EmotionsofAfrica

The video shows a baby elephant loving its facial scrub in the mud. While we as humans go to a spa to treat and pamper our bodies and skins, wild animals in the African wild have developed their own ways of enjoying a spa, looking after their own bodies and skins. One animal that certainly enjoys a good African ‘bush spa’ is the elephant. Spending every day of their lives on the move through the African savanna, elephants attract all kinds of parasites and ticks, eventually leaving them with an itchy skin and body. As a remedy, elephants have learned that a good mud bath and a scratch against a hard surface afterwards help them to get rid of all those pesty ticks and parasites. During a safari we came across this baby elephant that clearly had to deal with a great itch on its face. While watching a herd of elephants enjoying splashing themselves with mud, I noticed one baby elephant standing with its back side up in the air. The baby elephant hilariously had its face in the mud, and it looked like it was really enjoying standing in such an awkward position with its face in the mud. The baby elephant looked like it was ploughing through the mud with its face and mouth. The baby elephant clearly had an itch it could not scratch as its was moving its face up and down through the mud. It looked so funny and there were even pieces of mud stuck on its trunk and face. It looked like the baby elephant was loving its facial scrub in the mud, creating its own ‘spa’ experience right there in the African wild. The baby elephant eventually got up, and with a face full of mud, ran off to join its mother. The baby elephant looked satisfied while we were treated to a very funny baby elephant encounter out in the wild.

The video shows a giraffe that pulls its face and mouth in all awkward manners, looking very funny and weird at the same time. The giraffe is not only the tallest land mammal on earth but also one of the most wanted to see animals when going on safari. So much so that together with zebras, giraffes are the most photographed animals in the African wild. With their long necks and elegantly unique build, giraffes are one of the most iconic animals and symbols of the African continent. Giraffes are herbivores and they browse on the leaves of their favourite trees, scattered around in the African bush and savanna. It was during a safari in the Kruger National Park that we stopped to watch a small herd of giraffe during a late afternoon safari. While admiring the grace and beauty of the giraffes, I saw one individual that didn’t look so graceful. This giraffe looked at the camera and was pulling the most awkward looking faces at me. This looked weird and funny at the same time. It almost looked like the giraffe was singing out loud with its mouth moving and pulling in all directions. One of my safari guests dropped the comment that it looked like him in his younger days after a hard night out in the rave clubs. While there were many jokes thrown around for these funny faces coming from the giraffe, the only explanation for this behaviour was that the giraffe might have had something stuck in its throat, but since they are browsers, it was hard to believe that this giraffe was struggling to swallow a mouthful of leaves. The most likely but unconfirmed reason for this hilarious looking face pulling was that giraffes sometimes do pick up old bones, chewing and sucking on it when they need a calcium supplement. Nonetheless, witnessing such funny looking behaviour from a giraffe, which is rarely seen, was great entertainment for everyone on the safari.

The video shows two leopard cubs in the African wild, having the time of their lives during a playful moment. The leopard is one of Africa’s big cats roaming the wild and are the most elusive of them all. Leopards are part of the Big 5 animals that also include Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant, and Lion. When going on an African safari, the leopard will be the hardest to find of all these animals. With their perfectly camouflaged patterns, the leopard relies on stealth when hunting their prey. These big cats can disappear within the blink of an eye when they want to. Finding a leopard while on safari is always a great highlight. Finding a mother leopard with her two adorable cubs is just priceless. It was during a safari in the Kruger National Park that we were incredibly lucky to come across a female leopard and her cubs in a dry riverbed. It was early morning and the two cubs looked energetic. The mother leopard was lying to the one side by herself, scanning the area for any dangers while her cubs could enjoy their playtime. It was so adorable to watch the two leopard cubs going about their playful moments. In typical leopard fashion, the cubs would stalk each other, practicing their hunting and stalking skills. The two leopard cubs would then jump on top of each other and engage into playfighting. While this might just look like playful behaviour, all the actions of the cubs are part of a learning process to hunt and overpower their prey. Once leopard cubs reach about eighteen months, they will become solitary and must hunt for themselves. Seeing such a moment in the African wild is extremely rare and I felt privileged to be in the presence of such incredible wild creatures, going about their natural ways in the wild.

The video shows a newborn baby elephant taking its first steps with its wobbly legs. Few things in nature can be as heartwarming as newborn baby animals. Baby animals are adorable and very cute. A newborn baby elephant is most likely one of the cutest sights you can have while on an African safari. Seeing the largest land mammal on the planet in baby form, specially being less than a day old, is something that will make most hearts melt. When baby elephants are born, they can stand within half an hour, and it can take a good few hours before they can walk and remain stable on their legs. During their first few hours of life, the legs of baby elephants are very wobbly and weak. It is during this period that determination and a survival instinct drives the baby to make numerous attempts to walk with their weak legs. During each attempt to walk, the legs of the baby elephant will get stronger and stronger until the muscles are strong enough for it to stay on its feet for long periods of time. The video shows how a baby elephant goes through the motions of learning how to walk on its wobbly legs. It is an adorable sight, with the baby elephant swaying from side to side, back and forth. Repeatedly the baby elephant would fall over forward, face first into the ground. Survival instinct drives the baby elephant not to give up and it would make several attempts to get walking, no matter how hard the task at hand may seem. One of the cutest sights you can possibly ask for to see out on an African safari.

The video shows a funny moment when a baby rhino unexpectedly decides to show a wildebeest, double its own size, who’s the boss of the African savanna. Going on an African safari is an exciting deal and the best part of it all, every single safari drive that you will go on will be different, guaranteed. The African bush, with its incredible diversity of fauna and flora, always has something new to amaze, excite or surprise those out on their early morning or late afternoon safari. Some days you might see something that no one could ever have imagined or hoped to see. One great example of such a special occasion played out in the African savanna, between a baby rhino and a wildebeest bull. These are two species of animal not even the most veteran safari goers will associate with one another. The two species always stay out of each other’s way and don’t mix at all. That was until a baby rhino hilariously decided one morning, that today was a good day to go and attempt to intimidate a large wildebeest bull. The video shows how an adorable looking baby rhino, that unexpectedly left the side of its mother, casually wandered off by itself. There were a few animals scattered around the open savanna plains and it looked like the baby rhino was just going for a random walk. But it turned out the baby rhino’s walk was with intent. To the amazement and laughter of the safari tourists, the baby rhino walked straight up to a large wildebeest. The baby rhino then mocked charged towards the wildebeest, looking fearless and brave. The wildebeest quickly took the little rhino serious when it faced the baby rhino with its horns. The wildebeest probably thought ‘What the hell is up with you little one’. Amazingly the either cheeky or brave baby rhino persisted with its intimidating charges and managed to turn the wildebeest, having it run away from it more than once. That was unexpected. The wildebeest then turned around to face the baby rhino. The baby rhino then stopped, and it was as if common sense kicked in when it turned around in a flash, running straight back to mommy. What a rare and extremely funny moment out in the African wild.

The video shows a baby elephant, very eager, struggling to get out of a river until mommy comes to the rescue. Few wild animals show love, care, and support for one another like elephants do. Baby elephants specifically are incredibly well looked after by their mothers and receive support without fail during their daily learning and struggling activities. After all, with a gestation period of twenty-two months, one can imagine that a baby elephant is seen as a huge investment by the mother. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, I managed to capture one of those events that just shows how well mother elephants look after their babies. I came across a large herd of elephants busy making their way through a long and muddy river crossing. The splashing noise of all the elephants crossing the river could be heard from far. Among the elephants crossing the river, I spotted a baby elephant, crossing the river with its mother, barely tall enough to keep its head above water. The baby elephant stumbled through with determination and when it became shallower, the baby elephant looked in a real hurry to get out of the river. The baby elephant sprinted ahead and reached the riverbank before its mother, heading straight for the same spot the rest of the herd was using to get out. With the same eagerness it had in the water, the baby elephant attempted to get up the slippery embankment itself. This seemed to be a real challenge as the baby elephant was slipping too much in the slippery mud to get up the riverbank. The mother elephant remained calm and slowly approached her baby, probably thinking ’hold on little one, not so fast’. The mother elephant then used her forehead and trunk to support her baby and pushed it up the slippery hill until it was back on dry land. I kept filming the rest of the herd crossing the river when I noticed one large adult elephant wanting to go out the same route the mother and her baby used. Unexpectedly, the big elephant could not get up the riverbank. This was so funny to watch. I then realised that while being too small can be a challenge for a baby elephant, being too big also puts limitations on adult elephants. One thing was for sure, the big elephant was not going to receive any support up the hill like the baby elephant did.

The video shows the rarely seen and heartwarming moments between an adult female leopard and her daughter filmed in the African wild. Seeing a leopard in the African wild is always a great privilege. To see two leopards together is rare and priceless. It was during a safari in the Kruger National Park in South Africa that we were lucky to learn about a sighting of a mother leopard and her younger daughter. We decided to make our way to the sighting immediately as something like that is rarely seen. On our arrival, we could not see the leopards. The amazing camouflage created by the beautiful patterns on their skins made it hard for us to find and spot them initially. Eventually, we managed to spot the two leopards where they were lying upright together in the long grass. What followed was heartwarming to see. The two leopards had so much affection for one another. The mother and daughter were licking, grooming, and rubbing against each other. It was incredible to see how much tender, love, and care there was between the leopard mother and her daughter. The young leopard was estimated at about eighteen months and was almost the same size as the mother. Leopard cubs leave their mothers between the ages of eighteen and twenty months. Leopards live solitary as adults and are mostly seen alone. Seeing these two leopards together, interacting in such a manner, is not something you see often, making this a rare and remarkable sight in the African wild.

Baby elephant slips and falls back into mud wallow The video shows the funny moment when a baby elephant loses its footing, falling back flat down into a mud wallow it was trying to get out of. Elephants just love the mud during those hot summer months in Africa. Nothing beats a good cool down session in the mud for any elephant. The purpose of the mud wallowing is to help elephants cool themselves down and getting rid of parasites on their skin at the same time. Many elephants just love to play around in the mud for much longer than the rest of the herd, especially the youngsters. Baby elephants gain all the benefits from the mud, plus it seems like they also get so much joy and pleasure out of playing in the mud. Watching baby elephants play in the mud is always highly entertaining. I was filming a herd of elephants that was busy around a mud wallow when I spotted one baby elephant typically having a blast in the mud. The baby elephant was already covered in mud from head to toe and looked adorable. It looked like the baby elephant eventually decided it was time to go but getting out of the wallow seemed like a very slippery task. It looked like the baby elephant’s feet was swept from under it and then splat, the baby elephant fell back into the wallow flat on its side. That was so funny to watch, and the baby elephant didn’t seem too bothered to be back in the mud. The baby elephant then slowly but surely got itself back up onto its feet. The baby elephant tried again to get out, but it looked like a vehicle spinning in one place before finally finding enough traction to get out of the wallow. It was incredible to see just how entertaining elephants can be when they are in the mud.

The video shows a baby elephant, in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting knocked over by his brothers when caught in the middle of their fight. The saying ‘boys will be boys’ is even applicable to elephants out in the African wild. While on safari we came across a small herd of elephants standing in the road. I saw one baby elephant on its own playing around with two larger elephants nearby. The two larger elephants looked like two brothers, locked in a pushing and shoving contest. It is hard to tell how it happened but before we knew it, the baby elephant found himself in the middle of the tussle between his two older brothers. The two larger elephants couldn’t care less about the baby elephant in their way and knocked the baby elephant off his feet while they continued with their scuffle. The one older elephant even showed its annoyance with the baby elephant by pushing it back down to the ground again. Out of nowhere, the big mother elephant appeared to stop the nonsense and the younger elephants immediately froze and stopped with their fooling around. It was incredible to see how immediate the youngsters reacted and stopped when mommy appeared. A true reflection of great discipline kept in elephant families.

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

The video shows the hilarious moments of a playful baby rhino, having the time of its life, trying to intimidate a tourist vehicle with its cute little charges up and down. The rhinoceros is one of Arica’s most endangered animal species. Rhinos are also part of the well known big five animal group in Africa. To see such a special creature out in its natural environment is always a great and wonderful experience. Finding a mother rhino with her most adorable looking baby is just incredible and rarely seen. Like with elephants, baby rhinos are very playful and always full of energy. While learning new skills in life, these baby animals love exploring and experiencing new things, like this little rhino in the video. The baby rhino wandered away from its mother to have a closer look at the vehicle. Suddenly it turned around, ran away down the road, turned around again, and came charging straight towards the vehicle. The baby rhino would stop right in front of the vehicle in a puff of dust, only to turn around again and come charging back again. This adorable baby rhino was having the time of its life and couldn’t get enough of it while everyone inside the vehicle found this whole experience hilarious.

The video shows the adorable moment of a mother elephant using her trunk to help her struggling baby to get out of a slippery mud wallow. Elephants are not only large and intimidating, but they are also animals that show a lot of love and care towards one another. The bond between a mother elephant and her baby is incredibly strong. After a twenty-two-month gestation period, the investment in the baby is huge and the whole herd will protect a baby if need be. Elephants love to cool down in the mud and as seen in this video, the babies love it just as much, if not more. It is always one thing getting into the mud wallow and play, but getting out can become a whole different story. The video shows two baby elephants struggling to get out of the mud wallow after their play session. The one baby eventually managed to get out by itself with some effort, but the second baby elephant had it more difficult. The baby elephant tried its best to get out, but it kept slipping and falling back into the wallow. One nearby herd member gave a little support, but the real help came when the mother elephant realised what was going on. Using her trunk, the mother elephant supported her baby from the back. With the mother’s trunk as a support from behind, the baby elephant finally got some traction and managed to get out of the slippery mud. The baby elephant looked so happy and adorable, running off to join the rest of the herd.

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

The video shows an adorable baby elephant, stumbling and falling its way through a deep river crossing, trying hard to keep up with the rest of the herd. Elephants are one of Africa’s great migratory animals. Elephant herds cover huge distances in a year, constantly roaming to areas with food and water as the seasons change. Elephants must face many dangers on their journeys, while navigating difficult terrain such as mountains and deep river crossings filled with crocodiles. No matter what, elephants need to constantly move and no difficulties or obstacles along the way can stop them. Baby elephants in the herds have it the hardest, as they are still learning vital survival skills while facing many challenges for the first time. Baby elephants have no choice but to keep up with the herd. The baby elephant in this video is one good example. During a safari we stopped to watch a herd of elephants about to cross a river crossing. The river was about half body deep for the adults but for the babies in the herd it was a deep crossing. I started filming, as seeing elephants crossing a river in the wild is always something special to see. I noticed one baby elephant about to follow its mother and the rest of the herd into the river. Focusing on the little elephant, I could see from the first step into the water that the baby elephant was not looking sure footed. Clearly the bottom of the river was uneven, with the baby elephant stumbling and falling every few meters it moved. The baby elephant would have its head dunked under the water a few times looking hilarious at times. With all the stumbling and falling, the baby elephant showed real courage and went all the way to the other side, only very happy to be running back onto dry land, joining its mother. Incredible to see the commitment of the baby elephant to keep up with the rest of the herd, even though it looked funny at times.

This video shows the bizarre looking sight of a hyena walking on two legs. We spotted this hyena for the first time nearly a year ago, as seen in this previous video https://rumble.com/v1h0owx-safari-tourist-films-bizarre-looking-sight-of-a-hyena-walking-on-two-legs.html While hyenas have a reputation of being scary looking and dangerous animals, they are for sure some of the toughest animals out in the African bush. Hyenas are the main scavengers of the African bush and the number one enemy of lions. It was during a recent safari that we came across this bizarre looking hyena, walking around on two legs. What made this sighting even more special was that we spotted the same hyena almost a year ago. I was really amazed and happy to know that the hyena was still alive, still surviving on its own and doing fine, despite of its disability. Surviving in a hostile environment such as the African bush is remarkable for an animal that can’t even use all four its legs to hunt or run away from danger. This hyena very well knows what danger is. The hyena lost the function of its two back legs after it got attacked by a lion, leaving its hips and two back legs in a paralyzed state. The hyena had no other choice but to adapt and so it learned how to walk in such a strange looking manner. This is not something you see often out in the African wild. We can only hope that this hyena will keep going and survive out in the wild on its own.

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

The video shows a struggling baby elephant’s hilarious attempt to get back onto its feet. Baby elephants never fail to amuse. They can be hilariously clumsy; even if a baby elephant does nothing, they are so cute to look at. In the first few years of their lives, baby elephants must learn and take in incredible knowledge and skill needed to survive in the African bush. Baby elephants mimic adult elephants all the time during the learning process. One of the critical skills and abilities required is for elephants to cool themselves using mud bathing. Elephants do not have sweat glands; during hot days, they throw mud over their bodies to cool down. I was filming a mother elephant and her calf at a mud wallow. The mother elephant used her trunk to throw mud all over her body. The baby elephant had a better plan, and instead of doing as mommy does, the baby elephant went to lie down flat in the mud, getting its body covered much more quicker. While the plan of the baby elephant might have worked to get covered in mud quicker, it didn’t think about getting back onto its feet. This was hilarious to watch as the baby elephant started swaying from side to side, over and over, to build enough momentum to get back onto its feet. The baby elephant looked like someone trying to get out of bed on a Monday morning. Eventually, the baby elephant had enough momentum and got upright. At the same time, the mother elephant realized the struggle and assisted her calf with a loud rumble and ensured it was ok. I could feel the mother elephant's love and care for her calf. Once back on its feet, the elephant calf decided it was better to do exactly like mommy does.

The video shows a heart-warming moment of a mother elephant, gently using her trunk to help her struggling baby out of the slippery mud. Elephants are most likely the most intelligent and emotional sensitive animals in the African wild. These two characteristics feature in us as humans which explains why we can relate to so many behaviours and actions of elephants. When you go on safari and admire these giant animals, there is something inside of you that connects with these animals in some sort of way. When mother elephants connect and interact with their babies, it is almost always a heart melting experience like the one shown in this video. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we came e across a large herd of elephants around a watering hole. Some elephants were drinking while some were wallowing in the mud. Baby elephants usually steal the limelight and I quickly spotted one adorable baby elephant inside a mud wallow. Playing in the wallow was all fun but when it was time to get out, the baby elephant had a bit for a struggle. The wallow was just too deep and the banks just too slippery for the baby elephant to get out. The mother elephant was right there and noticed that her baby was struggling to get out. With such care and grace, the mother elephant gently gave her struggling baby a helping trunk. The mother elephant gently used her trunk to support her baby from the back and helped it out of the slippery mud wallow. The baby elephant looked pleased to be out of the wallow and started following its mother. When the mother came to a standstill, the baby elephant immediately went for a drink of milk, completing the whole adorable moment. The amount of care, love, and gentleness the mother elephant had shown for her baby was just incredible. Just like any human mother would do if her baby was in a slippery situation.

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

The video shows the sight of a cute baby elephant getting rid of an itch on its back side in a hilarious manner. Baby elephants are by far one of the most popular animals to be seen when going on a safari. Just looking at a baby elephant will melt the hearts of most people. Having the opportunity to watch baby elephants go about their daily lives in the African wild is a heart-warming and many times an emotional experience. You can be assured to be entertained by their behaviour that ranges from incredibly cute to hilarious at times. One can’t help smiling while watching baby elephants, just like this one I managed to film during a safari in Zimbabwe, showing off some creative maneuvers to get rid of an itch on its back side. We came across a large herd of elephants surrounding a watering hole. The elephants were there to quench their thirsts but also to enjoy a mud bath in a nearby wallow to cool down and rid their bodies from itchy ticks and parasites. In such a large herd of elephants it takes a while to spot the real tiny babies. I managed to spot one and kept an eye on it. They are just so entertaining to watch, and this little elephant did not fail to deliver. While watching the baby elephant I noticed it looked a little uncomfortable, walking around in circles, not really knowing what to do with itself. As they do, the baby elephant just did what it wanted in the most hilarious manner. It obviously had a serious itch on its back side and the baby elephant initially didn’t know how to get rid of it. The next moment the baby elephant decided that a low concrete wall at the watering hole was going to do the job. The baby elephant turned around, rested its back side onto the wall and with the most hilarious looking movements of the hips going from left to right, the baby elephant finally managed to get rid of that annoying itch it just couldn’t scratch. Seeing this funny but cute creative manner the baby elephant used to get rid of an itch put a smile on my face and made my day.

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

The video shows an adorable baby elephant’s hilarious attempt to chase away a small bird with its cute sounding trumpeting noises. Elephants are the largest and most powerful land mammals on this planet. On many occasions they know it, and they show it. One of the common trades of elephants are to intimidate or chase away any animal that is smaller than them. This is true especially when elephants are near water. Elephants do not like to share the water with other animals, and they make sure they clear the coast before taking over the water. Of course, if adult elephants have that attitude, you can be sure that their young will adopt and apply the same attitude from a young age. The big difference is that a baby elephant chasing something away is a lot more funny and less scary than when the adults get going. Baby elephants must choose something smaller to pick on than the adults would. On this occasion I managed to film this cute baby elephant going after a small bird called a lapwing. While watching a herd of elephants around a watering hole, I noticed this baby elephant wandering off by itself, looking like its attention was absorbed by something of interest. While filming I realised it was this lapwing bird. The baby elephant tried to scare off the small bird with its intimidating behaviour and cute little trumpeting noises. Every time the baby elephant would do its best to look and sound scary, just like mommy. The bird would just move off a little every time, not looking like it was really frightened or scared by all the attempts of the baby elephant to chase it off. In the end the baby elephant realised that the little bird was not too bothered by its behaviour. Hilariously, the baby elephant turned around and ran straight back to its mother. One of the funniest baby elephant interactions I have seen in a while.

The video shows a bird picking at the ear of a rhinoceros before disappearing with its whole body inside the rhino’s ear. The African wild hosts an incredible variety of wild animals. While each animal in the wild is unique on its own, it is incredible to see how different types of animals interact and associate with each other. One example of such an interesting relationship is that of the oxpecker bird who lives in association with medium to large mammalian herbivores in the African wild. The hosts that oxpecker birds use range from impala, warthog, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, rhino, and hippo. These birds spend their daylight hours picking and consuming ticks and parasites out of the pelage of their hosts in a win-win relationship known as mutualistic symbiosis. Both species involved benefit from the relationship. The birds get a daily guaranteed meal, while their hosts receive a grooming, keeping their skin and hair free from itchy ticks and parasites that can cause disease. Watching these birds in action is always a fascinating experience while on safari. During a safari in the Kruger National Park, we came across a herd of rhino. Almost every rhino had a bird or two on it. I started filming one oxpecker bird on a rhino’s head. It was bouncing around on the rhino’s forehead before targeting one of the rhino’s ears. The bird was hanging onto the rhino’s ear like it would onto a branch in a tree. The bird started picking at the ticks and parasites that end up in the rhino’s ear while it is grazing head-down through the long grass. The bird had its head inside the ear of the rhino, looking for some juicy pickings. The next moment the bird decided it was going to have a look a little deeper down the rhino’s ear. To our amazement, the bird went into the rhino’s ear with its whole body and disappeared. It looked so bizarre to see this bird just disappearing into the rhino’s ear. The best of it all was that the rhino tolerated the bird inside its ear and never got agitated. Even more incredible was that the bird remained in there for almost a minute in which time my camera battery ran out, just missing the bird exiting the rhino’s ear again. Staying inside the rhino’s ear for that long must have been worth the while. The rhino looked happy with its clean ears and the bird surely got a fat meal out of the deal. Incredible Mother Nature at her best.

The video shows the adorable moments of a new-born baby elephant still learning to stand on its wobbly legs, ending with a tumble over backwards down to the ground. The arrival of any new-born human baby on this planet is always a special occasion. It is no different in the animal world and to see any new-born animal baby in the wild brings about that same warm feeling. The only difference is that us humans are mostly born in a safe and protected environment, while animals in the African wild are born into a dangerous and totally exposed environment. With our protected environments which we as humans have created for ourselves, we don’t have to run from predators anymore. Human babies instinctively only start standing up and walking in about a years’ time. When you are a new-born wild animal in the African wild, standing up, walking, and even running is the first thing to learn and get right before anything else. Some prey animal species such as antelopes can usually stand, walk, and run within minutes. When these animals are born, they are incredibly vulnerable to predators. New -born elephants, such as the one in the video, take about twenty minutes to half an hour to be standing and walking. Being exposed to the elements and lurking predators, new-born wild animals need to get moving quickly as there is no time for hanging around. We were fortunate enough to come across a mother elephant and her new-born baby. We could still see the wet blood on the inside of the mother elephant’s hind legs and this elephant calf was not older than fifteen minutes. We just missed the birth occasion but was blessed with some of the most adorable moments when the elephant baby had to make use of its wobbly legs, learning to stand up and walk. The baby elephant would fall more than stand and every time the mother elephant would be there with a helping trunk. The baby elephant would wobble again while standing up. I managed to capture this adorable moment when the baby elephant looked like it was standing up all fine before it suddenly lost its balance, and slowly toppled over backwards, down to the ground. The mother elephant was there in a flash with her trunk, supporting her baby back onto its feet. It didn’t take long before the baby was all confident on its feet and ready to move on with the rest of the herd. What a fantastic moment in nature, witnessing a new-born elephant learning how to stand and walk for the first time.

The video shows a roaring male lion that was so full bellied and lazy, that he eventually rolled over onto his side to complete his roaring performance, lying down flat on the ground. The roar of a lion is one of Africa’s most iconic sounds. Few sounds in the animal kingdom are as powerful and awe inspiring as the sound of a roaring lion. The roar of a lion can be heard from as far as seven kilometres away through the African bush at night. Lions roar to signal territoriality and to locate distant members of the pride. Both male and female lions demonstrate ownership of territories via roaring. Hearing the roar of a lion at night is one of the great highlights while on an African safari trip. Getting to see these beasts perform their powerful roar is priceless and not something you get to see a lot. We were lucky enough to have found a big lone male lion while out on a night safari. It was late at night and this lion was still very lazy and sleepy and didn’t look like he was going anywhere anytime soon. I could see his belly was full and he has eaten well. After gorging themselves, lions literally become very lazy and pretty useless. All they want to do is sleep, whether it’s night or day. While sitting quietly watching this male lion lazing away, we could hear lions roaring in the far distance. The distant roars also got this male’s attention. The male lion went from lying down flat on his side, to crouching down on all fours, attentively listening in the direction of the other roars. The next moment the male lion in front of us let loose his almighty deep roar. The deep sound was trembling through my body, causing an adrenaline rush. Then something happened I have never seen before. Normally lions remain in a fierce and focused position while performing their powerful roar. This lion on the other hand had such a full belly, was so lazy and tired, that he couldn’t even remain sitting up properly anymore to complete his roaring. The male lion’s stomach was clearly in the way and uncomfortable, so he decided to casually roll over onto his side and finished the last verses of his roaring compilation while lying down, looking way more comfortable. It was so funny but understandable to see the lion behaving like this. The usual image of a lion standing fiercely, performing his powerful roar over the African plains was replaced by this old boy just lying down, chilling, while completing his roaring performance.