EmotionsofAfrica

The video shows the incredible escape move of a tiny gosling that was caught by a leopard in the African wild. Leopards are one of Africa’s big cats and the most elusive of them all. Finding a leopard in the African wild is a rare and incredible experience. The solitary big cats are very elusive and hard to find. While a group of safari tourists was lucky to find a young leopard in the wild, the sighting took a dramatic turn when suddenly, out of nowhere, a little gosling appeared, looking very lost. The gosling immediately grabbed the attention of the leopard. The confused gosling was clearly looking for its mother when it stumbled across the leopard relaxing in the sand of a dry riverbed. The gosling thought it was safe to hide under the safari vehicle but soon it was flushed out by the leopard after which the leopard easily chased after the little bird before catching it. The leopard didn’t kill the gosling immediately. It looked like the gosling was playing dead, which caught the leopard of guard. While the leopard was still thinking about its newly found snack, the gosling amazingly jumped up and ran off, leaving the leopard looking totally surprised by what just happened.

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

There are times when animals in the wild have the ability to totally stun you with their strange and unexplained behavior. As humans we are mostly inclined to find a reason for everything that happens but there are times when our answers are only one of many possible reasons and no one really knows. This was true during a safari in the Kruger National Park. We stopped to watch a small herd of zebra. Together with the small herd of zebra were two male antelope, better known as blue wildebeest. One was lying down, rolling around in the grass while the other wildebeest casually walked past. Everything seemed normal and relaxed with the animals going about their daily routines. Two zebras entered the frame of my camera. At that very moment, the standing wildebeest suddenly exploded with a burst of energy, jumping up in the air, then spinning right round with great speed before coming to a standstill, casually walking as if nothing happened. It did not last long as the normal behavior of the wildebeest suddenly turned very erratic again. This time the loony looking wildebeest started sprinting at full speed while running around in a circle. The zebra looked totally confused and the look on their faces were priceless. There were just as many confused looks among everyone that was on the safari. While confused, we found it hilarious to see this wildebeest having a crazy moment. While the first wildebeest hilariously ran around looking silly, the second wildebeest joined the party. It jumped up and started spinning around two times at a great speed before coming to a standstill. The running wildebeest also slowed down and came to a standstill before it started feeding again. The zebra kept staring while getting a little nervous at the same time. Can you blame them? Then, very quickly, it was all over. Everything looking calm and normal again as if nothing out of the ordinary ever happened. We continued to watch the wildebeest for another twenty minutes. There was not one funny, strange or erratic behavioral display again. It was like it never happened. There might be many reasons for this erratic behavior but no one will ever really know. We like to think that it was just two male blue wildebeest enjoying a little crazy time together, letting go of all their worries while having a bit of fun while being silly.

The African Wild dog is one of Africa's most endangered carnivores, second only to the Ethiopian wolf. Just to see Wild dogs on a safari in Africa is a rare occasion. Finding them with a whole lot of puppies is just priceless and really special. Wild dog puppies are extremely playful and make for entertaining viewing. This video shows exactly just that. We manage to locate a pack of <a href="https://rumble.com/v3ctsl-robotic-spy-puppy-meets-wild-dogs.html" target="_blank">Wild Dogs</a> with nine pups. When we arrived it was hot already and they were all lying in the shade, sleeping. Well, almost all of them. There was one playful little pup that caught our attention. He wasn't tired and most likely he was bored. Then he found his brother's leg rather inviting and looked like something nice to chew on. This was such a comical behaviour. At first it was just a few nibbles but then he really started pulling and chewing the leg. The best of all is that the <a href="https://rumble.com/v31s1z-sleepy-cat-gets-swarmed-by-adorable-puppies.html" target="_blank">sleepy</a> little brother hardly even woke up from all of this. Eventually he was half awake. He stretched, closed his eyes again and rested his hind legs on his busy brother's back. At the end, the playful puppy looked back, saw the other leg on top of him and had a go at that one too. This was really funny to watch as the playful puppy just could not resist the urge to bite and chew. This playing around and chewing on everything helps them to develop their muscles as well as the lifestyle skills they will require as adults. They grow up in an extremely hostile environment, filled with danger and many challenges. Every day, life in the African bush is about the survival of the fittest. So while they are young, they must play and chew as much as they can, because they will definitely need those skills to stay alive as adults. Enjoy the funny video of these brothers!

Baby elephants make for very entertaining viewing most of the time. They are still very inexperienced and constantly struggle with their daily life challenges in an adorable way. This baby elephant faces one of those real obstacles of daily life in the African bush. After cooling down in the river with the rest of his family, he decides it is time to get out of the river and go to mommy. Climbing out of the river suddenly becomes a monumental task for this <a href="https://rumble.com/v42bkl-cute-video-of-baby-elephant-sitting-on-lap-at-chai-lai-orchid.html" target="_blank">little elephant</a>. During his first attempt, the young elephant repeatedly slips while trying to climb out the river using his knees. Just as it looks like he might make it, the young elephant helplessly slides down the muddy slope back into the water. This incredibly funny first attempt surprisingly gives the little one extra motivation and he takes on the same challenge for the second time. This time he is more determined and committed and gives it another go. At first it goes slippery and slow again but then suddenly it looks like he engages into four wheel drive. This whole time the mother elephant patiently stood and watched her young one. She moves closer as if she wants to help him. The baby elephant amazingly succeeds and makes it out of the <a href="https://rumble.com/v4dptr-cute-baby-elephant-stumbles-through-river-crossing.html" target="_blank">river</a> on his knees, without any physical help from his mother in the end. He finally gets on the top of the river bank, still on his knees. Quickly he jumps back up onto his feet and moves behind his mother with great relief. Everyone watching this sighting from a distance felt extremely proud of this baby elephant. This challenge was just one of the many struggles this brave little youngster will have to face on a daily basis. The lessons learned during these tough times will be vital for the survival of this baby elephant in a hostile and dangerous environment.

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

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

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

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

Fighting a losing battle is most likely the first phrase that comes to mind when watching this video. It shows the frustrating and never-ending task of a lone hyena, trying to keep hundreds of vultures away from a giraffe carcass. Trying to enjoy his meal and warding off a mass of vultures at the same time seemed like an impossible task!

The video shows a pair of mating lions, causing a spectacle in the middle of a main road in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The world-renowned Kruger National Park in South Africa is one of the largest game reserves in Africa, covering a prime wilderness area of just under 20 000 square kilometres or 2 million hectares. It is about the size of Israel and slightly smaller than Belgium. The park boasts an incredible diversity of fauna and flora with 2 000 plant species, 147 species of mammals, 114 reptile species and 510 species of birds. The world famous Big Five animals which include lion, buffalo, leopard, elephant and rhino are mostly at the top of the list of things to see for most tourists visiting the park. With this picture in mind, it is clear that this place is a true nature lovers paradise. Following a network of tarred and gravel roads, tourists can self-drive through the park and enjoy the wilderness at their own time. There are a total of 3000 kilometres of road for tourists to access of which 850 kilometres are eco-friendly tarred roads and the rest are all dirt roads. Still, tourists only have access to roughly 20% of the total park, with the rest of the park’s wilderness area never seen or visited by anyone, leaving remote areas untouched. With this background information on this special wilderness area in mind, one can imagine that driving around in the park for a few days, your chances of seeing amazing sightings or be surprised by something you have never seen are very good. Even if you go there over and over, everyday and every drive delivers something new and interesting. This video shows just one of the many surprises that can await you while driving along one of the main roads in the park. My wife and I were on a self-drive holiday for a few days in the park. On this particular morning we were heading north, following one of the main tarred roads in the park. In the distance we saw several vehicles standing still together in one place. When tourist vehicles all stop around the same spot on the road, you can be sure there is something of real interest. We slowly approached all the vehicles to see what was going on. We quickly realized what made everyone stop. A big male lion and a female, lying in the middle of the road. Seeing lions crossing the roads of the park are not uncommon but these lions were literally lying in the middle of the road. What followed next took us by surprise and it all made sense why this male and female were lying together so close to each other. These big cats were a pair of mating lions, casually going about their mating business, with not a care in the world about who and what was around them. Seeing lions in the wild is a great privilege but to see a pair of lions mating in the wild is a rare occasion and priceless. Seeing such a rare sighting, right in the middle of a tarred road, out in plain sight, was like nothing we could ever imagine seeing. Vehicles started piling up from both directions as travelling tourists started to arrive at the sighting. The lions blocked one of the busiest main roads of the park and no one was really prepared to disturb the mating lion pair. The whole sighting was extremely mind boggling for us at the same time. We asked ourselves the question “why here”? With almost two million hectares of bush and all the privacy in the world, why did these lions decide to mate in the middle of one of the busiest roads in the park, right in front of a crowd of onlookers? The answer to this one can be anyone’s guess. These lions clearly did not have the care in the world about all the onlookers or that they are blocking a main road causing a traffic jam. The pair usually mates for less than a minute, but it does so about every 15 to 30 minutes over a period of four to five days. After sitting watching this mating pair for close to an hour, they eventually decided to lie down on the side of the road, finally giving a long string of vehicles the opportunity to pass. Never did I think we will witness such a show right in the middle of a tarred road. The question still remains with me today, “why there”?

There are many days when the African bush is dead quiet with not much happening at all. None the less, you always have to expect the unexpected as things can change with the blink of an eye. While enjoying a morning safari in the Kruger National Park, we decided to stop and spend some time at a watering hole. The sun was sitting high and the heat was already becoming uncomfortable. We thought it would be a good time to see wildlife coming to the water hole to quench their thirst. There wasn’t much happening at the watering hole when we arrived. We scanned the area and spotted one lone hippo bull resting under the water with just a small part of his back sticking out. It looked like a big rock in the water. Soon three male kudu antelope arrived. Two males started drinking without hesitation. Everything seemed peaceful and quiet. One male kudu antelope decided to walk along the bank of the watering hole. The nervous looking kudu stopped and stared around into the bush. Prey animals are always nervous before they drink water. Most places with water are in the open, exposing the animals while drinking. At the same time, they cannot see what is going on around them while they lower their heads to drink. This makes prey animals vulnerable to attacks from predators. The male antelope then turned around, assured that there was no danger and that he could now go closer to the water to drop his head for a well-deserved drink. The antelope never checked the water for any dangers. The unsuspecting kudu immediately got a big surprise when he approached the water. The lone male hippo suddenly burst through the water, charging a few meters towards the antelope. The kudu clearly got a big fright and quickly jumped around and ran towards the nearest bush to hide. All three antelope then stood there staring at the hippo looking very confused by what happened. Male hippos are extremely territorial and possessive. The big hippo clearly decided the kudu antelope came too close for comfort and he had to warn him to stay away from the watering hole that he occupied for himself.

During a safari in the Kruger National Park, South Africa, these people came across a pack of African wild dogs resting in the early morning sun. These dog-like predators are one of Africa's most endangered carnivores, second only to the Ethiopian wolf. They are covered in blotches of yellow, black and white with each individual having its own unique pattern by which they are identified. To see wild dogs on a safari in Africa is a rare occasion and always a highlight on a safari should you be so lucky to see them. Finding them with a whole lot of puppies is just priceless and really special. Wild dog puppies are extremely playful and make for entertaining viewing. These puppies are the cutest little creatures, filled with energy and very playful. The video shows how these wild dog puppies particularly enjoy chewing absolutely everything they can find. While one of the young males chewed on a piece of bone, his younger brother suddenly climbed on top of him. The next thing the youngster starts chewing his brother’s ear like it is a piece of rubber and it looks painful. Amazingly the puppy at the bottom didn’t seem bothered or in pain and continued chewing his bone. This rarely seen behavior had everyone amazed. The playing around and chewing on everything helps them to develop their muscles as well as the lifestyle skills they will require as adults. They grow up in an extremely hostile environment, filled with danger and many challenges. The mortality rate of these wild dog puppies is incredibly high and life in the African bush is about the survival of the fittest. So while they are young, they must play and chew as much as they can, because they will definitely need those skills to stay alive as adults.

While on Safari in the Greater Kruger Area of South Africa, we came across a small herd of Elephant. One particular Elephant walked up to the vehicle for closer inspection. While approaching the vehicle, we noticed that this was clearly a male. It literally looked like he had a fifth leg and everyone was stunned and in awe. African Bull Elephants hold the title for the largest relative genital organ size of all terrestrial life on this planet. It can measure up to six and half feet and weigh up to 55 pounds. No wonder it almost looks like another leg.

The video shows that the King of the jungle is not always perfect, coming short with a glorious fall down a riverbank. The male lion is known as the King of the jungle all around the world. The image of the mighty male lion is a symbol of power and strength. In the African wild this rings true as the lion is at the top of the food chain and feared by most animals. With this image in mind, it is easy to think that if a big male lion can bring down a giraffe or a buffalo, then getting out of a river onto the bank should be an easy task for the king. The video shows three big male lions crossing through the depths of a river that is in flood. Lions normally do not like swimming, but they will take on rivers like this to get to another part of their territories. Once the three lions managed to get to the other side and out the strong current of the river, it was time for just one last obstacle, getting up the steep riverbank. A task that seemed easier than swimming across the river. As the first male lion peaked his big mane over the edge, he almost got his whole body to the top when the soil under his back paws gave in, sending the big male lion back down to the bottom in spectacular fashion. Looking at the fall in slow-motion, it looks like the king of the jungle literally took a fall from glory.

The video shows an adorable newborn baby elephant still learning how to walk, stumbling around on its wobbly legs under the watchful eye of its mother. Baby elephants are adorable and most likely the most entertaining baby animals to watch while on an African safari. To see the largest land mammal on earth in baby form is just priceless. Newborn baby elephants are born into this world after a twenty-two-month gestation period. During their first week, newborn elephants must learn to walk. It is a time where baby elephants develop the muscles in their weak legs. This takes a lot of practice over and over, with a lot of falling and stumbling around while trying to walk with their wobbly legs. During a safari in the Kruger National Park, we found a herd of elephants and in the herd, there was this newborn calf shown in the video. It was the most adorable thing to watch, seeing how the baby elephant was swaying, looking off balance and falling over every now and again. The mother elephant was nearby her calf all the way and every time her baby would stumble and fall over, the caring mother elephant was there to help her baby back onto its feet. The baby elephant looked only a couple of days old, and it looked like the adorable baby still needed a few days to practice and exercise before it was going to be stable on its new legs. Definitely one of the cutest sightings in the wild we have seen in a long time.

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

Meet Murphy, an adorable ten month old black Cockapoo filled with energy, love and friendliness. Murphy has an outgoing personality and is very intelligent at the same time. This normally leads to amusing behaviour and Murphy hardly ever fails to entertain. One of Murphy’s favourite activities is burying and hiding his treasures around the outside of the house. These treasures will range from bones to the majority of his toys. Never has Murphy attempted to bury anything inside the house. It was an early cool winters evening and Murphy’s owner Sarah, was sitting outside when she suddenly heard a noise coming from the lounge area. She immediately knew Murphy was busy with something and went inside to take a closer look. Sarah makes her way to the couch and finds Murphy adamantly attempting to bury his bone inside the brown blanket lying on the couch. The nights were getting colder and Sarah took out this brown blanket for the first time so she and Murphy could snuggle under the blanket while watching TV. Murphy had different plans for this newly discovered blanket. He is clearly fascinated by this brown blanket and sees it for a pile of soil or dirt. The bone is lying on top of the blanket in the corner of the couch. He proceeds to shovel the blanket with his nose, ploughing it forward just like a pile of dirt. Once he manages to cover the bone, his imaginary dirt would then just fall back like sand and uncover his bone all over again. Murphy starts again to shovel and pile his imaginary dirt onto the bone, only for the blanket to move back again to its original stretched position. This Cockapoo was determined to turn this challenge into a success. He continued adorably to bulldoze his newly found pile of “soil’. This made for amusing and entertaining viewing. At the end Sarah asks Murphy what he is doing. He responds with giving his bone one last lick. Looking a little shy, Murphy left his bone burying activities and moved outside for a well-deserved rest.

Meet Bella, an incredibly loving and caring female South African Mastiff living in the suburbs of Johannesburg, South Africa. One of Bella’s unique abilities is that of wagging her tail upon her owner’s demand. Too funny!

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

The video shows the incredible intelligence used by a female matriarch elephant to remove a fence so that she and her herd could get out. Elephants are not only the largest land mammals on earth, but they are also rated as one of the most intelligent mammals living on this planet. The leader of any elephant herd is called a matriarch which is always one of the wiser and more mature females in the herd. The elephant herd relies on the matriarch to lead them on the way to food and water in strategic places during different times of the year. These matriarchs follow old migratory routes shown to them by previous generations, then memorised over time, guiding them and their herds along these migratory journeys. Over time humans have created nature reserves to protect the elephants. Many of these large reserves have fences around them, protecting the animals from the onslaught of the outside world such as poaching. While the reserve fences do play a roll in protecting and keeping together special animals in large spaces of protected land, animals like elephants need to move big distances. Elephants don’t let much stand in their way if they are on the move, not even a reserve fence. Unfortunately, a lot of these fences run through some of these ancient elephant migratory routes. The video shows how meticulous and smart this matriarch elephant goes about taking down the fence, so she and her herd could carry on with their journey. At first the matriarch slowly attempted to step on the fence to push it down, but it kept bouncing back up. After a few seconds of thinking, the female elephant quickly realised that it was a lot easier just to lift the supporting poles of the fence out of the ground, then easily laying the fence down on the ground. With the fence on the ground, it’s incredible to see how carefully and precise each member of the herd then slowly climbed over the fence. Just like that a whole herd of elephants crossed through the man-made fence, slowly and without too much effort or noises.

The video shows two hungry hyenas attempting to hunt an injured baby giraffe before the mother comes to the rescue. While on safari in the Kruger National Park, we spotted a mother giraffe and her baby. Not too far away was two hyenas, just staring at the giraffes. At first, we couldn’t understand why the two hyenas were looking so interested in the giraffes the whole time. Every time the giraffes would move, the hyenas would follow. That was when we noticed that the back left leg of the baby giraffe was broken, and it was limping badly. The hyenas clearly noticed this weakness and thought it will be an easy target for them. Every time there was some distance between the mother and her baby, the hyenas would take a chance and run after the injured baby in attempt to catch it. This carried on for a while until the baby eventually ran towards the mother. The mother giraffe also realised what was going on and ran straight towards her baby. As the baby giraffe joined its mother, the hyenas immediately backed away. The baby giraffe went standing in a safe spot between the mother’s legs. The mother giraffe’s long legs and hooves are used for self-defence and can kick in all directions. The hyenas know very well that those long legs and big hooves can kill them with one kick against the head. The protective mother’s presence right next to her injured baby was enough to deter the two hyenas and they quietly moved on and disappeared, leaving the mother giraffe and her baby in peace.

The video shows a miracle moment captured on film of an elephant cow giving birth to an adorable newborn calf in the African wild. The birth of any new life on this earth is always a miracle moment and very special. Seeing the largest and heaviest land mammal on our planet giving birth in the wild is a rare sight and an overwhelmingly heartwarming experience. The African elephant are highly social animals with a complex society that focuses on maintaining group cohesion and a strict discipline regime ensures social order. Herd life predominantly revolves around guarding, rearing, and teaching calves. Since it takes twenty-two months for a calf to be born, with a calving interval of four years, newborn baby elephants are investments that are not easily replaced. The video shows how the elephant herd all gathered with great excitement, witnessing the mother elephant giving life to a brand-new member of the herd. As soon as the newborn elephant dropped, all the elephants started screaming and trumpeting with great excitement. The mother elephant immediately gave the calf a kick onto drier ground and then quickly started to help her baby sit upright. Baby elephants will only be able to stand after a few hours. In the beginning it is just important for the mother to have the calf sitting upright while being surrounded and protected by the rest of the herd members. To witness such a miracle in the African wild is a rare and very special safari moment.

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

The life of a baby Elelphant is filled with struggle and challenges and they are real. Getting back on their feet is just one of those challenges they have to deal with. This video shows a female baby Elephant lying in the mud and then trying to stand up. What a mission it was indeed in the beginning. Several attempts was a failure. The manner in which this cute little one wanted to get back up was rather comical. This had everyone in laughter. At the same time though, one could not help but to feel sorry for the poor Elephant and her struggle. There were also no help from any of the other adult Elephants around. For Elephants just to go lie down flat on their sides is a rare occasion. One of the most obvious reasons is their size. How does three to five tons go lie down flat and then get back up again? That is a real problem and challenge. Baby Elephants on the other hand are not that huge in size yet, so they will still attempt to lie down every now and then. This specific little female enjoyed some time flat on her side in the mud. It was in the middle of the day and extremely hot. Elephants do not have sweat glands like we as humans do. They cannot sweat to cool themselves down. These giant creatures love to throw mud and water all over themselves to cool down. Rolling in the mud covers the whole body for a cooldown, and at the same time helps them to get rid of any skin irritations. This little one did exactly just that. After her cooling down session, it was time to get up. She tried to use momentum to get back up by swinging the left back leg up into the air several times. The momentum created was just too little every time and the poor Elephant would then fall back on her side again. Eventually, after some real effort, the momentum build was just enough to roll her over onto her knees. From there she could get herself back on her feet. All covered in mud and surely a little tired as well, she was up and ready to carry on with her journey with the rest of the herd. This short struggle is only one of the many challenges lying ahead for our adorable little one. Her life as a baby Elephant will teach her all the lessons and skills necessary to hopefully one day, lead her own herd through the plains of Africa