Day: September 19, 2024

“While out on the drive, we spotted a female giraffe, and we could instantly tell that something was different about her. Her body language and movement were not normal. As we approached, we discovered that she was in the process of giving birth—something that is not often seen, let alone caught on camera.”

“We watched her for a while, giving her space and not adding any extra stress to her. This is important, as female giraffes are extremely vulnerable when giving birth. They are not able to defend themselves during this process. Thus, they are under a lot of stress, not for only their safety but also the safety of their newborn baby.”

“The process took around 45 minutes to an hour, and we were able to witness the entire birth. First, the newborn’s legs emerged from the mother, and bit by bit, the rest of the body became visible. As it came to an end, we could see the relief on the mother’s face, and with a loud thump out came this tiny newborn giraffe.”

Considering that giraffes give birth while standing, the calf drops to the ground from a height of about 6 feet! This may seem scary, but it helps the calf take its first breath and get its blood flowing. This is also another stressful period for the mother, as the afterbirth smell may alert any predators in the area, and the mother needs to be on full guard.

“We watched as the little one struggled to take to its feet, wobbling and falling over. This was incredibly cute and heartwarming for everyone to see. New life had been witnessed, and it was amazing to see how active the little calf was from the get-go.”

“The mother tried to nudge the baby and assist it in standing, and this continued for around an hour. After all of the failed attempts, the calf eventually stood on its own. Being born with long legs and a long neck is no easy task. But it managed to eventually stand, with some care from its mother.”

“At this point, we waited until it took its first steps, and that’s when we decided to leave and offer the mother and baby some well-deserved space. Being considerate and ethical about these moments is crucial, as added stress on either of the two could be negative. So, we went with warm hearts and smiles all around for being able to witness this incredible moment.”

This black mamba is determined to get to the other side of the river, but first, it must cross a crocodile-infested river. Will it make it through alive?

When days on safari seem boring and not much is to be seen, it is always a good idea to visit the closest water source or river to look at what you can find. On this particular day, Giosuè headed to the Shingwedzi River in the northern sections of the Kruger National Park. After waiting and scanning the sand banks for any movement, something caught his eye—it was a snake!

Lifting his binoculars and taking a closer look revealed that this was one of Africa’s deadliest snakes. It was a black mamba. The snake was moving along a patch of dry river sand, making its way to the water’s edge. The speed at which it was moving led him to think that the snake was not going just for a drink but perhaps was looking to cross the river.

The Shingwedzi River is a river that is filled with crocodiles and hippos. The hippos that were not too far off did not even notice the snake. However, the group of crocodiles that were basking in the morning sun picked up the Mambas movement almost immediately. One of them, who was closest to the snake, rushed off and tried to catch it.

The snake, however, was not only too fast but also too agile for the slow crocodile; it just moved out of the way with a quick turn, and the crocodile snapped its jaws, catching nothing but a gasp of air. The snake was now free to make a run for it! It quickly got into the water and began gliding on the surface with lightning speed, moving in different directions so that no crocodile that was lurking could even have a chance at catching it!

The rest of the crocodiles watched from the bank as the snake made its way successfully over the crocodile-infested river. But it was far from over; the snake unfortunately chose the wrong exit route from the river. It was hard to get out of the water in a really clay and muddy area. This slowed the snake down as it was struggling to move in the thick sludge that was at the water edge.

Seeing the snakes struggle and the opportunity for a meal, one of the crocs got into the water and swam across as fast as he could. As soon as he got onto dry land, he went straight for the snake, not fearing the highly toxic and deadly venom. He knew the snake fangs could do him no harm with his thick leather skin!

The croc grabbed the snake with one swift bite and swung it around, trying to kill it. This commotion drew the attention of a fish eagle that was perched on the banks of the river. When the eagle saw that it was a black mamba and a crocodile having it out, it made the wise decision and left without making an attempt to steal the crocs meal.

The crocodile, at this point, bit through the snake and killed it. The easy part was done; now came the hard part: eating the snake before the other crocs could steal it. The croc made a run for it, and with the snake hanging from his mouth, he rushed back to the safety of the water to swallow his hard-earned meal whole.

Bongani Yende had chosen to take his guests to the Rathlogo Bird Hide in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve. The guests had gotten out of the vehicle and were walking around the parking area, which his allowed. That is when Bongani noticed a massive bull elephant making its way to the hide’s parking area.

Understanding the behavior and visual telltale signs of elephants, Bongani saw that this bull was in musth. Elephant musth is a time when male elephants can get really aggressive and show increased interest in mating. Understanding that it could lead to a potentially dangerous situation, he managed to get four of his guests onto the vehicle while the other 15 were still in the hide and the parking area.

With very little time to make a decision, Bongani decided that to save his guests, he would need to get the elephant away from them. He revved the engine and drove directly at the elephant, hoping to scare it away from his guests. But this bull elephant was not interested in leaving and stood its ground.

The stand-off lasted for a few minutes. The guide would drive towards the elephant, and it would hold its ground. Then, after a while, instead of holding its ground, it would come closer and closer. Eventually getting to the entrance of the hide parking area.

The guide at this point began shouting and screaming, and the elephant tried anything to get it to move off. The elephant, on the other hand, took it as a challenge and took the vehicle head-on. He managed to lodge his tusks into the bulbar of the truck and, with complete ease, began lifting the truck.

The guests in the hide had a clear view of the truck as their guide, and four others were in the truck. The front tires of the trucks lifted off the ground, and the elephant kept lifting them higher. He lifted it to the height of his head, so much so that the guests in the truck could see the blue sky above!

Then he just dropped the truck, sending the guide bouncing around his seat. The four guests in the truck also went for a ride. But the guide remained composed and continued trying to get the elephant away. So, after he dropped the truck, the elephant had enough of the guide and the truck, so it eventually decided to move off.

Standing on the riverbank, three male lions of the Sonkai Tribe gaze at the tumultuous waters roaring at them. Needing to cross, their tension is palpable as they anxiously wait for the right moment to swim. Unfortunately, there is no end to the mighty force ahead.

Game ranger Richard Mututua captured this dramatic scene in the Masai Mara National Reserve, as he and his guests watched with bated breath.
The Rongai River can experience significant flooding, especially during the rainy seasons. These floods create strong currents, changing the landscape and causing problems for both wildlife and people.

Filled with trepidation, the lions summon their courage and plunge into the water one after the other. Within seconds, the first two lions are swept tens of meters down the river. The third lion hesitates and holds back to the safety of the riverbank.

African lions are not known for their swimming abilities. Generally avoiding water whenever possible, they only swim when necessary, such as crossing rivers or during floods. Their strong muscles and powerful build enable them to manage short swims. However, swimming is not a natural or preferred activity for them.

The leading lion appears to be a stronger swimmer, while his companion behind him is carried much further downriver, his fate uncertain.

Finally, onlookers can breathe a sigh of relief! The first lion manages to grab onto a rock and pull himself onto the opposite bank. Soaking wet, he stands triumphantly, having braved the treacherous waters and emerged unscathed on the other side.

A happy ending unfolds as the second lion appears from the left, having been pushed much further downstream. Cold and miserable, the lions look back at the last male still on the original side, offering encouragement or warning him to stay dry and save himself!

Amazing footage of leopard catching, playing with and then killing impala in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa
The Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve shares a 50km unfenced border with the Kruger National Park this private reserve is second to none in terms of wildlife encounters.

Due to the high degree of habituation the reserve offers outstanding photographic opportunities, particularly of the elusive leopard. The valuable water source supplied by the Sabie and Sand rivers ensure that this diverse land sustains one of the highest concentrations of animal species to be found anywhere in Africa.

Due to the competition for resources, leopards, and lions have an ancient rivalry that stems back centuries. The two species of big cats have been known to target one another’s vulnerable babies whenever given the chance.

Even larger-sized leopards tend to be significantly smaller than the average-sized lioness. This is why we never see leopards challenging adult lions; they’re outsized and cannot match the lion’s physical strength. Leopards are, however, very aware of their surroundings, and in most cases, lions stand little chance of actually catching one.

This time, for one unlucky leopard, known as the Plaque Rock Female, the script changed when she found herself surrounded by a pride of unforgiving lions. The leopard was left with only one option, and that was to fight back, which she did to the best of her abilities, but this was no more than a mismatch.

Three of the Ntsevu Pride lionesses attacked from whichever angle they could find, and it was all over pretty much before it began. One of them latched onto the leopard’s neck in the infamous ‘death grip.’ That’s when the other lions backed up and let their sister finish the job. A sad ending for the leopard indeed.

Throughout the incident, the dominant male lion of the pride surprisingly didn’t seem to be so interested in the leopard. Besides sniffing the dying big cat a few times, the leader of the pride had other things in mind.

Among the chaos going on around him, the male lion amazingly seemed to have mistaken just exactly what the lioness’s intentions were, while she was finishing off the job with the leopard. Unexpectedly, for everyone watching, the male lion swung around and climbed on top of the lioness, and then started to show some interesting behavior.

The leopard was most likely gone at this point, but even so, the lioness refused to let go of her grip. She wasn’t taking any chances and wanted to make certain that her job was done right.
Moments after this strange scene played out, the lions got up and calmly walked off as if nothing had happened, leaving the leopard’s body behind for the scavengers.

This wild tiger shark, Emma, has been greeting her favorite diver, Jim, for 20 years — and after the pandemic separated them, she was SO excited to see him again

how the other sharks totally behave when he’s interacting with Emma. It’s like she warned them before hand: “Look, Jim’s coming over and I expect you to all be on your best behavior”.

SHE BLINKS AT HIM!!!!! that is some of the biggest evidence of recognition and trust! Sharks do lid their eyes right before biting, but she is unbelievably docile and seeks out physical touch with the diver! That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

edit: okay. sure. Sharks don’t communicate with their eyes. but its undeniable that she’s looking to be pet with how she interacts with the researcher.

there’s something universal about head pats or petting on the head. Every animal I’ve seen enjoy it always have the same look in their eyes, they always close their eyes giving a happy look.

They love having their sensory system overloaded. Petting their heads and nose is like the best massage you have ever had. LOL What a gorgeous creature.

In this compilation video, we go over multiple clips from shark attacks, great white shark encounters and even tiger shark spottings. What makes these ”caught on camera” moments so scary is the fact that they were filmed in places like the ocean.

We feature a moment where a cliff jumping man gets attacked by a shark in Australia, an 8 year old boy gets attacked by a shark in the Bahamas, a kayak fisherman in Florida catches a bull shark, spearfishermen get attacked by a tiger shark, a man in South Africa almost gets knocked off his kayak by a shark and more spearfishermen encounter a Great White Shark.

Encounters with great white sharks or even tiger sharks are actually way more common than you might think. They often happen to people who are swimming, scuba diving, fishing, boating, cliff jumping or simply at the beach.

In some cases, some people might be water skiing or even exploring coral reefs when they encounter these predators.

Although rare, it has also happened to people who are cage diving as well.

It just turns out that some of these divers were lucky enough to capture footage of these near death experiences that almost went wrong on camera and go pro. This leads to some very creepy videos.

Get ready, because these shark vs man moments that could easily be considered near death experiences are sure to give you the chills.