Tag: safaris

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.

Can you spot the leopard hiding in the Indian forest?

A photographer in India has shared an image from Rajaji National Park, asking followers if they can spot the leopard hiding in the forest.

A photographer in India has shared an image from Rajaji National Park, asking followers if they can spot the leopard hiding in the forest.

“Spot the Leopard in this frame if you can,” Trikansh Sharma tweeted this week.

It’s not a difficult quiz for those with a keen eye, but forest growth or debris might play tricks on the imagination. (The answer is provided in the link at the bottom of this post.)

“I can see a tiger and a leopard in this frame,” one follower expressed, only to later acknowledge that what he thought was a tiger was merely a clump of leaves.

Photo: Trikansh Sharma

Another follower complained that it was difficult to spot the leopard in “such a low-resolution image,” only to be informed by Sharma that others had easily located the leopard.

Rajaji National Park, also known as Rajaji National Tiger Reserve, is home to about 250 leopards.

While leopard sightings are considered rare and exciting, the expansive park, at the foothills of the Himalayas, is most famous for its wild elephant population.

CLICK HERE to verify the location of the leopard in Sharma’s image.

Safari vehicles crowd tiger in ‘unwarranted’ behavior in India

Footage showing safari vehicles packed with tourists following closely behind a large tiger has drawn criticism for an obvious reason.

Footage showing safari vehicles packed with tourists following closely behind a large tiger has drawn criticism for an obvious reason.

“The great Indian tiger show. Please maintain some sense & distance,” Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service stated in a tweet.

The footage (posted below) was captured by Swati Yardi from a vehicle in front of the tiger as the majestic animal strolled casually on a dirt path.

Yardi shot back: “These vehicles or crowd you see in back are not unnecessary vehicles but allowed ones in the zone as per department.”

Nanda: “The vehicles are allowed not to chase the wild. The behavior is unwarranted. Don’t forget that the guidelines say to maintain minimum distance of at least half-a-kilometer between two safari vehicles when they are ferrying people in a tiger reserve.”

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Yardi: “Agree sir with you. I just hope this is been followed in all forests because as I have done safaris since more than half decade in different parts of Indian forests, and never seen distance of half km. Sad reality everywhere. I only wanted to mention there was no disturbance to the tiger.”

Some in the comments criticized the Indian government for not enforcing regulations.

Tigers are endangered, but staunch conservation efforts have enabled the tiger population in India to increase from a record low of 1,411 animals in 2006 to more than 3,000 animals.

–Image and video courtesy of Swati Yardi

Watch: Tiny antelope evade predators in ‘a real cliffhanger’

Tourists at a game reserve in South Africa witnessed a tense confrontation this week between wild dogs and klipspringers, which are a type of dwarf antelope.

Tourists at a wilderness reserve in South Africa witnessed a tense confrontation this week between wild dogs and klipspringers, which are a type of dwarf antelope.

The accompanying footage, shared to Facebook by MalaMala Game Reserve, shows several dogs surrounding three klipspringers that had positioned themselves just out of harm’s way on a nearly sheer rock face.

“This was a real ‘cliffhanger’ of a sighting but these klipspringers had played the game before,” MalaMala wrote. “They remained calm and stuck to their game plan – despite coming within inches of death.”

Viewers will note how still the klipspringers remain as one dog approaches within sniffing range of the closest klipspringer. The dog repeatedly backs off for fear of falling.

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It was not clear how long this confrontation lasted but the klipspringers were said to have survived.

Klipspringers, which weigh between 20 and 40 pounds, are incredibly nimble and swift, and spend most of their lives in rock formations known as kopjes.

They “spring” from rock to rock as they browse edible vegetation, but are capable of standing motionless, even on sheer faces, for hours.