Confused zebras caught off guard by wildebeests' erratic behavior

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.Show more

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.