Tag: Kruger National Park

Watch: Lion bites trailer tire, leaving tourists deflated

Footage has surfaced showing a lioness popping a trailer tire in Kruger National Park as a male lion watched curiously from alongside the road.

Earlier this year we shared footage showing a bull elk using its antlers to pop the tire of a vehicle driven by a tourist who had taunted the animal.

The “perfect response” event occurred in the Rocky Mountains.

On Thursday, footage surfaced showing a female lion biting the tire of a trailer being pulled by tourists in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The footage, captured by Ryan Badenhorst and shared by Kruger Sightings, shows the lioness backing away as air hissed from the tire.

A male lion watched curiously from a resting position alongside the road.

It was unclear why the lioness bit the tire, or how the tourists dealt with the dangerous situation.

Lounging lion never sensed its enemies coming until it was too late

Video footage shows two dominant male lions stealthily sneaking up on the intruding lion at Kruger National Park.

A lone male lion lounging on the warm tarmac of a small runway in the Sabi Sands Nature Reserve inside the famous Kruger National Park didn’t sense trouble approaching until it was too late.

Peter Forsyth, a field guide who captured video of the unique encounter, shared details with LatestSightings.com.

“We were tracking lions based on audio cues when we came across a lone lion,” Forsyth told LatestSightings. “To our surprise, it wasn’t one of the dominant coalition males ruling the area. We knew that the roars of this solitary lion would inevitably attract trouble.”

After 20 minutes of observing the lone lion, the two dominant males of the area suddenly appeared and stealthily made their way toward the intruding lion.

From LatestSightings:

At one point, he even glanced their way, and the two males were right there. But he failed to notice them, showing just how stealthy and cautious they had been.

The coalition males focused on asserting their dominance, engaged in a brief and intense skirmish. Rather than intending to kill the lone male, their display was a means to establish dominance. They roared to make their statement, letting the solitary lion know who is in charge.

“The battle was brief but intense, with each lion weighing in close to 400 pounds and going at each other,” Forsyth told LatestSightings. “It was an exciting yet intimidating feeling to be that close to so much power.

“For me, it was a heart-pounding experience. In my six years in the area, I had never witnessed lions fighting like this before. It was truly an adrenaline rush.”

Photo courtesy of Peter Forsyth via LatestSightings.

Watch: Abandoned baby elephant fends off lions with ‘brave’ ploy

A baby elephant, left behind by its mother, was forced to defend itself when a group of lions took an interest in the vulnerable calf.

A baby elephant, left behind by its mother, was forced to fend for itself when a group of lions took an interest in the vulnerable calf.

The recent encounter occurred around 6:30 a.m. just north of Mopani Camp in Kruger National Park in South Africa.

Brent Schnupp, 55, from Virginia captured the rare scene and shared his story with Latest Sightings.

While on safari, Schnupp and his group saw a younger male and a female lion “enjoying a peaceful moment of coexistence.”

“However, the tranquility was short-lived,” Schnupp wrote. “Our attention was drawn to an adult female elephant emerging from the thicket ahead of us. She appeared to be in distress and was crossing the road with great haste. Little did we know at the time that she had left behind her vulnerable calf.

“The lions, sensing an opportunity, came onto the road and soon realized that the mother elephant had left her calf behind. The younger male lion took the lead in chasing the defenseless baby elephant. In contrast, the older male lion just stood and watched on, while the lioness also seemed uninterested.

“It was an emotional moment as the baby elephant stood in confusion, contemplating whether to make a break for it or confront the lions. The lions attempted [to attack] multiple times, but the baby elephant turned to face them every time.”

The brave ploy worked to discourage the lions, though you see this only once in the video.

“The little one displayed remarkable courage and bravery,” Schnupp wrote. “The lions, despite their numerical advantage and years of experience, couldn’t manage to get a grip on the calf. The standoff continued until the lions eventually gave up, seemingly convinced that they couldn’t overpower the young elephant.

“In my six years of visiting Kruger National Park, I’ve never witnessed anything quite like this. Even our seasoned guides from Leo Vantage were astonished, admitting that they had never seen lions chasing a baby elephant during their entire time in Kruger.”

Watch: Hyena stalks golfer on ‘wildest course in the world’

Skukuza Golf Club in South Africa has shared footage showing a hyena following closely behind a golfer walking nervously down a fairway.

Skukuza Golf Club in South Africa is billed as “the wildest course in the world” because there are no fences keeping predatory animals off the grounds.

While most critters are nocturnal and do not interact with golfers, that’s not always the case.

The accompanying footage shows Neil Whyte documenting a hyena following closely behind as he walked from tee to green.

Whyte joked in the footage, “Got a new caddie on the golf course” and stopped walking while the hyena approached to within yards before veering to Whyte’s right.

It remains unclear if the hyena was hoping for a handout or if other hyenas were near.

Skukuza Golf Club, located in Kruger National Park, described on Facebook: “For those who have wondered if people actually play golf on our course… YES they do and they tend to make new friends along the way.”

Reads one of the top comments: “That hyena would be chewing on my dead body because I would have a heart attack right there.”

In June the club shared footage showing lions roaming a tee box in the predawn darkness, before the nine-hole course opened for play.

The course states on its website: “Since the course is not fenced-in, uninvited spectators are a common sight, hippo, impala, warthog and baboons to mention but a few.”

Can you spot lion blending in with landscape, staring at tourists?

Lions possess the ability to blend in with the terrain of the African savanna, a trait that allows them to easily sneak up on prey.

Lions possess the ability to blend in with the dry, low-lying grasses of the African savanna, a trait that allows them to easily sneak up on prey.

In this case, however, tourists at Kruger National Park in South Africa managed to spot a lone lion because it was walking through the grass.

“Whilst driving along slowly, we noticed a movement that caught our eye as she [the lion] was walking along through the grass,” Peter Hall explained to USA Today/For The Win Outdoors.

“We stopped there and I took that photo once she had stopped walking for a while and was just sitting there watching us. With a long lens, I could get a decent pic. She was at least 50 meters [165 feet] away. But I liked the way she blended so perfectly into the surrounding landscape of the Central Kruger Park, near Tshokwane.”

Hall is a professional artist based in Johannesburg, South Africa. He often incorporates wildlife into his beautiful work.

Hall posted the image on the private Facebook page called SANParks – Kruger National Park, asking “can you see her?”

One commenter said she saw a lion face made by the rocks.

“It felt a bit like a ‘Where’s Wally’ page, but I finally spotted her,” another wrote.

Others wrote:

“It took a little while to spot her. Well done, amazing photo.”

“So well camouflaged.”

In case you needed help:

Check out Hall’s work at Peter Hall Artist on Facebook.

Photo used by permission from Peter Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch: Momma lion tries to nap but cub is ‘having none of it’

A safari company in Kruger National Park has captured adorable footage showing a lion cub craving mom’s attention.

As all mothers know, when a child craves attention there is little time for rest.

The accompanying footage, captured by Nombekana Safaris and Wildlife Photography, shows a lion cub sweetly nudging a lioness, presumably its mom, as she tries to nap in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

Rodney Nombekana captioned the video: “Watch when lioness trying to sleep and the cub is having none of it.”

Among the top comments:

—“Motherhood… no matter the species is always the same.”

—“Delightful piece of film! Mum was so patient with the cub. Equally cub was needing her attention!”

—“Absolutely adorable! So amazing to see the playfulness of the cub. Great vid thank you.”

Nombekana’s tour company specializes in day trips and informs prospective guests on its website:

“Our safaris ensure that you maximize the time you have in the national park as we are the first in the park and last out. This is important as most animals especially the cats are active early morning and late afternoon and by driving with us your chances of seeing magic happen is increased tremendously.”

Watch: Lions stake out tee box at ‘wildest golf course in the world’

A golf course in South Africa has shared footage showing a pride of lions inspecting the layout before players arrived for their scheduled tee times.

A golf course in South Africa has shared footage showing a pride of lions inspecting the layout before players arrived for their scheduled tee times.

Skukuza Golf Club titled its Facebook post “Exploring Lions” and stated to followers:

“Imagine starting your morning round with this waiting for you at the third hole. Our greenkeeper captured this pride of lions roaming around last week.”

Skukuza Golf Club, located in Kruger National Park, is billed as “the wildest course in the world.”

ALSO: Watch as elephant, rhino square off in surreal ‘clash of titans’

Lions are nocturnal and typically do not interrupt play. But that’s not to say that large and potentially dangerous critters do not present hazards during the day.

Skukuza states on its website: “Since the course is not fenced-in, uninvited spectators are a common sight, hippo, impala, warthog and baboons to mention but a few.”

The nine-hole (18-tee) course, which advertises a “harmonious close-to-nature golfing experience,” celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

Safari guide attacked by crocodile makes life-saving escape

An experienced trail guide who was leading tourists on a hike in South Africa suddenly found himself underwater and fighting for his life.

An experienced trail guide who was leading tourists on a hike in Kruger National Park in South Africa suddenly found himself underwater and fighting for his life when attempting to scoop clean water from the Metsi Metsi River.

When Mark Montgomery went to scoop water a third time, he was dragged underwater by a crocodile, according to the South Coast Herald.

“I looked and the crocodile’s head was dead still under the surface,” Montgomery explained to the South Coast Herald. “There wasn’t even a ripple or anything. I think I pulled my hand back. If I hadn’t, it would have gotten my arm. The part from seeing the head to realizing I’m in the water myself, is not even in my brain. It was that fast. It is literally, he grabs my hand and you hear the water.”

One of the tourists in the group jumped in after him, but the crocodile quickly disappeared underwater with Montgomery in tow.

Montgomery, a trail guide since 1998 and trained in dealing with dangerous animals, put his free hand around the crocodile’s neck in an attempt to get to its eyes to deter it, or a hand to its mouth to try to pry it open. He constantly kicked to try to halt the attack.

When the crocodile began turning, Montgomery turned in the opposite direction, and suddenly he could feel the crocodile letting go of his hand.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Cigarette boat takes on huge surf and it doesn’t end well (video)

“At that moment I lurched to the surface,” he told the Herald. “The bank was about 1.6 meters away. I lunged and lunged and grabbed the roots of a stunted jackalberry on the other side. In the meantime, I’m picturing this crocodile grabbing me from the back into the water. I lurched so strongly I partially tore my right hamstring; the left one is bruised.”

Montgomery climbed out of the water to safety but was on the opposite side of the riverbank. So he walked to a shallow part and crossed over, reuniting with his guests, who helped render first aid.

The assistant guide radioed for help, and Montgomery was eventually transported to Mediclinic Nelspruit.

From South Coast Herald:

Three surgeries later, there is no infection so far. The wounds have been closed and pins and plates have been put in. The hand is basically saved, and he should get most of it back to full use again, Montgomery says.

He loves what he does too much to let an incident like this stop him from continuing his passion, but he did say he might scoop water with a bucket and rope next time.

Photos courtesy of Mark Montgomery and Wikimedia Commons.

Watch: Playful elephant involves tourists in mud-bath experience

Footage captured recently in South Africa’s Kruger National Park shows a playful elephant involving tourists in its mud-bath experience.

When you’re inside a vehicle watching an elephant enjoying a mud bath, it’s probably smart to keep your window rolled up.

The accompanying footage, captured in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, shows a young elephant using its trunk to toss mud and water onto its body.

Tourists are enjoying the close encounter but quickly become part of the experience when the elephant flings the wet stuff directly into their faces.

“Oh, man, I got soaked,” one of them says.

Their good-natured reactions are a fun aspect of the footage, captured by a tourist named Heinrich and shared by Kruger Sightings.

The window is rolled up at the 26-second mark.

Watch: ‘Massive’ lion forces standoff with safari vehicle

Footage captured recently in South Africa’s Kruger National Park shows a large male lion in a brief but dramatic standoff with a safari vehicle.

When you’re on a photo safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, you pass the king of beasts on his terms.

The accompanying footage, featured Friday by Wildest Kruger Sightings, shows a ‘massive’ male lion in a dramatic standoff with a safari vehicle.

The driver attempts to pass as the lion has his back to the vehicle, facing a lioness napping on the road’s edge.

ALSO: Yellowstone elk has perfect response to taunts from a tourist

But in a swift about-face, issuing a roar of disapproval, the lion forces a standoff that lasts several seconds before the lion determines the threat has passed.

The passengers, only feet away, undoubtedly captured incredible images before the lion turned away.

In another dramatic display this past week in Kruger, a smaller male lion found itself facing down several angry hippos after becoming stranded on a rock in a river.

The lion leaped and began to swim when the closest hippo lunged with its enormous mouth agape. Another hippo went after the lion, but the lion was too quick.

–Image courtesy of Wildest Kruger Sightings

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