Tag: Mala Mala Game Reserve

Watch: Elephant uses trunk to create mesmerizing ‘water show’

Footage shows the elephant using its powerful trunk to compress and spray water as a fine mist directed toward tourists.

A bull elephant in South Africa’s MalaMala Game Reserve used its powerful trunk recently to compress and spray water as a fine mist directed toward safari guests.

“This bull tricks us with a water show!” Ranger Gabriel Harmer exclaimed via Instagram. “It was absolutely amazing! A light mist spray on a warm afternoon drive. What better way to cool down than to get water sprayed on you by an Ellie!”

Harmer’s footage is posted below and best viewed with audio.

MalaMala Game Reserve also shared the footage under the title, “Mistifier.”

“Just shows you how strong their trunks are,” one viewer observed.

“He’s got skills,” another viewer chimed in.

MalaMala is a private reserve inside Sabi Sands Game Reserve and shares an unfenced border with Kruger National Park.

Watch: Safari guest can’t believe she is this close to a lion

Footage shows the young woman expressing awe and disbelief as the male lion passes just yards from her open-air vehicle.

How would you react if you were on a photo safari and witnessed an adult male lion approaching within yards of your open-air vehicle?

The accompanying footage, shared Thursday by Mala Mala Game Reserve, shows a young woman expressing awe and disbelief as a lion strolled almost within touching distance.

Her reaction is so understandably perfect that Mala Mala required no description other than to state: “One of the many reasons we do what we do.”

For those who might wonder, lions in South Africa’s protected reserves are accustomed to safari vehicles and typically do not perceive tourists in vehicles as prey or a threat.

Mala Mala is a private reserve that shares an unfenced border with world-famous Kruger National Park. Besides lions, guests might encounter other iconic large animals such as elephants, leopards, rhinos and buffaloes.

Mighty lion versus tiny crab – which is the king of beasts?

Amusing footage captured at Mala Mala Game Reserve shows the lion backing away after the crab opened its claws in a battle posture.

MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa on Thursday shared an amusing clip showing a lion’s wary encounter with a ferocious-looking crab.

The lion is curious at first; comfortable enough to inspect the crab while lounging on the dirt.

But when the crab spreads its claws in a battle posture, the lion wants no part of the crustacean and rises to back away.

Among the comments beneath Mala Mala’s post was this from a user named TCB: “It’s the size of the heart that counts.”

Another reply: “The King is a little wary.”

Watch: Rhino shows lion that ‘size matters at the waterhole’

Footage from South Africa shows a lion being forced by the rhino to wait its turn before approaching for a drink.

When a small watering hole is occupied by a large rhinoceros, even a mighty lion must wait its turn before approaching for a drink.

The accompanying footage, captured this week at Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa, shows a thirsty lion walking toward a watering hole, only to be rebuffed by a rhino.

“Size matters at the waterhole,” Mala Mala stated via X.

The wary lion was compelled to circle widely behind the rhino and wait for the larger animal to leave before approaching to sip water.

Mala Mala Game Reserve shares an unfenced border with sprawling Kruger National Park and lies within Sabi Sands Game Reserve.

Large animal encounters are fairly common for guests on photo safaris.

Watch: Cheetah teases large male lion and gets chased

A ranger at the Mala Mala Game Reserve captured video of a once-in-a-lifetime sighting of a cheetah taunting a lion.

A ranger at the Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa captured video of a once-in-a-lifetime sighting of a cheetah teasing and taunting a large male lion, prompting a chase with a predictable outcome.

Kevan Dobbie, assistant head ranger at the game reserve, shared his video with LatestSightings. He explained:

“A young male cheetah has been seen spending quite some time around Mala Mala Game Reserves Private Airstrip. On this particular day, it was a sighting where being at the right place at the right time paid off.”

“Three of the big cat species interacted,” Dobbie told LatestSightings. “Two Ndzhenga male lions approached a young male cheetah. While a female leopard (Nkoveni) was watching the scene unfold from the eastern side of the airstrip.

“The cheetah, well aware of the lion’s presence, displayed some interesting behavior. At first, almost taunting the lion as if it were saying, ‘You can’t catch me.’

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“One of the Ndzhenga male lions didn’t appreciate the teasing and pursued the young male cheetah. The cheetah knew he had an advantage and kept the lion at a comfortable distance.”

Not surprisingly, the lion never did catch the cheetah.

“Eventually, the lion lost interest, and both lions plopped down and lazy lounged around the airstrip,” Dobbie said.

Photo courtesy of LatestSightings.

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