Tag: South Africa

See this: Amazing wildlife, South African scenery take center stage at Euro/Sunshine Tour event

The setting is so spectacular because just across the river sits Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves.

Those channel surfing for sports on Thanksgiving morning might have thought the Discover Channel had taken over the Golf Channel for a bit.

Instead, the amazing scenes were from the opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Golf Club in Malelane, South Africa.

The course sits in a small enclave along the Crocodile River near Malelane, a small farming town in the northeast part of the country. The setting is so spectacular because just across the river sits Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves. Included in the many animals that roam Kruger — lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffaloes.

Christiaan Bezuidenhout is the highest-ranked player in the field this week (No 61 in Official World Golf Ranking, No. 92 in Golfweek/Sagarin rankings) while Robin Roussel and Adrian Meronk each shot a 65 to take the early lead on Thursday.

“There is so much good vibes here,” said Roussel, a Frenchman who has three pro wins to his credit, including one on the Challenge Tour.

The setting is simply amazing.

 

Watch as 20 lions descend on river to drink in a perfect line

The accompanying footage, captured recently in South Africa’s Mala Mala Private Game Reserve, shows a pride of 20 lions descending a river bank one after another to sip water. Eventually, as each lion snuggles into its spot, all are drinking at once.

Who knew that so many lions could be so orderly?

The accompanying footage, captured in South Africa’s Mala Mala Private Game Reserve, shows a pride of 20 lions descending a river bank one after another to sip water. Eventually, as each lion snuggles into its spot, all are drinking at once.

The footage was captured during the past week by Nadav Ossendryver, founder and CEO of Latest Sightings, a social media company that shares wildlife imagery.

[protected-iframe id=”9769d1af8855f71b365d6f4613728873-58289342-114731612″ info=”https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Flatestsightingskruger%2Fvideos%2F753754948710226%2F&show_text=0&width=267″ width=”267″ height=”476″ frameborder=”0″ style=”border: none; overflow: hidden;” scrolling=”no”]

Mala Mala is within the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, along the Sand River, and part of the Greater Kruger ecosystem. Ossendryver and crew were filming for an upcoming TV show called Safari Sightings, and after watching elephants drink from the river the scene involving the lions developed.

RELATED: Cheetah ambushed by leopard, but hardly overmatched

Ossendryver wrote in a blog post:

“From the sandbank behind the elephants, out pops two ears. Since we were on an island in the river itself, the sandbank was quite a lot higher from us, so we could only see two ears at first, but we immediately knew it was a lion. That lion came down the ridge and started drinking right in front of us.

“We looked up back on to the sandbank, and suddenly another lion popped out, and another and another! This was the Kambula Lion Pride that we had found. We started hoping that they would all come down to drink in a line, as lions do on a rare occasion. Our prayers were answered!”

The one drawback was that their vehicle tires sank in the mud as they watched the lion pride. Ossendryver and crew had to be rescued by Mala Mala employees with a tractor, but this hardly dampened their spirits.

“What an eventful last morning of filming!” Ossendryver exclaimed. “I can’t wait to show this and many other incredible sightings on the Safari Sightings TV show!”

The show will air in a few weeks on People’s Weather, DSTV channel 180.

–Images courtesy of Latest Sightings

Leopard receives fright of its life at watering hole

The remarkable reflexes of a leopard were on display last week after it was startled by another leopard as it sipped from a watering hole.

The remarkable reflexes of a leopard were on display last week after the animal was startled by another leopard as it sipped from a watering hole.

The amusing footage, captured via motion-sensor camera outside a Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate residence in South Africa, shows the frightened leopard leap so suddenly that it frightens the approaching leopard back into the wilderness.

After the footage was shared to social media platforms by Latest sightings – Kruger, Gillian Leigh Soames, who lives at the residence, explained that the leopard cubs are 11-month-old siblings.

The scene was captured at night; the flashes viewers can see are from another infrared trail camera and invisible to critters that visit the watering hole.

RELATED: Bobcat’s spectacular leap is ‘poetry in motion’

“It is pitch black out there at night and the animals do not see the flash at all,” Soames stated on Facebook, in response to viewers who wondered if the flashes might frighten the animals. (Some wondered if the flashes were caused by lightning.)

Overall, reaction to the video was appreciative.

“That is hilarious!” one viewer commented. “Just like regular kitties.”

“Oh my gosh, how high can a leopard jump?” another asked.

Hoedspruit Wildlife Estate is near Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game reserves.

Soames, referred to by many as “South Africa’s Leopard Queen,” told For The Win Outdoors that the watering hole is on her property and that motion-sensor cameras are used monitor wildlife activity.

“This pond is in our garden,” she said. “We have leopards here at least twice a week.”

–Video and photos courtesy of Latest Sightings – Kruger and Gillian Leigh Soames

Peter Mathebula, first black S. African champ, dies at 67

Peter Mathebula, the first black South African to win a world title, died on Saturday night, according to multiple reports. He was 67.

Peter Mathebula, the first black South African to win a world title, died on Saturday night, according to multiple reports. He was 67.

Mathebula’s sister Dianah Tlhale told SABC News in South Africa that Mathebula had been “in and out of hospital before deteriorating.” He died at Leratong Hospital in Johannesburg.

Mathebula, nicknamed “Terror,” won the WBA flyweight title by defeating Tae-Shik Kim of South Korea by a split decision (see video below) in December 1980 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles.

It was his first fight outside his native country. And, according to the BBC, it was only three years after a law banning whites from fighting blacks was lifted in South Africa.

Mathebula (36-9, 17 KOs) recalled his joy during an interview with Sowetan Live in 2012.

“I thought I was dreaming,” he said. “The reality of me being the first black South African world champion did not sink in immediately. I did not believe that I beat an incredible boxer like Tae-Shik Kim. I won on a split decision and you can imagine my anxiety before the final announcement. But I remained hopeful about my chances because I believed I did well (enough) to convince the judges.

“When the ring announcer paused a bit before making the final verdict, I nearly stopped breathing . But seconds later the announcer screamed ‘and the new WBA flyweight champion of the world, Peter Terroooooor Mathebulaaaaaa!’ I nearly collapsed with joy. It was unbelievable.”

Mathebula was welcomed home as a hero.

“Unbelievable!” he said. “I’ve never seen so many people overjoyed by one’s victory. Their celebrations at the airport just reminded me how important the title was. I was given a hero’s welcome. I was humbled to see white people welcoming me. My wife and children were there screaming my name.

“We were driven as a family through the streets of Johannesburg up to my house in Mohlakeng. The party continued throughout the weekend, or was it a month?”

Mathebula’s career declined quickly after his greatest triumph. He lost his belt in his first defense, a seventh-round knockout at the hands of Santos Laciar in March 1981 in Johannesburg.

“Too much celebrating cost me my title, perhaps,” he said.

Mathebula then lost back-to-back fights to Betulio Gonzalez in Venezuela and never again fought for a world title. However, he did win his final fight, a 10th-round TKO over Joseph Molefe that gave him the Transvaal bantamweight title, before retiring at 31 in 1983.

“I wanted to quit on a high considering that my win over Molefe was the third in a row,” he said. “I’m happy that I’m not lost to the game.”

Mathebula went on to work with young fighters.

“The legend is gone, long live the legend,” the BBC quoted Boxing South Africa head Tsholofelo Lejaka as saying. “Not only was Bra Terror a trailblazer‚ but he was the gentleman of the sport through and through.”