Tag: close encounter

Watch: Lions unsure what to make of brave little crab

Several young lions encountered a freshwater crab recently in South Africa and were unsure what to make of the feisty little crustacean.

Several young lions encountered a freshwater crab recently in South Africa and seemed unsure how to react to the feisty little crustacean.

The accompanying footage, captured in MalaMala Game Reserve, shows the four-inch crab taking a defensive stand, pincers raised, when approached by the first young lion.

Rather than risk being pinched, the lion simply lies down and watches the crab as it tries to cross to a nearby river bank – an action typically carried out at night.

But another sub-adult lion begins to stalk the crab, and soon it’s surrounded.

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But the lions seem more curious than predatory – after all, the crab is snapping its pincers and lions have soft noses. Ultimately, the crab retreats safely into its burrow.

The unusual encounter was featured by Latest Sighings with a video uploaded to Facebook, and a longer version to YouTube.

In a blog post describing the encounter as “Clawsome,” Latest Sightings explained that the lions are part of the Kambula pride and the footage was captured by rangers Ruggiero Barreto, 30, and Robyn Sewell, 27.

One of the rangers was quoted:

“We left the camp at sunrise with the hope of finding lions and were lucky enough to find a pride at a riverbank. They were sheltering from the wind in the Mlowathi Riverbed and were sleeping so we thought we would drive on and look back a little later.

“But suddenly we noticed one of the sub-adults get up and start staring at something and at first we thought it was a scorpion but it was a crab….

“The poor little fella was trying to make it to the riverbank where its burrow was when more lions came over to check it out until there were five of them. The crab kept its claws up at the lions as it backed up until it made the bank and disappeared into a burrow and then the young lions lost interest.

“Not many betting people would have given the crab good odds on making it across the river past a pride of lions but this little fella was up for it.”

–Images courtesy of LatestSightings.com

Watch: Yellowstone grizzly bear charges reckless tourist

A woman watching grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park this past week was charged by one of the animals as she stood in the open, vulnerable to attack.

A Yellowstone National Park tourist who had been warned that she was dangerously close to grizzly bears was charged by one of the animals in a recent encounter caught on video.

The accompanying footage, captured by Darcie Addington from inside a vehicle and shared with NBC Montana, shows the bear in a bluff-charge behavior intended to clear a perceived threat.

NBC Montana reported that the bear closed well within 30 yards of the woman, who became frightened, turned her back on the animal, and quickly walked to safety.

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Addington said several people tried warning the unidentified woman that she was not giving the bears enough space.

Yellowstone regulations state that tourists, who are responsible for their own safety, must remain at least 100 yards from bears and wolves.

–Generic grizzly bear image courtesy of Jim Peaco/NPS

Turkey hunter’s standoff with mountain lion caught on video

How would you react if you were calling in turkeys and mountain lions showed up?

How would you react if you were calling for turkeys and mountain lions showed up?

Apparently, that’s what happened to Janis Putelis and his hunting companion recently in Colorado, and Putelis caught part of the encounter on video.

The accompanying footage shows two of three mountain lions that approached within yards of Putelis and Zach Sandau as they were stationary and camouflaged, hoping to attract turkeys.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsNiX9AHtR/

“Zach Sandau and I called in a three pack of mountain lions while turkey hunting,” Putelis explained in the April 15 Instagram post.

RELATED: Massive black bear has perfect reaction to close people encounter

The footage shows one mountain lion passing through the brush and another scrambling in for a much closer look. That cougar appears to stare fiercely at Putelis before backing off to join the others.

A third mountain lion does not appear in the footage and Putelis did not respond to a request for details about the encounter.

Putelis, however, is co-host of the MeatEater Podcast and promised via  Instagram to share details during an upcoming episode.

–Image courtesy of Janis Putelis/Instagram

Orcas greet swimmer face to face; ‘They were speaking to me’

A New Zealand distance swimmer is used to spotting seals, rays, and the occasional octopus. But Steve Morris said he felt “a rush of euphoria” Monday during a face-to-face encounter with large orcas.

A New Zealand distance swimmer is used to spotting seals, rays, and the occasional octopus. But Steve Morris said he felt “a rush of euphoria” Monday during a face-to-face encounter with large orcas.

“Yes, we were face to face, and they were ‘speaking’ to me,” Morris told For The Win Outdoors.

The Tauranga resident was with others from the Ocean Swim Squad off Mount Maunganui when a pod of eight orcas was spotted nearby. Two of the killer whales swam directly toward Morris, who carries a GoPro stuffed in his wetsuit during his swims.

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“I first saw orcas from a distance while swimming four years ago,” he said. “Since then I dreamed of an encounter like [Monday].”

He told the New Zealand Herald that it was “the best day of my life.”

Morris posted two video clips and several images to Facebook along with the description: “Look who decided to join us for a lap of The Mount this morning!”

https://www.facebook.com/seamenmorris/posts/10157822034760178

Orca vocalizations can be heard in one of the video clips.

The mammals belong to a pod that frequents the region.

While it’s against the law for people to approach and interact with orcas, in this case the mammals approached and interacted with the swimmers.

“Obviously you are not allowed to swim with orca whales on purpose, but they came up to us,” Morris told the New Zealand NewsHub.

–Images courtesy of Steve Morris

Large, venomous snake emerges from sea in ‘surreal’ encounter

A wildlife photographer this week shared a “super rare” photo showing a large sea snake breaching nearly clear of the surface over the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea.

A wildlife photographer this week shared a “super rare” photo showing a large sea snake breaching nearly clear of the surface over the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea.

The eye-catching image caused some of Rachelle Mackintosh’s Instagram followers to look twice while trying to figure out precisely what they were seeing.

But Mackintosh assured in her description that it was an olive sea snake, a venomous reef predator that typically remains hidden by day, breaking the surface in what seemed a bizarre behavior.

Olive sea snake swimming. Photo: Rachelle Mackintosh

Mackintosh, from Sydney, Australia, told For The Win Outdoors that she captured the image in June 2017, and that the snake measured nearly seven feet.

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She was on a multi-day diving expedition at Ribbon Reefs, a remote section of the Great Barrier Reef known for its marine diversity and pristine waters, “to spend a few days swimming with dwarf minke whales.”

“One of the coolest things about them is that their vocalizations sound like Jedi light sabres in action,” Mackintosh joked. “They’re also very friendly and will hang out around the boat for hours on end.”

But for several moments, the olive sea snake stole the spotlight.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNlQXxVFWA4/

“The snake seemed to appear from nowhere and swam on the surface for a couple of seconds, when suddenly it started doing this weird little move where it would slightly lift its head, like it was looking for something,” Mackintosh recalled. “Then it did this full kind of lift out of the water and then splashed down and disappeared again.

“It was super surreal – and one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen.”

Mackintosh said she was told by a researcher that the snake might have been trying to escape predation by sharks, or merely inspecting its surroundings, or simply engaging in playful behavior.

Olive sea snakes are common along Australia’s northern coast and among the reef systems that comprise the Great Barrier Reef. They must surface to breathe but can remain submerged for about two hours.

They typically hunt small fish and crustaceans, primarily at night, and hide in the reefs during the day. While the sea snakes are not aggressive toward humans, they will bite if threatened or harassed, and bites can be fatal.

–Images courtesy of Rachelle Mackintosh

Reporter: Yellowstone bison encounter ‘a reminder of my journey’

A year has passed since TV reporter Deion Broxton gained widespread notoriety for his “I ain’t messing with you” bison encounter in Yellowstone National Park.

A year has passed since TV reporter Deion Broxton gained widespread notoriety for his “I ain’t messing with you” bison encounter in Yellowstone National Park.

Broxton’s tweet, revealing his deep concern and featuring humble  commentary as a herd of enormous bison approached, became a wonderful distraction from from the barrage of harrowing news related to the growing COVID-19 pandemic. (The tweet has garnered more than 13 million views.)

https://twitter.com/DeionBroxton/status/1242910540105576450

On Thursday, marking the anniversary of that unforgettable moment while he was on assignment for NBC Montana, Broxton implied that it helped change his life from a professional standpoint.

Now a reporter for Iowa News Now, he tweeted:

“A year later. I get tired of talking about this video. But it’s a reminder of my journey. I couldn’t get a job on TV because of my hood/Baltimore accent. I spent thousands on a speech coach. Fast forward, this week I learned I won an award from the Iowa Broadcast News Association.”

About 4,600 bison reside in Yellowstone National Park and provide lifetime memories for tourists who appreciate viewing them from a safe distance.

But considering that bison can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds, and are surprisingly quick and unpredictable, messing with them is never wise.

Park regulations suggest staying at least 25 yards from bison at all times.

Mom finds snake in kids’ room, reaction not what you’d expect

A woman in Sydney, Australia, discovered a 3-foot snake curled in her daughters’ room Friday night and their reactions were not what one would expect.

A woman in Sydney, Australia, discovered a 3-foot snake curled in her daughters’ bedroom Friday night, and her reaction was not what one would expect.

Especially when you consider that the woman, identified only as Meg, had mistaken the snake as a shoelace and almost bent down to pick it up before flicking on the light.

“But then it was a raised shoelace and I thought that’s weird,” she recalled to Ben Fordham on radio station 2GB, which was first to feature video footage of the encounter. “I was actually going to pick it up, and then all of a sudden I thought I’ll just turn the light on and see what it is.”

The footage, captured by one of Meg’s young daughters, shows what’s believed to be a golden-crowned snake among the children’s toys, its head raised, poised to strike.

Meg and her closest daughter – another chimes in from a different room – are not afraid and seem to admire the reptile, despite its menacing posture.

“Dude, you’re striking at air,” the daughter says, before zooming in on the snake.

“He’s so cute,” she later adds. “Oh, did you see that little tongue flick?”

Ultimately, as if it were no big deal, Meg trapped the snake in a container and released it outside in a tree.

Golden-crowned snakes are endemic to Australia and mainly inhabit forested regions. Although they’re mildly venomous they rarely bite humans, but are known to bluff strike and mock bite when threatened.

–Image courtesy of radio station 2GB

Watch: Three mountain lions run alongside motorist on highway

Jay Kinsey was driving in central Montana last week when he caught up to three mountain lions running on a highway.

Jay Kinsey was driving in central Montana last week when he caught up to three mountain lions running on a highway.

The accompanying footage shows the mountain lions, or cougars, pacing in a line before hopping over a guard rail into the snow and disappearing from view.

Kinsey then exits his car and focuses on the cats as they emerge from the base of a bush and walk farther from the road.

“It was definitely not something a guy comes across every day,” Kinsey, who lives in Lewistown, told MTN News.

He explained that he had previously seen crows and eagles feasting on a road-kill deer carcass and thought the distant objects might be more crows. “Then I noticed they were cats so I picked up my phone to [document the encounter] and show my wife and daughter when I got service.”

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Kinsey told For The Win Outdoors that hunting friends told him he was watching a female mountain lion and two sub-adult kittens.

“I’d say they were right because she was always in the lead,” Kinsey said. “It was pretty neat to see. I’ve seen a few when out hunting deer and elk but never that close to them.”

The unusual encounter occurred last Thursday just west of Lake Sutherlin.

Surfer picks wrong time to drop off board with shark nearby

A surfer in Australia slid off his surfboard and into the water just as a shark cruised below him in a close encounter captured on video.

A surfer in Australia slid off his surfboard and into the water just as a shark cruised below him in a close encounter Monday afternoon off Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Toby Nicol, who captured footage of the incident via drone, believed the unidentified surfer stepped on the shark, which appeared to be startled, and darted off and passed under other surfers as it moved on, according to 7NEWS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0eo-zl5S9Y

“He seemed to hop off his board right on top of the shark, and I jumped a little bit, I did wince,” Nicol told 7NEWS. “I would love to speak to [the surfer]. It would be great to just have a chat and just see if he knew it was a shark that he stepped on.”

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Experts told 7NEWS they believed the shark to be a grey nurse shark, an endangered species in New South Wales. It looked to be about 6 or 7-feet long.

“They’re a very placid animal,” marine scientist Dr. Vanessa Pirotta told 7NEWS. “So to see one move away when a swimmer hops in the water is not a surprise.”

No doubt the surfer can be thankful it wasn’t a great white or tiger shark.

Startled moose injures elderly hiker on Montana trail

A hiker in Montana has suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being kicked by a bull moose that he and his companion encountered at close quarters.

A Montana hiker suffered non-life-threatening injuries last Wednesday after being kicked by a bull moose as he tried hiding under a fallen tree.

The surprise encounter occurred on U.S. Forest Service Trail 6317 (also called Jack Creek Trail) east of Ennis, according to a news release issued Monday by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

Two men, in their 70s, saw the moose standing about 10 yards off the trail. Moments later, the animal charged in their direction. One hiker hid behind a tree trunk, while the other sought refuge in the branches of a fallen tree.

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The moose kicked at the branches, and the man, until finally fleeing into the woods. The injured hiker was treated at Madison Valley Medical Center.

While moose may appear docile, the large animals are powerful and unpredictable, especially during surprise encounters.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks posted warning signs in the area and reminded hikers to stay in groups when possible, and to make enough noise while hiking to alert large animals to their presence.

“If you encounter a moose, give it lots of space and don’t approach it,” MFWP stated. “If a moose charges or chases you, take cover behind something solid, such as a tree.”

–Generic moose image is courtesy of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service