Safari Live Field guide Steve Faulconbridge was following fresh lion cub tracks while taking a group of guests out for a game drive in the Sabi Sands Private Game Reserve along the Kruger National Park’s western border.
So engrossed with following the lion tracks and diligently explaining his movements to the safari group, Steve got out of the vehicle and didn’t even realise that he was walking right into the Nkuhuma pride of lions, hidden in the tall grass.
‘Oh my word,’ Steve repeatedly proclaimed, as he realised where he was heading just in time as the lions got up and started to move off. ‘We’ve just bumped into a pride of lion.’
‘Today’s tracks were very, very fresh,’ he later joked.
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WATCH: Buffalo Mother Sacrifices Herself To Save Calf From Lions
The Ultimate Sacrifice: A Buffalo Mother Loses Her Life While Protecting Her Calf From A Pride Of Lions
In the crisp morning air of South Africa's Thornybush Game Reserve, a scene unfolded that was both tragic and profound, capturing the raw, brutal beauty of nature at its most primal.
The drama involved a buffalo mother, who in a remarkable display of maternal instinct and courage, sacrificed herself in a desperate bid to save her calf from a pride of lions.
This event, recorded by Gavin Brett and his family during a special journey commemorating his father's 80th birthday, highlights not just the fierce love of a mother but the complex, sometimes harsh realities of the animal kingdom.
The Scene
Gavin, a lawyer with a passion for wildlife and sports photography, found himself and 21 family members in the midst of an unforgettable wildlife spectacle. On that pivotal Sunday morning, their knowledgeable guide, Lucas, and tracker, Andrew, led them to a peaceful grazing buffalo herd, not knowing the day would soon turn into a gripping fight for life.Flio
The lions, first spotted near their location the previous day, were initially out of sight, allowing the buffalo herd a moment of peace. However, at around 6:40 a.m., news over the radio led Gavin's group directly to these predators. By 6:53 a.m., the lions had resumed their pursuit, this time setting their sights on a buffalo calf, leading to a dire situation.
The tension escalated quickly when two male lions joined the lionesses, cornering the young buffalo. Gavin recounted the intense moment when the lionesses swiftly brought the calf down, and how, in the face of imminent danger, the buffalo herd rallied to its defense. Leading this charge was the calf's mother, who fearlessly confronted the lions.
"The unity among the buffalo was palpable as the bulls took command, actively confronting the lions with the herd closely behind," Gavin explained. "It was the mother buffalo who, refusing to witness her calf being devoured, confronted the lions without fear."
The confrontation was a stark display of nature's rawest moments; the buffalo bulls clashed with the lions, providing just enough distraction for the calf to make a narrow escape. But this moment of triumph for the calf came at a heartrending cost—the lions redirected their focus and took down the mother instead.
This story, beyond being a testament to the fierce protective instincts of buffalo, also served as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices parents are willing to make for their young, transcending species. Gavin's capture of this event on video and through photographs by his wife and children adds a personal dimension to the narrative, blending family memory with wildlife observation.
In recounting this experience, Gavin expressed a newfound respect for buffalo. "Witnessing how they protect one another and their young has profoundly impacted me," he said. This sentiment echoes a broader appreciation for wildlife and the often unseen sacrifices that occur within animal communities.
This incident, while a display of nature's cruelty, also serves as a powerful reminder of its beauty and the intricate social structures that animals, much like humans, form to protect their community and their young.
It invites us to reflect on the universal themes of love, sacrifice, and survival, deeply woven into the fabric of life across all species.
Watch The Video Here:
WATCH: Bull elephant flips vehicle at iSimangaliso Wetland Park
A family outing to the iSimangaliso Wetland Park took a disastrous turn when a bull elephant battered and flipped the family's vehicle this past weekend.
The family - believed to be a husband, wife and their two children, aged 8 and 10, from the coastal town of Mtunzini - all managed to escape death and serious injury after their vehicle was charged and overturned by the angry bull. However they are reportedly severely traumatised.
Daily Maverick reports that the attack took place on a tourist road near Catalina Bay in Cape Vidal. .
At this stage it is still unclear why the elephant attacked the car, but an investigation will be launched by park officials.
Horrifying video footage taken by the occupants of another vehicle show the elephant mauling a white Ford pickup truck after it had flipped the vehicle over onto its roof.
Images circulated on social media show that the windscreen was cracked, with dents to both sides of the vehicle.
iSimangaliso Wetland Park is home to more than 100 elephants, living in separate family herds, all of which have been reintroduced to the park over the past 20 years.
The majority of these were relocated from the nearby Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park - orphans whose parents were culled in Kruger National Park - with some of the herd being more recent introductions directly from Kruger.
There have been various reports highlighting the long term psychological damage suffered by these orphaned and relocated elephants, with many believing that the trauma caused will never allow them to peacefully interact with humans.
Since the reintroductions began there have been a number of incidents of human-elephant conflict, including one reported fatality in 2005 when Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife general assistant Zelani Ntuli (50) was gored in the chest by an elephant that charged her vehicle.
Ntuli and fellow staff were returning to their camp in a land cruiser when they came across a breeding herd of 26 elephants drinking at a reservoir in the early evening.
In order to not startle the herd, they stopped the vehicle and switched off the lights. After waiting for a while, the team tried to continue, but were stopped by the herd. It is believed the elephants may have become disorientated by the flickering of the vehicle's lights.
A large elephant then rammed the truck, pushing it back off the road and up against a tree. The windscreen was shattered and the roof lifted off its mounting, while Ntuli, a mother of two, was fatally gored.
In a separate video clip from 2016, a party of tourists recorded a close escape after encountering an elephant at close quarters on a tourist road – highlighting the dangers of visitors approaching elephants too closely, particularly when testosterone-charged bulls are in musth (a condition of heightened aggression and unpredictable behaviour in elephant bulls).
WATCH | Hungry Hippo Visits Petrol Station
Why did the hippo cross the road?
For a late night snack run of course! Come on, we've all been there.
It’s quite common for guests and residents in St Lucia, South Africa to see wild animals casually roaming the streets. With the town being situated within iSimangaliso Wetland Park, hippos especially seem to sometimes want a taste of city life.
On Sunday 23 February, the OK Express & Engen Garage in St Lucia posted a video shared by Marié Stubbe of a sizeable hippo strolling through the petrol station.
The post read:
"Just a casual Sunday night stroll in St Lucia looking for snacks at OK Express. The hippo returned back to the lake after grazing around town. St Lucia town is surrounded by a large lake and extensive natural habitat for wildlife,"
The viral video has attracted many comments with some suggesting the hippo must have run out of petrol, or that he was in the mood for some snacks.
Stubbe, who has lived in St Lucia for 26 years, says that it’s very common for hippos to venture into residents’ gardens at night for some fresh green grass:
‘They’re not aggressive and don’t really care about people, but might become dangerous if a cow has a calf with her.’
She also added that although people don’t usually approach the hippos, some tourists try to get close to them for pictures:
‘Everyone wants to show the world they saw a hippo in the street, and when people get too close, that’s when it can get dangerous for the hippo and the people.’
All wild animals are best appreciated when observed from a distance and without human interference, especially hippos who boast a fierce reputation as Africa's most deadly animal!
iSimangaliso Wetland Park contains three major lake systems, eight interlinking ecosystems and is Africa’s largest estuarine system.
Watch: Surfers Don’t Notice Giant Whale Swim Under Them
Last week, a giant gray whale swam through a group of unsuspecting surfers and the rare encounter was captured from above by drone.
Approximately 12 surfers were relaxing in waters off Doheny State Beach, California, when the giant massive whale approached them, Fox 5 News reported. Payton Landaas, a high school senior who lives nearby, captured footage of the whale’s movements with his drone.
https://www.facebook.com/fox5sandiego/videos/822239364874119/
Landaas told For the Win Outdoors:
“I knew how rare this moment could be so I ran to get my drone,”
According to experts, gray whales typically hang out close to shore while moving through locations.
Capt. Corey Hall, from Dana Wharf Sportfishing and Whale Watching, told KTLA:
“Gray whales are pretty docile; they’re known as the friendly whale,"
Hall added that it may have been the creature’s first or second time migrating south for the winter. Gray whales use landmarks rather than echolocation to navigate their journeys, which could be why this whale was spending time near the shore.
Landaas, who was blown away by the special moment he captured, recently launched Stealth Photos. You can see more of his drone footage and photography here.
SOURCE: GEEK.COM
Orca Pod Hunts Giant Great White Shark Off Cape Coast
Incredibly rare footage of a pod of killer whales hunting a great white shark has been recorded off the Knysna coast, in South Africa.
Donavan Smith, a marine tour guide operating in South Africa's Western Cape, managed to capture footage of a pair of orcas circling a great white shark while out with clients. Orcas are known to snack on great whites, usually going straight going straight for the liver and leaving the rest to float away and decompose.
The great white shark is visibly afraid as it is shown to be near the boat with the whales just a few metres aways. Smith can be heard saying, ‘this is amazing, this is special stuff,’ as the shark swims past the boat, where its enormity comes into perspective. The orcas are hot on the shark’s tail, engaging in a chase and coming closer to the boat.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B7z6_cHnsz_/?utm_source=ig_embed
The livers of sharks are a favoured delicacy for orcas as they are rather large nutrient-rich. In 2017, a number of great white carcasses washed ashore in Gansbaai, Western Cape. After conducting necropsies, experts uncovered that the livers, stomachs and testicles were missing.
In 2019, five dead broad-nosed seven gill (also known as cow sharks) washed ashore on the Betty's Bay Main Beach. After undergoing necropsies it was confirmed that the carcasses were killed in the same way as great whites previously.
The orcas essentially split the shark open by grabbing each pectoral fin, flipping the shark over and pulling it apart, splitting open the throat and chest cavity and eventually exposing the liver.
Yikes.
SOURCE: GETAWAY