EmotionsofAfrica

The video shows an incredible rare moment filmed in the African wild of a pink baby elephant swimming with its family in a river. Baby elephants are just adorable creatures and when you find a baby elephant that is pink, it puts cuteness to whole new level. It was during a scorcher of a day in the Kruger National Park when I managed to capture this rare and unique moment in the wild. It was during the middle of the day when everybody was back at camp, relaxing after their morning safari. The camp has a beautiful view over a river in front of it and guests can laze around on the decks of the camp while watching animals come and go. On this specific day a huge herd of elephants came to the front of the camp into the river for a swim. It was incredibly hot and humid, and the elephants decided to spend some time in the river and enjoy a cool down swim in the river to everybody’s amazement. Suddenly someone noticed something strange amongst all the elephants and called me over to come and have a look. I immediately saw what the person pointed out to me. It stood out like a shiny pink gleam of light. There it was in front of us, a pink baby elephant swimming with the rest of its family. We couldn’t believe what we saw. I immediately grabbed my camera and started filming this incredible sight. The pink baby elephant was having the time of its life swimming and playing with its family in the river. I realized we were looking at a true albino baby elephant, with an unpigmented skin with no melanin, unpigmented eyes and not so white but pink skin. Only a small number of sightings have ever been reported of pink elephants in the African wild. Unfortunately, the chances for this baby elephant to make it to adulthood are slim. The ruthless African sun makes survival a daily struggle for non-pigmented animals such as this cute baby elephant. The sun can also cause blindness in their unpigmented eyes. Besides all these factors, albino animals also stand out, are less camouflaged, which make them much more vulnerable to predators. Luckily this pink baby elephant has a massive herd protecting it. It would really take a lot for any predator to even attempt hunting the pink baby elephant with so many big elephants around to protect it, which they will. Everybody was blown away by what we have seen in front of the camp in the middle of the day, leaving us entertained and with a lifetime memory.

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

The video shows a male baby elephant, hilariously believing he is strong and big enough to scare off three large buffalo bulls with his ‘intimidating’ behaviour. Being the largest land mammal on this planet, elephants rule and dominate the landscape in Africa. With their sheer size they do not really have to fear any predator and they can break and shape the landscape just how they like. Elephants also eat the most food and drink the most water of all animals in the African wild. When it comes to water, which they need to drink daily, elephants also love to throw their weight around. For some reason elephants do not like sharing water with other animals and on many occasions will not hesitate to chase other animal species away from the water. This is one of the trademarks of elephants and are learned from a young age. The video shows a male baby elephant that has clearly paid attention to the adults during his first years and decided it was time to put his skills to the test. We were watching a herd of elephants when this male baby elephant caught my eye. The baby elephant for some reason moved away from the herd. I noticed three large buffalo bulls lying in a mud wallow just below the watering hole where the elephants were. The baby elephant was walking towards the buffalo bulls with a cheeky filled attitude. It was hilarious to watch how the baby elephant believed he could chase the buffalo bulls off with his cute little trumpeting noise and his ‘not so scary’ mock charges. The funniest part of it all for me was while the baby elephant was doing his best to get some reaction from of the buffalo bulls, he got absolutely none. Two of the buffaloes didn’t even look at the baby elephant once, while one of the buffalo eventually just glanced at the baby elephant, probably thinking “what the hell are you trying to do boy?” The very self-confident baby elephant soon realised that his intimidating tactics are not working, and it was as if he suddenly lost all that self confidence and ran away. Just so funny to watch.

The Blue Wildebeest bull in this video shows how much fun and joy there can be in a good face-rubbing session in the mud. Blue Wildebeest are one of the most common plains game species found in Southern Africa. They are well known for their migratory habits in massive herds and are a significant food source for the large carnivores in Africa such as lion, hyena, and crocodile. The Wildebeest has also been voted over the years into the rankings of the top five ‘ugliest animals in Africa’ , right through to a place in the top five ‘least intelligent animals in Africa’ category. Majority of the time when you see these animals, they are either feeding, walking, or drinking water. With this general perception, it does not put the Wildebeest at the top of the list as the most wanted or excited animals to see in the African wild while on safari. But you can imagine the total excitement when you do find a wildebeest doing something totally different and unexpected. During a safari in the Kruger National Park, we came across a small group of male wildebeest stand around a nearly dried up pan. We thought the wildebeest were there for their daily drink but we were totally surprised by their fascinating behaviour that most people never get to see. These wildebeest males were not around this muddy wallow for a drink, but instead were there to enjoy a good old face rubbing in the mud. It was really entertaining to watch how the leader of the herd was having the time of his life while shoving his face in the mud. The wildebeest looked he was going crazy, first digging up the mud before repeatedly shoving and rubbing his face in the mud. This was fascinating to watch and probably the longest time I have ever spend watching these animals. While this behaviour seems very amusing, there is also a great explanation for why this bull was so adamantly rubbing his face in the mud. Wildebeest are territorial and a typical territory is usually positioned in an open area and nearby water. Wildebeest have pedal glands, glands between their hooves, and they rake the soil with their feet to release the scent into the soil or mud. They also release this smell when they walk. Dominant bulls such as the one seen in this video, will engage in this type of face rubbing to transmit glandular secretions from below their eyes. It was incredible to realize that all this amusing face rubbing in the mud was part of marking his territory. What a fascinating manner to mark your territory indeed coming from an animal many do not find so fascinating on an ordinary day in the African wild.

As nature lovers and conservationists, my wife and I are fortunate enough to live in a remote wilderness area of the Greater Kruger National Park in South Africa. While living in the wild, you get to see nature in its full glory on a daily basis with all its amazing sights and sounds. Being keen gardeners, we have established an indigenous garden around our house over the years. One of the benefits of living in such a wild area is the many wild bird species that visit our garden during the day. I was in the house one afternoon during a weekend, when I suddenly heard my wife calling me to come outside to the garden. When I got outside, I was confused and amused at the same time, watching my wife spraying a Grey Go-away-bird with her water spraying bottle. I ran back inside to get my camera. Not only does the Grey Go-away-bird have a name that surprise most people, it is also one of the most common and easy recognizable birds in the African bush. This dull looking grey bird, with its funky upright crest, is actually one of the most reliable birds to call out an alarm when any sort of danger such as predators, snakes or raptors are spotted in the area. When this bird sounds an alarm, all animals usually respond by getting away from the danger area. Hence the name. My wife explained that she was out in the garden, using her small watering spray bottle to water some of the plants with a fine water mist. While busy watering her plants, my wife noticed a Grey Go-away-bird coming to land in a bush right next to her. While it is common having these birds visiting our garden, none of us have ever experienced the birds to be been keen on interacting with us. The bird sat and looked at my wife spraying the plants. My wife looked at the bird and the bird intimately stared back at her and the water bottle. During this little stare down session, my wife then decided to spray a little water at the bird, seeing that it was fairly dry and warm that afternoon. What followed was the hilarious interaction between my wife and the Grey Go-away-bird which I managed to capture in this video. It seemed like the bird absolutely loved having the water sprayed on its body. My wife turned up the tempo with more repetitive sprays. The bird amazingly reacted by starting to lift its wings, ‘asking’ to get sprayed all over the lower body and areas covered by the wings. At the same time, the bird would turn from the one side to the other side, ‘guiding’ my wife where to spray, making sure majority of its body got covered with the water. The bird never stopped enjoying it and I was totally fascinated by this bird’s behavior as we have never interacted with these birds before. If we had a larger watering spray bottle, it would have carried on for much longer. Once the water was finished, the bird gave us one last look and disappeared back into the wild. We were totally amazed by this bird pulling in for a cool down body spray on demand.

It is always special to see the various relationships that exist between two or more different species of animals in the African wild. One great example of this is the relationship of a bird called the oxpecker and wild mammals in Africa. Their relationship is specifically known as a symbiotic relationship where both or all species involved benefit from the relationship. In this case the bird is checking the skins of animals for ticks and parasites they can feed on. In return the animals get rid of pesky bloodsucking parasites that can be detrimental to their health. This sighting was a great example of when baby animals don’t yet understand this type of relationship and is more seen as an annoyance than a benefit. During a late afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park, we stopped to watch a small herd of zebra busy feeding in the open. It was summer time which meant that there were many baby zebras around in the herds. Zebra foals are always adorable and they make for very entertaining viewing. We noticed one oxpecker bird jumping around the animals in the herd, looking for easy pickings between the hairs on their skins. The bird landed on the head of one baby zebra. It was not long before the little zebra became evidently annoyed with the bird continuously wanting to nibble in and around its ear. The ears of grazing mammals are one of those hard to reach places that is crucial to be cleaned. Only the bird can reach in the ear but it can clearly be a very annoying experience at the same time. It was so funny to watch the baby zebra shaking its head in an effort to get rid of the bird. The bird was relentless and kept going for the baby zebra’s ear the whole time. The bird simply would not go away while sticking to the side of the zebra’s head searching inside its ears for a snack. The pesky bird ended up annoying the little zebra so much that it hilariously started jumping around, kicking into the air while going a little crazy for a few seconds. The bird also became annoyed eventually and flew off to irritate another zebra in the herd.

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

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

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

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 the hilarious sighting of a grumpy elephant bull chasing away a lone wildebeest from a watering hole with its trumpeting noises and water throwing skills, using his trunk like a hosepipe. The African elephant is the largest land mammal on this planet and they rule the African landscape with their sheer size. Elephants also consume the most food and drink the most water on a daily basis of all animals in the African wild. During the dry season, water resources become very limited, and this seems to get elephants on edge when it comes to sharing any water resource with other animals. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we came across a classic example where an elephant bull behaved in a manner that showed he was clearly not prepared to share a small watering hole with a lone and very thirsty wildebeest. It was a scorcher of a day at thirty-eight degrees Celsius and the animals were thirsty. While this lone elephant bull was drinking water, the lone wildebeest appeared and casually went to the opposite side of the water to have his drink, not even looking or acknowledging the elephant bull. The elephant bull stopped drinking and stared at the wildebeest that just pulled in for a drink. This was where the real funny bit started. The elephant bull gave the wildebeest bull one more look and to our surprise, the elephant bull sucked up some water in his trunk and sprayed it in the direction of the wildebeest while uttering a loud trumpeting noise. The wildebeest got a fright and moved off a little. The elephant bull clearly wanted the wildebeest further away from the water and repeatedly used his trunk like a hosepipe to throw water at the poor wildebeest, while making his intimidating trumpeting noises. The wildebeest decided it was better to get away from this old grumpy bull elephant. While this was so unexpected and funny to watch, one question remained with us: “why did the elephant bull chase off the wildebeest, who politely went to the opposite side, away from the elephant to drink in peace?” While there might not be one clear answer for that question, our summary to why the elephant did this was purely because he can.

While giraffes are known to be graceful, calm and peaceful animals, there are the rare occasion when the males will take it next level when in battle. They literally have with the ability to knock out an opponent with a series of blows to the head. Giraffes, the tallest land mammal on our planet and one the most photographed animals on the African continent. With their unusually long necks and legs, these animals move through the African wild with grace, elegance and beauty. Giraffes just has that fascinatingly unique look like no other animal in the African wild and will always have safari goers in awe. With this in mind, there are the few rare occasions when giraffes can surprise or shock us with their behaviour. In the animal kingdom, and the human world for that matter, establishing dominance between two males can get really intense, especially if they are similar in size. It is no different in the world of giraffes. Giraffe bulls are generally solitary and they are not territorial. A local status hierarchy develops according to age and size. This is established through ritual necking encounters amongst bachelors from an early age. Duels are not violent unless two equally matched bulls are contending for the same oestrus cow. Bull giraffes use their long necks to swing their heads sideways, making well placed blows with their horns on their opponent’s body. While well placed blows to the opponent’s body is effective and commonly used, the giraffe male in this video took it to a whole new level. Both giraffe bulls were old and looked like veteran fighters. The most dominant giraffe of the two had a more dangerous tactic, aiming for the back of his opponent’s head. On the back of a giraffe’s head there is no protection, only a layer of skin over the skull. In order to hit his opponent at the back of that crucial spot behind the head, the dominant giraffe bull had a unique tactic of swinging his head backwards almost hundred and eighty degrees, dealing out short but very potent and accurate blows to the back of his opponent’s head. I could see that the giraffe receiving the beating already had a deep wound in the back of his head. The losing giraffe managed to get in only one proper blow to his opponent’s body but this fight was a one-way battle in the end. The dominant giraffe bull added another few blows to his opponent’s head with his effective backwards head swing move. In the end it was just too much and the giraffe was knocked out clean, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. I couldn’t believe that the giraffe bull would go that far to knock out his opponent, but there it was, a first time for me to witness something rare like this. The knocked-out giraffe did survive in the end, most likely with a serious headache.

A baby rhino is surely one of the cutest creatures that inhabit the African wild. When baby rhinos start running, they explode with a serious overdose of cuteness. This video shows how uniquely adorable baby rhinos are when they run. Rhinos are one of Africa’s big five animals and currently the most threatened of them all. Seeing these creatures disappearing in the wild purely for the sake of their horns is a sad story on its own. While rhinos face a tough time in Africa, the species on the other hand is doing great when it comes to breeding in protected areas which helps in the battle for their survival. Seeing a rhino in the wild is always a special occasion. These creatures are so uniquely different to any other animal on this planet. Seeing the offspring of a rhino is always guaranteed to be a heart-warming experience. A baby rhino is seriously one of the most adorable inhabitants on this planet and any encounter with a baby rhino will put a smile on your face. The video shows such an encounter during an African safari when a mother rhino and her baby was found standing a way down in the road. While the mother rhino was standing still, her baby was bursting with energy. The baby rhino was sprinting at full speed up and down the road to everyone’s amazement. Everyone was not just amazed by the baby rhino’s energy, but by how adorable this baby rhino looked while running up and down. With its big feet, skinny legs, wrinkly skin, stumpy nose and pointy ears, this baby rhino looked like a soft squeezy toy you just want to pick up and give a big hug. The mother rhino eventually realised her calf was getting too far from her and followed it for a while before disappearing out of sight into the bush. The baby rhino displayed one more time how brilliantly fast and cute it was before disappearing into the bush, hasting after its mother.

With the Wildlife and Safari Tourism industry still on its knees, self-drive safaris in South Africa have recently been allowed again. We took the opportunity and headed straight to the Kruger National Park to explore the great African wilderness. Majority of visitors to the park are normally in search of the ever popular ‘big five’ animals that include buffalo, elephant, rhino, leopard and lion. Out of all the ‘big five’ animals, the African lion is at the top of the list for most. Finding the biggest cat in Africa can be relatively easy on some days, where on other times they will disappear for days or even weeks. Finding a pride of lions in the wild is already a memorable experience on its own. Finding a whole pride with a lioness suckling her cubs in the wild is a once in a lifetime experience. We couldn’t believe our luck when we found the large pride of lions sleeping in the shade next to a deserted road. We were totally stunned when we realized there were also six lion cubs present. We decided to switch off the vehicle and spend time with the lion pride and their cubs. Majority of the pride were fast asleep besides three specific lion cubs that decided it was time for a drink of mommy’s milk, all at once. The tired lioness was still half asleep but allowed her youngsters to start drinking. Initially things were a little cramped and unorganized for the lion cubs. It was adorable to watch the three cubs moaning about finding space to get their fair share of mommy’s milk. The cute little growling, snarling and moaning sounds made by the cubs was just incredible to hear while witnessing this precious moment. The lioness eventually responded to the moans and growls by lifting her one leg up in the air, opening up more space for the cubs to get comfortable and to stop moaning. It was such an amazing moment to see each cub happy with its own place to drink. When each lion cub had a mammary gland in its mouth, everything became peaceful again and remained like that for quite some time. We left the pride in peace and moved on. We had a big smile on our faces while feeling overwhelmed by our rarely seen moment in the African wild.

The video shows a baby elephant working hard to walk through a deep muddy river crossing and keeping up with its family in the African wild. A great example of determination and great will power to keep going. Baby elephants are just so cute and to see the largest land mammal on this planet in baby form is always a memorable experience. On the other hand, being a baby elephant in the African wild is probably not that cute all the time. Starting life as a new-born for any animal in the African wild is a great challenge. A legion of obstacles and dangers are around you every day and it is all about paying attention to the adults and do what is needed to survive. Elephants are constant feeders, and they are also constantly on the move after greener pastures. These giants travel huge distances and as a baby elephant, with way shorter legs than the adults, you must keep up on the journeys. These journeys through the African wild are loaded with obstacles and challenges such as land predators, dangerous deep river crossings filled with crocodiles and navigating tough terrain through mountains and valleys. As a baby elephant, you must keep up, no matter the situation. This video shows one of the many obstacles baby elephants must face. I was on safari in the Kruger National Park when we saw a herd of elephants in a hurry to cross a river. The river crossing was literally just thick mud with some water on the top. In the herd there was this tiny, adorable baby elephant. The elephants marched on through the mud and so did the baby elephant. While the adults looked like they managed it easy, the baby elephants had to really work hard to get rough the thick mud and keep up with its family. The baby elephant showed no sign of giving up even though it had a few bumpy moments during the crossing. What an adorable sight of a baby elephant showing that no matter what, we must keep going. The baby elephant eventually managed all the way through the crossing, and we were pleased to see the little one getting to the other side all by itself. Of course, if the baby elephant would have gotten stuck, there would have been immediate assistance form the adults.

This video shows the incredible behaviour of a caring mother elephant on high alert, quickly stopping her adorable baby which was curiously straying away from her towards a vehicle full of safari tourists. Going on safari in the Kruger National Park is a life changing experience. Driving around multiple tarred roads, slowly scanning a massive area of wilderness is all part of the thrill. You never know what will be around the next corner or what animal will suddenly appear from the bush onto the road. It’s an exciting experience and one of the must-see animals for most tourists are elephants. Not only are they the largest land mammals on our planet and fairly intimidating, elephants are also one of the most intelligent and emotionally intelligent animals that roam this planet. Seeing these giants in the wild is always a sight to remember. The video shows an incredible moment filmed in the Kruger National Park when a safari vehicle full of tourists found a large elephant cow and her adorable calf next to the road. The safari vehicle stopped and it looked like the mother elephant and her baby wanted to cross the road. The baby elephant was the cutest thing alive in the wild right at that moment. While the elephant cow remained focussed on crossing the road, her baby took notice of the safari vehicle and curiously started straying away from its mother towards the vehicle. The caring mother elephant immediately went into high alert and quickly took her trunk and stopped her baby from going any closer to the safari vehicle. The mother elephant gently used her trunk to guide her baby back and into the right direction. It was incredible to see how quickly the elephant cow became protective over her baby. The elephant calf listened to its mother and in a well-behaved manner, walking on the opposite side of its mother, continued to focus and follow its mother as it should. This is crucial for the survival of the calf in the wild. The gestation period of an elephant is twenty-two months, so it is very understandable that an elephant calf is seen as a huge investment and there will always be a mother around, ready to protect her calf from any potential danger. Even though the tourists were not a direct threat, the mother elephant knows all to well that there are humans that still pose a danger for them in the wild. The mother of such a small calf is definitely not something to mess with at all and its best never to get too close to a mother and her calf.

The Kalahari region in the Northern Cape province of South Africa is a special place, characterized by its vast semi-arid wilderness and farmland areas. It also hosts the lowest density of people in the country. Life in the Kalahari runs at its own pace and many will say it is a place still stuck in its own time. It is not strange to see many people still using horses or donkey carts as a mode of transport. Today this is still the only safe and reliable mode of transport available to many people in the rural areas. My friend Rudi and I were driving a long stretch of dirt road from their farm in the Kalahari to town which was an hour’s drive away. It was late Saturday afternoon and we were on our way to a social function in town. In the distance we noticed something rather odd. There was a lone horse standing next to the road in the middle of nowhere. As we came closer we quickly realized what was going on. On the back of this horse was a man lying, passed out and not moving. We decided to check it out and stopped next to the horse. At first we called, whistled and hit the hooter of the vehicle a few times to see if we might get any reaction. The obviously very loyal and obedient horse briefly looked at us but no movement came from the man. My friend Rudi decided to get out and investigate. I warned him not to go too close to the back of the horse as it might kick him. Rudi walked up to the horse and shook the man a few times while asking if he was OK. Suddenly the guy woke up, looking much disorientated and confused. His response was that he was on his way home. At the end of the video Rudi said to the guy in Afrikaans, “OK, the traffic light is green, you can go now” and off he went in a gallop on the back of his very trusty horse. It sure looked like the guy had a little too much to drink and passed out on the back of his horse while on the way home. Maybe he was just tired after a long journey and decided to take a power nap next to the road. None the less, it was one of the strangest and funniest things we have seen in a long time.

In my opinion, there are no other terrestrial mammal species on this planet that loves water more than elephants do. Watching the largest mammal on earth enjoying itself in water is always a very amusing and entertaining experience. Splashing and swimming around during a hot day is the elephant’s favorite day time activity besides eating. Lacking respiratory glands, elephants can not sweat to cool themselves. Elephants have to cool themselves by using different methods such as flapping their ears, standing in the shade during the heat of the day or go for a swim. It was during a safari on a hot summer afternoon in the Kruger National Park that we came across a herd of elephants swimming in a river. It looked like they were having so much fun. The young elephants in particular were very energetic with many ongoing play fights in the water between siblings. Our attention was drawn to a group of young males busy playing and wrestling in the water. One young male elephant was chasing his smaller brother around in the water. The young elephant caught up with his smaller brother and decided it was time for him to understand who was the big brother in charge here. We were totally amazed by this hilarious and typical sibling like behavior. The young elephant went on to climb on top of his smaller brother and dunked his head under the water using his two front legs to hold him down. We were getting worried there for a few seconds as he kept his brother’s head under the water for longer than what we thought he would, seeing that they are only playing around. After a number of seconds, the smaller brother pulled his head out of the water, pushing his brother off him. Luckily elephants do have a large lung capacity and the youngster was just fine. It was such an entertaining sight to watch these play fighting siblings We all agreed that it was a typical ‘boys will be boys’ scenario with two brothers settling the ranks dominance while having fun at the same time.

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.

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

The close-up video shows two male lions, delivering a loud and powerful roaring performance close to a group of safari tourists. A safari experience that left everyone in awe and stunned. The African lion, also known as the king of the beasts, is the continents biggest cat and rules the African landscape as the top predator. The lion is on top of the Big five animal list and by far one of the most popular animals to try and find during a safari in the African wild. Should you be lucky enough to find a lion in the wild, it will always be an experience to remember. Occasionally, a lucky few safari goers might get the rare opportunity to witness lions performing their loud and powerful roar, mostly at night. The roar of a lion is one of the most iconic sounds in Africa. This video shows the incredible occasion of two beautiful male lions roaring like there was no tomorrow, in broad daylight, which is very uncommon. After finding these two male lions just relaxing not too far from the road, they suddenly started their roaring. Lions roar to signal territoriality and to locate distant pride members. The roar of a lion can be heard as far as eight kilometres away at night. With a vehicle full of safari guests, we were parked away a mere twenty meters from the two roaring lions. We could literally feel the powerful vibrations going through our bodies as these two male lions roared. With the deep base rumbling right through your stomach, the powerful roaring sounds leave you with fear, fascination, and absolute total respect. When the king speaks, everybody listens. I had to take my camera and film the expressions of those safari guests on my vehicle. For some it was their very first safari. It was priceless to see how much in awe everyone was, fortunate enough to have experienced such a rare and incredible occasion in the African wild. To see the king of the African bush, performing one of the continent’s most iconic wildlife sounds is a safari experience that will be very hard to beat.

The video shows how I helplessly had to sit tight on my safari vehicle while filming and begging a bull elephant not to destroy my filming equipment. Living and working in the African wilderness is a great privilege. With filming and photography as my main hobbies, I get the opportunity to go and see remote wilderness areas that most humans have never been to. This gives me the opportunity in my off time to explore, film and photograph the beautiful nature that surrounds us. While one is out there, free and alone, you still have to be aware and hundred percent tuned into your surroundings as every kind of dangerous animal, reptile or insect in the African wild is to be found around you. Doing these trips alone is also not advisable. My wife and I was out exploring a wilderness area one late afternoon. It was just before sunset, and I found a beautiful, elevated spot from where to film a great sunset. I set up my tripod with my camera and had a little chair to sit on while filming. When you are filming and concentrating on what you are busy with, you do lose focus on what is going on around you. That’s why you never do this alone. My wife remained on the vehicle, watching the surroundings while I got going filming the sunset. I was just getting into my filming when my wife suddenly and very calmly told me that an elephant bull appeared and is standing behind the vehicle and is just staring at us. It was unbelievable how quiet a five-ton animal can just suddenly appear and us not hear him approaching. Elephants in general has an incredible ability to walk very soft, contrary to the believe that a big animal will make a big noise when walking. I looked back and there this bull elephant was staring at me rather curiously. My heart almost stopped and realised I was just as far from the vehicle on the one side as the elephant was from the other side. I knew I could not remain where I was. Instinctively I left all my stuff right there and dashed to the vehicle and jumped onto it. The elephant bull got a little agitated with my sudden movements and then calmed down again. I was relieved to have made the vehicle, but a new level of concern and worry came over me. I knew this elephant was going to be curious to see what my camera, tripod and chair set up was all about. After just standing there and staring at us for another minute, the elephant turned his focus onto my equipment. I just knew this was going to happen. I had an old second hand camera on the vehicle and started filming. Why I wanted to film an elephant potentially smashing my gear I do not know myself. The elephant bull slowly made his way towards my setup. My heart was racing and me and my wife even begged the elephant not to damage or trample my equipment, as if that was going to help anything. The elephant bull walked up to my camera on the tripod, gave the tripod a few sniffs and then decided this funny looking black thing needs to go down. The elephant walked closer and knocked over my tripod and camera with his one tusk. I thought that was only the beginning and next he was going to trample it as the elephant remained there smelling the area where I was filming from. I really thought that was it for my camera but to my great relief and surprise, the elephant bull suddenly lost interest, turned around, and slowly walked off into the sunset. Luckily my camera still works and only had a few scratches on it and some dirt went into a few places on the camera. When an elephant bull suddenly interrupts your filming session, it is something to remember for life while I’m thankful to have had my wife with me on that day, awake and alert, saving me from a potential worse situation.

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.

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