, living at the top of the food chain. Lions are also the only social cats on earth, living together in family prides that usually averages between five and ten lions per pride. There are rare instances when lions do form what is called mega prides, consisting of twenty plus lions. The pride of lions shown in the video was twenty-six members strong and really a sight to behold. This mega pride of lions was found one morning early, casually strolling down the main tar road of the National Park. Animals that walk long distances sometimes prefer walking on the roads of the park as it is the way of least resistance and obstacles. On this day, all twenty-six lions were walking along the tar road, making for an incredible sighting. There was no way of passing through these lions and quickly the ques of tourist traffic were just building and building, with long lines of vehicles having to wait a long time before moving again. It was not like anyone was in a hurry because seeing so many lions together is not a common sight. The lion roadblock continued for even longer, when pretty much the whole pride eventually decided it was a good time to lie down and rest in the middle of the road. The mega pride of lions blocked the road for a good hour before they moved off and disappeared back into the bush.

The video shows a lioness, stalking and trying to hunt a bird at a watering hole in a rather playful manner. The lion is Africa’s biggest cat, and these cats are natural born killers in order to survive. When they are cubs, lions love stalking, chasing, biting, and jumping on top of each other during their playtime. These are all the necessary skills and actions they will need to become formidable hunters. As lions grow older, all that playful energy and actions become more serious and is directed towards pretty much anything that moves. All these actions, over and over, turn them into hunters to survive as adults. With that said, while lions are the biggest cats in Africa, they also have the worst hunting success rate of all other carnivores in Africa, with only forty percent of their attempts turning out to be a meal. The lioness in the video is no older than two years old and looking at her behaviour, she thought she had a chance to hunt the bird but in a rather playful manner. Whether the young lioness was serious or just playing, she was inexperienced and still learning. Older and wiser lions will never even bother with attempting to hunt a bird, as it is hilariously easy for any bird like the one in the video to just fly away a little, draining lots of precious energy lions will need to take down bigger prey.

The video shows a bull elephant that is not happy with the presence of a warthog, attempting to chase it away with his intimidating behavior. Elephants are the largest land mammals on earth, and they know it. Because of their size, elephants need to drink water on a daily basis, and lots of it. One thing is for sure, elephants are selfish with their water and almost always never want to share the space around any watering hole with any other animals. We were watching a warthog, peacefully drinking water when suddenly this large bull elephant appeared. The elephant stopped when he saw the warthog and stared it down. The next moment I could see the elephant was not happy with the warthog being at the water. Suddenly the elephant let out a scary sounding sound while mock charging the warthog. All the warthog wanted to do is finish drinking water, and so it did. I was totally amazed to see that with all the threatening behavior coming for the grumpy elephant, the warthog didn’t seem to be fazed by the elephant’s behavior and just moved off a little to continue drinking every time the elephant tried to chase it away. In the end, the warthog won the battle as the elephant realized that the warthog was not being intimidated and decided to leave and find another drinking spot.

The video shows the incredible moment when a hyena is saved from death by its clan members after being caught by a big male lion. Lions and hyenas are the two largest and strongest predators roaming the African bush. The two predator species are at the top of the food chain, competing for same food sources, making them eternal enemies. Lions and hyenas don’t see face to face and will literally kill each other to eliminate the competition. The video shows a male lion leaving his kill behind to chase after a hyena that was trying to steal his food. The male lion managed to catch the hyena, creating absolute chaos. The rest of the nearby hyena clan decided that all of them together can take on the big male in attempt to save their clan member. The sounds were something from a horror movie with so much biting, growling, and snarling going on. The lion had the hyena behind the neck, and it was going to kill it for sure. Luckily for the hyena, the rest of the clan came in ruthless and started biting at the lion. The hyenas persisted with their attack until eventually the lion let go. The hyenas quickly moved off and the lion returned to his meal. Incredible moment in the African wild, showing how fierce the two top competitive predators can be.

The video shows two huge elephant bulls starting a fight in the middle of the road which escalated so much that it became unsafe to be anywhere near the angry bulls. Elephants are the largest land mammals on this planet and mostly not angry with one another. When two massive elephant bulls do become angry at one another, it is over ten tonnes of elephant that locks into battle. Elephants normally do not fight. Males are disciplined from a young age by older elephants, and they learn respecting those who are older and wiser. On the rare occasion two older males will be on equal terms on every aspect of life. That is when fighting becomes the last test to establish dominance. The two elephant bulls in the video were really going at each other, bumping, and pushing each other around, even smashing through and destroying a whole tree in the process. The elephants came charging down the road and that was there where everyone in the vicinity decided to get away very quickly.

The video shows how two elephants casually enter a restaurant at a safari lodge in Africa, then walking through the restaurant without touching anything. When going on a safari holiday, you get to live with and spend time with the wild animals of Africa. While game viewing happens from a safari vehicle, there are the occasional times when you might meet the wild creatures at the most unexpected times and places like shown in this video. After the lodge guests returned from their morning safari, they sat down for breakfast in the restaurant area. Suddenly a large elephant appeared, ducked under the roof, and casually just walked in. Not long after a younger elephant entered the restaurant. The elephants just casually continued through the middle of the restaurant and went out the other side again. Not once did the elephants touch or bump anything in the restaurant. The elephants didn’t even look around, while looking very casual, as if they have done it many times. For the elephants it was just passing through on their way somewhere. It turns out that the restaurant is built in an area that is part of an age-old elephant migratory route, with elephants occasionally passing through in such a manner. Amazing how man and wildlife can coexist in the wild.

The video shows a hilarious and very unusual moment in the African wild when a baboon casually jumped onto a baby elephant, then sitting down on its back like they have been old friends. There are times when nature can absolutely blow you away with some of the most random and unexpected encounters while out on safari in the African wild. It really becomes fascinating when two species of a different kind interact with each other in the most unlikely ways imaginable. Two species of wild animals that never interact or have anything to do with each other are baboons and elephants. These two species leave each other alone and do their own thing as there are no competition for food or territories between them. With all that in mind, it makes the interaction seen in this video very unusual and unexpected. While watching a herd of elephants feeding, there was a small troop of baboons that passed by. Suddenly one young baboon went up to a baby elephant in the herd and sat in front of the elephant, just staring at it. The baby elephant became a little confused and before we knew it, the baboon jumped right on top of the head of the baby elephant before it causally went and sat down on the back of the baby elephant. We had no idea what was going on or why the baboon was so keen to sit on the back of the elephant. It looked like the baboon closely inspected the skin of the elephant and nibbled out a small tick or parasite form its skin. While they looked like old friends, things quickly changed, and the baby elephant became annoyed with the primate on its back. With a few swings of the body, the baby elephant managed to let the baboon know its not welcome anymore. With a swift jump the playful baboon decided it was best to get off and leave the baby elephant in peace. Probably one of the most random sights in the African wild I have seen in a very long time.

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

The video shows a herd of elephants, desperately trying in every way and mean to rescue a baby elephant stuck in a muddy wallow. Not only are elephants the largest land mammals on this planet, they are also some of the most intelligent animals in the world. Elephants have complex and deep social structures that exist between herd members, who are all related. Elephants in family herds are always there to care for, help and protect each other in incredible ways. The video shows one of those incredible times in the African wild when a herd of elephants had to work together to rescue a baby elephant from a deep and slippery mud wallow. The baby elephant was enjoying a mud wallowing session with its family. The elephant herd all managed to get out the wallow easily after their cooling down session. One baby elephant remained behind, having a real tough time getting out. With the herd already moving on, the mother elephant realised that her baby was not going to get out by itself. The elephant herd came rushing back with loud trumpeting noises, signalling a stressful situation. While the herd gathered around, some individuals attempted to pull out the baby elephant by using their trunks. After several failed attempts, it almost looked like many of the herd members gave up and moved away, leaving the mother on her own. Incredible to see, the mother walked backwards towards the wallow and push out her hind leg towards the wallow, hoping that her struggling baby might just be able to grab onto her leg so she could pull it out in that manner. There was just no way the baby was even able to reach the back leg of its mother and the little elephant remained stuck. After the mother’s failed attempts, the herd quickly returned, sounding even more distressed. A few individuals tried again to pull out the baby using their trunks but still couldn’t succeed. After many different tactics of rescue did not work, one elephant decided to take another approach and get into the wallow itself. Soon others joined and with incredible teamwork, the elephants finally managed to push the baby from behind, up the slippery bank until it was safely back on dry ground. Incredible teamwork, dedication and smart thinking was shown by the elephants to save their youngest member of the herd. It turned out to be a happy ending for all and the elephant herd quickly moved on back into the bush.

The video shows an elephant bull getting angry after it spotted a leopard, quickly letting the dangerous big cat know who is in charge with his loud screaming sounds. Elephants are the world’s largest mammals walking this earth, and they know that. Besides for humans, there are very few predators that can kill or harm a healthy adult elephant in the wild. Due to their size, elephants mainly dominate the African savanna landscape in all aspects. From the watering holes to the feeding grounds, elephants make it clear that they are large and in charge. There are instances where predators such as lions and hyenas will attempt to hunt baby elephants, injured individuals, and older sickly animals with mixed results. Elephants usually move and live in herds, adding to the protection of these individuals. It is very difficult for predators to hunt an elephant amongst a whole herd that can become very angry and dangerous. Elephants in general do not tolerate the presence of any predator, whether it will ever be able to cause any damage or not. The video shows a classic example of this zero-tolerance behaviour. While watching a herd of elephants drinking at a watering hole, I noticed to the one side a lone leopard slowly appearing from the long grass. It looked like the leopard wanted to make its way to the water to quench its thirst. Immediately I knew that if the elephants do spot the leopard, they were not going to be happy with its presence. Leopards are smaller than lions and they are not known to hunt elephants at all due to the size differences. None the less, they are still predators and elephants do not like any predator, no matter what. The leopard didn’t seem to worry about being spotted. It was clearly thirsty and slowly made its way into the open towards the water. It didn’t take long for one elephant bull to spot the leopard. The elephant bull’s behaviour quickly changed into high alert while making a deep scary sound to alarm the rest of the herd. The elephant and leopard stood there staring at each other for a short moment. Suddenly the elephant charged towards the leopard while letting out a loud screaming sound. The leopard had no choice but to retreat and leave the water drinking for later. The leopard turned around and slowly moved off with the elephant coming closer again, making deep rumbling sounds, just to make sure the leopard understands who is in charge. The leopard slowly disappeared back into the thickets with the elephant staring after it before relaxing again. This is a great example of no matter how dangerous you are, size does matter a lot out in the African wild.

The video shows a very energetic and playful baby rhino having the time of its life while running around chasing after birds. Baby animals in the African wild are adorable and they always bring about a heart-warming experience when you lucky enough to find them in their natural environment in wild. Baby animals in nature are cute little creatures, while their behaviour can be amusing, bringing a smile to anyone’s face. When you are lucky enough to find one of the largest animals in the African wild in baby form, it is always a priceless experience. Baby rhinos can become very playful, and like many other baby animals growing up, they are full of energy and very entertaining to watch. The baby rhino in this video is a classic example. While feeding along the banks of a river with its mother, this baby rhino thought it was a good time to have some fun with chasing birds around while mommy continues with her grazing. The baby rhino was like a little bouncing ball, filled with lots of energy and playfulness. The baby rhino was sprinting up and down, having a blast by running randomly towards any bird that was close by. It looked like the baby rhino was really loving it to see how the birds ran away from it or flying off when it charged towards them. The baby rhino went up and down, up and down until most of the birds moved off. The adorable baby rhino then ran one more time in a big circle, looking like it was doing a victory lap, before finally coming to a standstill right behind its mother, who was still grazing away all along. It is incredible to see how a baby animal in the wild can have so much fun all by itself during playtime.

The video shows a scuffle that took place between two male lions in the African wild, both interested in the same female. As in the human world, so in the natural world, when two males are both seriously interested in the same female, things can get tricky and sometimes messy. Males fighting over females can take on many forms, but when you are a lion, it is all out aggression that involve teeth and claws and some loud growling and snarling. There is no negotiation involved or holding back. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we came across a pride of lions nearby a watering hole. Some of the pride members were already walking away from the water while one male was lying down some distance away, staring at another male lion attempting to impress a female. It was clear that the male lion really wanted to be close to the female and not let her out of his sight. Looking at the reaction of the lioness, she was not interested in the clingy male lion. While the male lion tried to stay close to the female the whole time, the female was making plans on how to ditch this guy. The lioness tricked the male into thinking she was going to lie down, only to jump up again, taking her gap to run away. While this was happening, the one male staring down from the distance, decided this was his opportunity and ran after the fleeing lioness. The dominant male was having none of that and intercepted the incoming male before he could get to the female. It all exploded into a cloud of dust, with teeth and claws flying combined with loud growling and snarling noises. This totally took me by surprise and was stunned by all the action in front of me, even though it all happened very quickly. The fight was short but intense before the one male decided he had to get out of there and ran off with the dominant male right after him. I lost sight of them as they ran off and disappeared into the thickets, not to be seen again. It was incredible to see such behaviour and power from Africa’s biggest cat out in the wild.

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

The video shows a playful baby elephant, suddenly falling into the road, then struggling to get back onto its feet in the most hilarious manner. Watching any baby elephant in the African wild will almost always bring a smile to your face. Whether they are just being cute, playful, or clumsy, baby elephants can amuse and entertain many safari goers in the African wild. The baby elephant in this video is no different and a classic example of how entertaining it can be to watch these incredible creatures. Like most other baby animals, elephant babies love to fool around and be playful. This baby elephant decided to go and sit right next to the road and enjoy a good scratch while the rest of the elephant herd continued moving along. It was not long before the baby elephant suddenly tumbled over, falling flat onto its side into the road in front of the safari vehicle. The baby elephant then attempted to get back up onto its feet, swinging its back legs wildly back and forth in the air, looking funny at the same time. What was even more unusual and a little funny to see is that all the other elephants just passed by the struggling baby without even stopping to help. Normally the mother or another adult would assist a baby elephant with such a struggle but not on this occasion. It was as if the other elephants knew the baby elephant was fooling around and that it would be fine to get back onto its feet by itself. After a while of kicking into the air, the baby elephant managed to get back into an upright position. The baby elephant had a quick last scratch before getting back onto its feet, then quickly running back into the bush to catch up with the rest of the herd. Incredible to see how funny and entertaining these animals can be when they are out in their natural environment, going about their daily business.

The video shows an adorable baby elephant in the African wild approaching a safari vehicle, then becoming totally fascinated by the large green object in front of it, all under the watchful eye of its mother. During the first few years in the life of a baby, human or animal, curiosity plays a big role, as they are constantly learning, smelling, and touching new things and objects. Baby elephants are no different and they are just adorable to watch out in the African wild while they go about learning everything that is around them in their direct environment. Even the safari vehicles that they might only see occasionally is something that will trigger their curiosity as seen in this video. While leading a safari in the Kruger National Park in South Africa, we came across a small herd of elephants standing next to the road. The herd was made up of female elephants with their young. I decided to switch off my vehicle and admire the herd with the adorable baby elephants being the main attraction. While sitting quietly watching the herd feeding next to us, one baby elephant casually walked right up to the front left part of the safari vehicle. The baby elephant’s mother was right behind, closely watching what her youngster was getting up to. The baby elephant looked totally fascinated by the vehicle as it stood at the left front for a long period of time. I wasn’t too sure what the baby elephant was doing against the vehicle in the front, but it looked very curious and stood there for a long while investigating the vehicle with the mother keeping a close eye from behind. It looked like the baby elephant was smelling the vehicle and checking out all the strange detail in the front. After a good five minutes or so, the baby elephant moved away from the vehicle and into the road in front of us. I thought the baby elephant lost interest after spending all that time at the vehicle, but I was wrong. It was not even a minute and the baby elephant turned back and came straight back to the front of the vehicle. This time it looked like the baby elephant wanted to show the vehicle who was boss, trying to look intimidating with its ears spread out wide. This was so cute and funny to watch. The baby elephant came right up to the vehicle for one more sniff before its mother decided that it was enough now, moving in between her baby and my vehicle. Once the baby elephant realised that playtime with the safari vehicle was over, it decided that the next best thing to do is to grab a sip of milk from its mother while she was standing there. It was not too long after that the whole herd decided it was time to go and disappeared back into the thick bush. One of the cutest things I have seen out in the African wild in a long time.

The video shows a hippo returning home to its water, only to be screamed at and chased into the water by an elephant not happy with its presence. During the dry season in Africa, animals in the wild must endure a lot of hardship and challenges to survive. The biggest challenge during the dry periods is to find somewhere where there is still water while travelling big distances in search of food. The bigger animals like elephant and hippos can struggle even more than most other animals due to their size. These large herbivores must feed and drink daily to survive. Hippos live in water, so their shelters become under threat as well. During these high stress dry periods, elephants especially, become very aggressive and protective over the remaining resources of water and food. While all the wild animals must share the resources that are left, elephants in general do not like to share and become angry and agitated very quickly with other animals needing to get to the water. It was early morning during a safari in Zimbabwe, that we found ourselves viewing wild animals in a hide, overlooking one of the last remaining water sources in the reserve we visited. There were a lot of animals coming and going, with elephants being the majority. While watching a herd of elephants drinking at the watering hole, I noticed a hippo in the distance, slowly making its approach back to the water. Hippos will leave the water at nighttime to go and graze, returning to the water early morning where they will then spend their daylight hours resting and sleeping. The hippo looked tired, having to travel long distances during the night in search of grass to eat. This hippo just wanted to get back home, but the water was surrounded by elephants. I could see the elephants noticed the oncoming hippo, and when the hippo got closer, the one elephant thought it would let the hippo know it was not happy with the hippo’s return. The elephant suddenly looked angry and turned around. With a loud scream followed by loud trumpeting, the elephant cow made it clear that she was annoyed and angry, aggressively chasing the hippo back into the water. The hippo knew it had to get back in the water quickly and so it did. Once the hippo settled down in the water, the female elephant calmed down and there was peace again among all animals around the watering hole.

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

The video shows the bizarre looking sight of a baby elephant missing its trunk, miraculously living, and surviving in the African wild. Elephants are unique in every sense of the word. Elephants are not only massive and highly intelligent, but they are also built in a way that is not seen in any other animal on this planet. An elephant’s trunk is the most unique apparatus not shared by any other mammal. The trunk of an elephant is formed by the merging of the nose and the muscles of the upper lip. The trunk provides a sensitive organ which can be employed as an arm which helps with feeding, a straw for drinking and a nose for smelling and breathing. This makes the elephant’s trunk crucial for their survival. Seeing an elephant without a trunk never even crossed my mind until we recently spotted a baby elephant without a trunk during a safari in the African wild. While watching a herd of elephants, we spotted the very weird looking juvenile elephant. It was one of the most bizarre things I have ever seen. What makes it even more incredible was that this baby elephant was estimated at over two years old, and it clearly was looking like it was surviving without its crucially vital organ. We were totally amazed by what we saw and that the baby elephant still manages to survive. While smelling might not be a problem, I still can’t imagine how the baby elephant manages to drink or eat without its trunk. It is hard to tell when this baby elephant might have lost its trunk, but it looked like it has been without a trunk for some time already as there were no new or fresh wounds to be seen. While crocodiles sometimes do grab elephants by their trunks and bite it off, the more likely explanation was that the baby elephant most likely lost its trunk in a human set wire snare. The baby elephant probably got caught with its trunk in a wire snare and with all the adrenalin created by pain and fear, the baby elephant most probably ripped off its own trunk to free itself from the trap. Unfortunately, wire snares, set by poachers to catch antelope for illegal meat, doesn’t always catch the intended target animal. This baby elephant is a good example of the terrible destruction these wire snares can leave in the African wild. The baby elephant looked in no real discomfort and we left the herd, still in awe and wondering how this baby elephant manages to keep surviving. Hats off to the little fellow.

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

The video shows that the phrase ‘pick on someone your own size’ does not apply if you are an elephant in the African wild. Elephants, the largest land mammals roaming this planet are fascinating in every sense of the word. Elephants dominate the landscape in the African wild in all aspects and these huge creatures do not let anything or anyone stand in their way. They do as they like and please, having the size and weight advantage over all other animals in the wild. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we watched a herd of elephants drinking water at a watering hole during the heat of the day. One elephant caught my attention, standing inside the water while cooling off and drinking water. The elephant’s attention suddenly moved from drinking water to something else when it quickly moved out of the water. The elephant looked focussed on something, but I couldn’t see what grabbed its attention. There was nothing around the elephant that could draw its attention besides a small water bird minding its own business along the edge of the water. ‘It surely can’t be that little bird’? I thought to myself. ‘It is so small and surely it poses no threat to the elephant’? My assumptions were all wrong and to my amazement, it was the small bird the elephant was focussed on. I was totally surprised by the elephant’s behaviour. Elephants are known to chase off other mammals around watering holes as they do not like sharing their space around the water with others, but a bird, weighing not even one percent of what the elephant weighs? I was still confused but totally amused at the same time. There the elephant was, speeding up, going after the bird with its loud screams and short trumpeting noises that followed as if the bird posed a massive threat or something. That was so hilarious to see. Every time the elephant got closer; the bird would just fly forward a little to keep a safe distance between them. The bird seemed way less fazed by the whole situation compared to the elephant. It was hilarious to watch such a massive animal chasing after something so small. For what reason? I do not know, probably just because the elephant can. Once the elephant reached the rest of the herd members, the elephant lost interest and continued drinking as if nothing happened.

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

The mother rhino in this video decided to show us how the perfect pout is done in front of the camera. The white rhinoceros is one of Africa’s most incredible beasts, and forms part of the very popular big five group of animals. Once in abundance a long time ago, these animals only roam a small part of the continent at present. Just like the black rhinoceros, the white rhino has been under severe pressure, being poached for their horns, making them highly vulnerable as a species. These animals are now extinct in most countries in Africa and only found in protective areas such as reserves and national parks in Southern Africa where they roam free in the wild. Going on a safari in Africa and seeing one of these incredible animals is a huge highlight. Their rarity and dinosaur-like looks always leaves safari goers in awe. While leading a safari in the Kruger National Park we were lucky to come across a large white rhino cow and her calf. The mother rhino and her calf just finished wallowing in the mud after which they walked up to a large fallen tree. The mother rhino found the tree trunk to be the perfect place to start scratching her large wide lips. This took us by surprise as rhinos normally scratch the sides and back of their bodies against a hard surface. This lip scratching was a first for us to see. The upper lip of this female rhino was huge and clearly very itchy. I started filming the mother rhino scratching while her calf stood close to her, wondering what to do with itself. It was as if the mother rhino noticed me filming her when she paused with her scratching to show off her perfect pout for the camera. That was so cool and funny to see the rhino cow showing everyone how the perfect pout should look like. After a few seconds of pouting for the camera, the mother rhino continued scratching that incredibly large upper lip of hers. In all my many years of leading safaris, this was the first time ever that I saw any animal pouting for the camera, and this mother rhino did it in style. She definitely had the lips for it, enough to make all the pouters out there a little jealous.

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

The video shows an intense fight between two male leopards that ensued after the one male caught another intruding male up in a tree busy feeding on his meal. The leopard is an elusive big cat and lives a solitary lifestyle. These magnificent and deadly predators are very territorial and the only time you will see more than one leopard together will be a mother with her cubs or a male and female mating. When two males meet each other in the wild, you can be sure there will be lots of drama as shown in this video. Male leopards just don’t tolerate each other as each male wants to protect their hunting and mating grounds from any competition. When one male intrudes into another male’s territory and steal his food, you can bet that there will be serious aggression and fighting involved. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we came across a male leopard up in a tree with an impala antelope kill. The male leopard was relaxed with our presence and continued feeding on ‘his’ kill. Little did we know that we were actually watching a male leopard that found the kill already up in the tree and that it did not belong to him. After a few minutes it all became clear when a bigger male leopard suddenly appeared from behind us, running towards the tree. He looked very angry. The two male leopards started growling at each other and the approaching male got straight up into the tree. It went to all guns blazing as the two male leopards met. An intense fight exploded right up in the tree, so fierce that both males fell from the tree together to settle the rest of their intense battle on the ground. There were loud snarling and growling noises, making it an overwhelming experience for the safari tourists to witness. The leopards were scratching and biting each other aggressively in a cloud of dust. Eventually the intruder realized that he was better off getting away before risking serious injury, and so he did. The intruding leopard quickly ran off while the dominant male went up the tree to claim back his rightful meal.