EmotionsofAfrica

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.

It was during a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park that we came across a large herd of elephants scattered all around a large watering hole. When you find elephants near water during a safari it is always a good time to turn off the vehicle and observe for a while. Elephants love water a lot and besides their big thirst, elephants also loves swimming and playing around in the water. During this time elephants are at their most relaxed, keeping themselves busy with everything else but eating, mostly leading to amusing and entertaining behavior. While filming a part of the herd in front of us on the far side of the water going about their daily antics, we suddenly heard a huge a splash in the water to the near right side of us. Our attention was quickly moved to the commotion close to us. We saw a male elephant that literally just tackled his brother into the water during their wrestling match and started pinning him down. With an elephant already past the size of puberty, it is very difficult for them to get back up on their feet while lying down flat on their sides. The bull elephant at the top clearly knew this and took the opportunity to show his brother that he was in charge and winning this wrestling match. The male elephant lying in the water made several attempts to get up but his brother refused to let him go. The struggling elephant became annoyed and started to cry out these deep and loud screams every time he couldn’t get up. The loud screams were so loud that it left us feeling extremely overwhelmed and intimidated. Eventually the screaming elephant managed to shrug off his brother and got back onto his feet. The elephant looked pretty mad and it was then when the other elephant realized that he better get some distance between the two of them otherwise there was going to be trouble. In the end, the frustrated elephant bull handled the situation surprisingly well, looking all calmed down a lot quicker than we anticipated. Everyone really thought he would get up and give his brother some of his own medicine but to our surprise, it didn't happen. As if nothing happened, the brothers left the water together in peace.

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.

One of the highlights on any African safari is finding wild animals with their young. The offspring of most mammals are normally adorable and very cute. Watching baby animals in the wild is always a heart-warming experience while their playfulness and clumsiness makes for very entertaining viewing. Baby zebras fit this description very well and these little stripy foals seem to amaze us more and more by the day. During a safari in the Kruger Park, we came across a small herd of zebra, busy feeding in the distance. There was a number of baby zebras seen in the herd. We spotted one specific foal that looked very playful and full of energy. It was then when the young foals became the center of our attention. The young zebra suddenly seemed pretty amused by one specific bird that was flying around between the baby zebra and its mother. The bird landed on the mother zebra and started moving around on her body. The playful zebra then decided that the bird can no longer stay on its mother and had to go. The only problem was that the bird sat on its mother’s back, too high for the little zebra to see the bird. The baby zebra wasn’t going to give up and jumped up against its mother with its front legs while standing on its hind legs in an attempt to chase the bird away. This made for very entertaining viewing as we have never seen a baby zebra standing on its hind legs. The bird didn’t look too bothered by this. It would just lift itself into the air for a short while before landing again on the mother zebra. It was really funny to see how obsessed and amused this baby zebra was with one single bird. In the end the baby zebra gave up and the bird was left to continue searching its mother’s skin for a tasty snack such as ticks and parasites hiding between the hair on her body.

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.

During the lock down period in South Africa, I am fortunate enough to be working and living in an isolated wilderness area of the Kruger National Park. While all safaris have come to a standstill, I now have ample time to explore the bush for days on end. Mother nature continues as normal. Wildlife go about their daily routine, not having a worry about what is happening out in the world. While driving around alone, I stopped at a nearby watering hole. It was a hot day and there were a number of various wildlife species congregating at the water. Elephants outnumbered all other species of wildlife at the watering hole. At the same time, elephants are renowned for their temperament when it comes to sharing ‘their’ water with any other species of animals living in the same bush. Bull elephants especially become arrogant, cheeky or just plain aggressive with other animals around the same watering hole. Elephants are reluctant to share their space while on many occasions this type of behavior may even seem hilariously pointless, like the incident in this video. A large number of elephants were standing in and around the water hole. There was a small herd of zebra standing at the same water, enjoying a late morning drink. One zebra stood separated from the small herd while having a drink of water. My attention was drawn to a young male elephant, casually walking along the edge of the water hole, looking rather relaxed and peaceful. Suddenly the lone zebra standing at the water grabbed the attention of the bull elephant. He stopped, looked at the zebra and in split seconds the bull elephant decided he does not like the lone zebra standing at the water trying to get a drink. With a sudden burst of aggression, the bull elephant charged towards the lone zebra while letting out his scary sounding growling screams. The zebra got such a fright that it jumped straight into the water to get away from the angry bull elephant. I could not identify any particular reason why the elephant just suddenly went for the lone zebra, though it seemed to me it might just have been cheekiness while showing off his size or just having a bit of fun because he can. The incident was over very quickly and both the elephant and the zebra continued as if nothing ever happened. I packed my stuff and continued my journey with a big smile on my face.

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.

It was just after sunrise when we left our camp to go on a safari in the Kruger National Park. The first hour of the day is known by many as the ‘golden hour’, where the soft golden light creates perfect conditions for photographing and filming wildlife. It was during this time that I managed to film two male zebras, locked in combat. The biting and kicking added to the drama while the golden light and dust made for a spectacular setting overall. The first place we went to check after departure was a nearby watering hole. Many species of wildlife make use of the early hours of the morning to get their daily fill of water before the relentless heat takes over the rest of the day. On our arrival there were some buffalo near the water and a small herd of zebra more to the back of the buffalo. It was during the peak of the dry season and the landscape was barren and very dusty. We decided to spent some time at this watering hole, watching the animals coming to the water. While scanning the vast and open landscape, I suddenly noticed clouds of dust appearing from behind the nearby buffalo. I noticed that there were some erratic movements coming from the small herd of zebra standing in the distance. Two zebras in particular were rising up and down while bumping against each other. I quickly realized that it was two males starting a fight with each other. These fights usually do not last long as young males like to practice their fighting skills in short bursts of play. Fights only get serious when an interloper attempts to abduct a father’s daughter. It was soon clear that this was no play fight and the fight continued. I started filming and the video shows a part of the intense battle in the golden light filled with dust. Zebra fights consist mainly of biting and wrestling, rarely flailing with the fore feet and only occasional kicking with the back feet, the most dangerous form of combat. The two male zebras started with rearing, jostling and neck-wrestling. The fight became more serious when they dropped to the ground, then circling on their knees. This happens when an opponent seeks a grip to bite on the opponents fore or hindleg. The two zebras then quickly jumped back onto their feet and with lightning speed, the one male zebra lashed out with his back feet, hitting his opponent right under the very tip of his jaw. A kick like that hitting the head of an opponent can be fatal. The zebra that was on the receiving end of the kick was very lucky but it looked like the lightning-fast powerful kick was hurting enough for him to give up, shaking his head while looking a little disorientated. The losing zebra slowly disappeared after the incident. I was grateful for waking up early and having the opportunity to see such an unexpected event during the golden hour of the morning in the African bush.

One of the advantages of been locked down in a wilderness area of the Greater Kruger National Park, is that you have a lot more time on your hands to spend out in nature practicing photography and shooting videos. With all the extra time on my hands I decided to become a little more creative with my video filming techniques, hoping to get different shots of wildlife from unusually different angles and point of views, showcasing them in a totally different and unique way. I decided to turn my GoPro camera into more of a ‘spy cam’ by hiding it in various places such as on the ground below the brush, between rocks or even in a pile of elephant dung. One late afternoon I ventured out on a safari by myself, armed with my usual gear and a GoPro added to the kit. I was in the hope of getting some close-up footage of elephants that afternoon. I went straight to a nearby waterhole where elephants usually gather for a drink during the late afternoons. When I arrived, there were two big elephant bulls at the water busy drinking. I watched them for a little while and saw the two elephant bulls were slowly turning around and heading away from the water. This is where the trick comes in. You have to anticipate which direction or path the elephants will follow in order to go and place the camera a few hundred meters ahead, hoping they will stay on the anticipated course and walk past the ‘hidden camera’. Most of the time this approach does not yield results as animals quickly stop and change direction long before they even can get to the ‘spy cam’. It can take days or even weeks for all the variables to line up in order to get a successful close up shot. On this occasion I took my chances and drove ahead to a crossing in the road where I believed the two bull elephants will come walking past. There was a pile of dry elephant dung and I decided to hide my camera in the pile of dung. I drove away another hundred meters and sat there waiting with great anticipation. This was attempt number six for the week, so I had mixed feelings about when my luck was going to change. I watched the two elephant bulls walking in the direction of the pile of dung where my camera was hidden. The one elephant then suddenly stopped next to a tree and started feeding. The other elephant was slowly making his way, straight to where my camera was. I got extremely excited when the elephant eventually walked straight up to my camera and suddenly stopped. I realized that my ‘hidden camera’ was not so hidden anymore and that I could not fool a big elephant bull. The male elephant looked very curious and stuck out his trunk to investigate the foreign object a little closer. The video shows how the bull elephant uses his trunk to sniff all around the camera. The elephant even gave the camera a little nudge with his trunk. After a few more sniffs, the elephant slowly started moving on. What amazed me even more was the elephant’s awareness of the camera, carefully walking past without stepping on it. When the elephant bull disappeared, I quickly returned to the spot and collected my camera. I was extremely excited with the results of the footage afterwards, showing an elephant bull in a totally different perspective that would otherwise not be possible to capture.

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.

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.

The Kruger National Park is one of the most visited wilderness parks in Africa. Tourists flock to the park every year to see the great variety of African wildlife living in their natural environment and habitats. The most sought after animals are called the big five and consists of lion, leopard, buffalo and elephant. While these big animals steal the show, there are many other smaller species of wildlife to be seen that can add to a great safari experience. It is the smaller animals that people tend to miss and overlook while on their search for the more popular and bigger animals. We went on a recent safari in the park and the weather turned for the worse. It was cloudy and miserably cold. On days like these it is usually difficult to spot any animals as they tend to lie down and not move. We had to make the best of the situation and still went out on safari to see what we can find. While braving the cold safari on an open game viewer vehicle, our guide suddenly noticed a large fury ball up in a dead tree. We drove closer to see what it was. To our amazement we came across the most adorable sight. Three cute squirrels were holding onto each other to keep warm while the cold wind was blowing. Such caring and loving behavior by the squirrels made for heart-warming viewing. The squirrels used this snuggle time for mutual grooming which is an important part in strengthening their family bonds. The video shows how much they do enjoy these grooming sessions with armpits, eyes, ears and the rest of the body thoroughly check for any irritating parasites. The squirrels would then rotate positions, giving each one a chance to be groomed while holding onto each other to keep warm at the same time. We never anticipated for squirrels to deliver such an amazing wildlife sighting and we were glad we made the effort to go out on safari during the unpleasant weather conditions.

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 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.

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

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.

Living and working in a remote wilderness area in the African wild of the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa, gives me and my wife the daily opportunity to live among, see and sometimes interact with a multitude of animal species found in the wild. This video shows a great example of our local resident baboons making use of our self-build bush swimming pool on a hot summer day with some hilarious behavior to go with it all. Being fortunate enough to live so close to a large variety of animal species, we often get to see some amazing and unexpected events that mostly put a big smile on our faces. Living in the African wild also means living along with the extreme heat of the summer months. So over time I decided we needed a swimming pool just big enough for two people to help us cool down on those long and very hot summer days. With a help of few fellow workers, we managed to use rock from the local environment to build this bush-style swimming pool. It doesn’t look like much but it works extremely well. It was during one of those scorching hot days where temperatures rose beyond 40 degree Celsius. My wife and I had a quick cool down in our bush-style swimming pool during lunch time and after we headed out again back to work. It was just past five in the afternoon and the temperature outside was still unbearable. When I walked into the house, I saw through the window that someone was actually in our swimming pool. My confusion to who might be in my pool right now was quickly replaced by the realization that it was actually a small group of baboons. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I went outside and the baboons jumped out and ran off not too far, sitting in the shade while staring at me. My wife was not home yet so I thought I would capture these baboons swimming for her to see later on. The baboons were having the time of their lives, totally loving the water. It was like watching a couple of kids play in the swimming pool. The video shows the highlight and most hilarious part of the whole event. I watched all the baboons climbing into the water fairly gently but one specific baboon decided it was time to show off. While the one baboon was in the water, the other suddenly appeared. The baboon analyzed the situation for a short while before running to the other side of the pool, looking extremely excited. The baboon then pulled itself up from the swimming pool wall and jumped into the air to perform the most hilarious looking acrobatic style dive into the water. It all happened so quick, I had to add the little slow-motion bit at the end to really appreciate the unbelievable excitement and freedom the dive was performed with. To date this was definitely still one of my top highlight experiences and sightings while living and working in the African bush.

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 Hippopotamus is the world's third largest land mammal after the African Elephant and the White Rhinoceros. These semi-aquatic creatures are known to be aggressive, temperamental and very unpredictable. They are herbivores and very few people even know that the hippo is responsible for more human deaths in Africa than any other animal. Surprisingly enough, there is one very special and unique hippo on this planet called Jessica. She's a wild animal that interacts with humans in a very different way than what nature has intended. The video shows how the world's only friendly <a href="https://rumble.com/v34oea-worlds-biggest-fart-the-hippo.html" target="_blank">hippo</a> joins her human visitors for a brief feeding session. Jessica lives free in an open river system that is connected with the Kruger National Park. Like a true hippo she will wander off with the rest of the wild hippos. Hippos leave the water at night for a few hours to graze. During the day hippos will be extremely placid and just laze around. Jessica on the other hand has some amusing daily activities. Every morning around ten o'clock Jessica will come down the river to the platform situated in front of the house belonging to the people that found her. She amazingly approaches the raft in a very friendly manner. The person in charge briefly explains to everyone how Jessica likes to be fed. From there everyone gets the bizarrely incredible opportunity to feed Jessica one of her <a href="https://rumble.com/v30m08-funny-goat-video.html" target="_blank">favorite snacks</a>. Crushed dried corn might not sound like much to us humans but this female hippo just loves it. Jessica adorably opens her mouth in such a willing manner every time she is ready for the next serving. During the year 2000, Jessica washed up on the river banks of a farm just outside the Kruger National Park, Limpopo Province, South Africa. That year the countries of Mozambique and South Africa suffered from devastating floods. She was a new born calf, still with the umbilical cord attached, that got swept away and lost her mother in the process. The owners of the farm took it upon them to save the helpless calf. Without a mother this female hippo stood no chance of survival. Over the years Jessica grown into a 600 kilo hippo that still comes from the wilderness back to the house of the owners that saved her life. A truly unique and fascinating story.

During a safari in Kruger National Park, South Africa, these tourist came across a herd of elephants enjoying a late afternoon swim in a river. Elephants are great swimmers and they are very comfortable in deep water areas such as rivers and lakes. Getting out of a river is also normally not a problem, especially for the adults. Climbing up the slippery and muddy river bank is usually easily achieved with the help from their long legs and overall body strength. It is common at times for baby elephants to really struggle up a slippery river bank as their legs are still very short while lacking overall body strength. There are times though when even the adults do find a river bank too slippery and unexpectedly fail to get out the water. The video shows a male adult <a href="https://rumble.com/v348yy-giant-elephant-blocks-busy-road.html" target="_blank">elephant</a> making an attempt to get out of the river after his long cool down session in the water. The big bull leans forward and rests on his front knees at the top of the river bank. While attempting to pull himself up the bank with his front knees, the elephant simultaneously attempts to push himself up the bank with his hind feet and legs. His back feet does not get a proper grip and just slips up and down. He suddenly realizes that he is not going to get out in this manner. To everyone's amusement, the large elephant falls back onto his bum and slides down the bank back into the water. Once back in the water the bull elephant did not look like he was interested in a second attempt getting out. Instead he falls over back into the water with one <a href="https://rumble.com/v4nboj-watch-an-adorable-baby-elephant-splash-around-in-a-river.html" target="_blank">huge splash</a>. This elephant was clearly not done with his afternoon swim and was in no hurry to get out of the river any time soon!

For nearly two thirds of the year, the Kruger National Park goes through a dry period. During these long dry seasons, water and food becomes really scarce. These tough conditions create a hostile environment where the competition for food and water among animals becomes more fierce and intense. Across the park there are a number of widespread man made watering holes that are pumped right through the year from underground water sources. During dry periods these watering holes are great places to watch wild animals coming from far to quench their thirst. During a safari we decided to stop at one of these watering holes. On our arrival there was a herd of elephants already gathered in and around the water. Elephants are known for drinking huge amounts of water as well as their love for water in general. Elephants love their water so much that majority of the time they will not allow any other species of animal to share the water with them. While we watched the elephants enjoying their time at the water, a young warthog appeared, carefully making its way to the water for a long awaited drink. Suddenly one elephant in the water was alerted by the presence of the warthog. This behavior then triggered another elephant to come around and investigate what was going on. In the meantime a second warthog appeared, hoping to get a few sips of water. The elephant saw the warthogs and became really grumpy. Immediately the elephant charged towards the warthogs while letting out a loud trumpeting noise to scare them even more. The warthogs had no choice but to give up their opportunity of getting a drink. They quickly turned around and ran off into the bush. The elephant continued to run after the warthogs until they disappeared. We couldn’t believe that an elephant weighing a few tons would pick on something so small as a warthog weighing a mere sixty kilograms. In the process the rest of the elephant herd got a fright and became uneasy for a short while. After the whole commotion the elephants settled down again and continued as if nothing happened.

Meet Jessica the hippo, the world’s only hippo that loves drinking tea and that enjoys the occasional kiss on the nose. The video shows this incredible wild animal jumping out of the water onto a platform, ready and waiting for her favorite drink of tea given to her by human admirers. Amazingly enough Jessica only allows woman and children to feed her tea and to give her a kiss. The hippo does not waste any time during the process and guzzles down both bottles of tea. Once she finished four liters of tea, Jessica adorably became very lazy and literally <a href="https://rumble.com/v4dxrv-shiba-inu-puppy-struggling-to-stay-awake-while-cuddling-owner.html" target="_blank">struggled to keep her eyes open</a>. She slowly went back into the water with only her head resting on the platform where she fell asleep for a short while. Once the show was over, Jessica got her energy back and moved down to river on her way back to the wild hippos. During the year 2000, Mozambique and South Africa was hit by devastating floods. As a new-born calf, Jessica washed up on the banks of the Blyde River running through the Kruger National Park and along local farms outside the park. She was discovered by a local farmer and his wife that became the parents that she never had while growing up. The helpless female calf lost her mother and had no chance of survival on her own out in the wild. Over time Jessica surprisingly developed a fond taste for tea when she was still very little. Interacting with Jessica is an unforgettable experience and a little nerve wrecking at the same time. Very few people are aware of the fact that hippos kill more humans in Africa per year than any other animal. They are normally very aggressive and unpredictable. Jessica is the world's only <a href="https://rumble.com/v4qwm9-friendly-hippo-amazingly-joins-tourists-for-favorite-snack.html" target="_blank">hippo that really loves interacting with humans</a> and never shown any aggression towards anyone.

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.

White rhino are the second largest land mammals on earth and as such take their place amongst the Big 5 animals of the African continent. The rhino’s most prominent feature is its horns. They are weapons of deference used during bouts of combat or to protect itself and its offspring from predators. Unfortunately a ridiculous number of rhino are poached and killed every year in the Kruger National Park purely just for their horns. The illegal demand for rhino horn is driven by the myth that their horns have medicinal value to humans. Rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine, but increasingly common is its use as a status symbol to display success and wealth. The horn of a rhino is made of keratin which is the same substance as fingernails. Scientifically proven there is no medicinal value to humans whatsoever. With the senseless killing continuing, it is always a huge occasion to find a baby rhino in the wild. While on safari in the Kruger National Park we had the opportunity to sit and watch the most adorable baby rhino spending time with its mother. It was a little male and he was only two weeks old. The cute rhino calf only had a tiny bump on his nose for a horn. The little rhino’s two big ears were prominent and made it look so adorable. While spending time playing around with his mother, we noticed that this little guy was extremely fascinated by his mother’s big horn. The video shows how the baby rhino playfully investigates his mother’s horn. It looked like he was still discovering the huge thing stuck on his mother’s nose. The bull calf clearly knew that it was something he would use one day and even practiced his strength and combat skills against his mother’s massive horn. This baby rhino was energetic and full of play, bouncing and running around while being fascinated by his mother’s horn. It was great to see the little one was doing well and already starting to learn the skills he would need later in life. Seeing a baby rhino in the wild can be challenging and this was definitely one of our best rhino sightings in a very long time.

Leopards are normally dangerous and deadly predators, making this male leopard’s hopeless attempts to catch a few annoying flies just adorable to watch. Going on a safari in Africa gives people the unique opportunity to see the continent’s most fascinating creatures living and behaving in their natural environment. The most wanted animals to see while on safari is known as the big five animals and consists of elephant, buffalo, rhino, leopard and lion. The one animal that is by far the most difficult to find is the leopard, a big cat closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. The leopard is the most secretive and elusive of the large carnivores and finding one while on safari is a memorable experience. During a recent self-drive safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, I was lucky enough to find a male leopard lying on an old wall from a time gone by. It was late afternoon and the beautiful golden light added the perfect opportunity for taking pictures and video. Besides its formidable abilities as a predator, the leopard is admired by humans for its mesmerizing and beautiful appearance. Animal prints such as that of the leopard has fascinated humans for centuries. Leopards have intricate patterning all over their bodies. This pattern is unique to each animal. Majority of the leopard’s body is covered by black spots that are arranged together to form rosettes. The back and flanks of the body are a golden colour and the underside almost pure white. In combination, these disruptive markings and colours provide the leopard with highly effective camouflage. The patterning breaks up the shape of the body and allows the leopard to almost melt invisibly into any habitat. This is critical to facilitate hunting and to remain elusive from its own enemies. An interesting fact is that black leopards or black panthers are in fact simple genetic variations of the normal spotted leopard. The black colouring is known as melanistic form as it is caused by an excess of black pigment called melanin. I was in awe by this stunningly beautiful big cat lying in the golden afternoon sun. The male leopard looked totally relaxed for a while before I suddenly noticed something grabbing his attention. I could not make out what it was and saw the leopard slowly wiggling his tail, looking totally amused by it. The next moment the male leopard lifted his head, snapping with his mouth in the air. The leopard’s large razor-sharp canines were snapping repeatedly in the air. This looked so adorable and I realised the male leopard became annoyed with tiny flies buzzing around his head. It was so funny and cute at the same time to see such a formidable hunter attempting to catch something so small that we and maybe the leopard himself couldn’t even see. This comical behaviour by the leopard is not something one usually see and I was totally pleased to have seen a leopard behaving in such an entertaining manner, right in its own natural environment. When the leopard means business and goes out to do serious hunting, its technique is to either ambush its prey or to stalk it. Leopards rely on the element of surprise and their powerful bodies to capture prey, which is grappled with the fore-claws and then bitten on the back of the head or around the throat. When these killing machines are out hunting, it is hard to believe that there is also a cute and comical side to these wonderful creatures.