Most of you will have probably heard one or two stories about a hippo coming to the assistance of other species in danger. Whilst there is some casual evidence that hippos can behave altruistically, the real truth is that these massive herbivores are in fact giant jerks. If you don’t believe that, then check this chap out. Carolyn Wridgway was on Safari in South Africa’s Kruger National Park recently and came across the following scene.
We aren’t quite sure which of these babies made the bigger mistake, the juvenile mongoose that ran straight in to the welcoming claws of a leopard or the apex predator who wasn’t able to take advantage of an easy meal. The footage was filmed by a group of tourists on safari in Djuma Private Game Reserve in South Africa and the stars of the clip is Tlalamba a young leopard and a pretty brave mongoose that was lucky to escape meeting an untimely death.
Field guide Timothy Jansen Van Vuuren who was guiding a tourist group on safari in South Africa’s MalaMala captured footage of a tiny pink elephant calf. The calf which is champagne-pink in colour is thought to be between two or three weeks old at the time the footage was shot. If you watch the video you will see the calf is the smallest in the her and is being carefully protected by the adults. It is not possible to tell from the footage whether the calf is an albino or its skin pigmentation is caused by another genetic condition known as leucism.
Recently a rescue team from South Africa’s Tow Oceans Aquarium were able to rescue a trapped ocean sunfish that found itself marooned in a dry dock at the V&A waterfront in Cape Town. Workers who were draining the dry dock noticed the massive fish flapping around in the shallows and alerted authorities who then called in the experts. The rescue team have had a fair amount of experience performing this kind of thing and were well prepared for the task before them.
Flood’s earlier in the year in the far North of Australia resulted in widespread devastation of local agriculture. As the waters rose, half a million cattle were wiped out and there was a humanitarian crisis. Humans weren’t the only species affected, wildlife was affected with crocodiles washed downstream whilst those animals who were hiding were flushed out. There is no better example than this video of a scrub python gobbling up a wallaby in Queensland.
Lions depend on well-choreographed team work in order to take down large prey like giraffe or buffalo. Lion prides are incredibly successful as cooperative hunters with each member playing an important role in order for the group to secure a hearty meal. However, things don’t always go according to plan which you can see from this ‘fail footage’ that was filmed by Peter Craig-Cooper in South Africa’s Kruger National Park on the banks of the Crocodile River.
When you are visiting somewhere new that is unfamiliar, it is critical that you follow the instructions in order to stay safe. This could not be truer when you go on safari. Many conservation tourist attractions allow visitors to go on self-guided tours where visitors can drive through on their own to check out the wildlife. Whilst that is possible it doesn’t mean the animals no longer have their instincts. Wild animals will always be wild.
Recently a one to one conversation between WWF Ambassador Sir David Attenborough and HRH Duke of Cambridge resulted in them both urging business and political leaders to help with greater conservation through a global deal for nature and people. This sort agreement has the potential to stop and even reverse losses experienced by the natural world and keep the planet protected. The two discussed the decades of work By Sir David beginning with his first documentary six decades ago.
Pavan Sukhdev who is president of WWF International has written to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison urging him make a firm and urgent commitment towards taking effective action to stop the rate of deforestation in the country. In his letter the WWF International President highlighted his concern for the New South Wales Koala population which the conservation group says could end up extinct as soon as 2050.
Kgaladi Transfrontier Park in Southern Africa has some of the toughest and most ferocious lions on the continent, but it would seem they are no where near as tough as a lone tortoise. If you check out this video of two young lions having a go, the pair were simply unable to overcome the tortoise’s tough exterior despite their sharp canines and claws. The young lions spotted the passing tortoise after the adult members of the pride were sleeping following a kill and the temptation proved to be too irresistible to resist.
At the turn of the last century the population of wild tigers was estimated to be around 100,0000. In less than a hundred years the population of wild tigers fell by more than 95 per cent taking arguably the most iconic species of big cats to the brink of extinction. By 2010 there were fewer than 3,200 wild tigers left largely as a result of intensive hunting, poaching and extensive habitat destruction. Tomorrow’s Tigers (Tx2) is a new fundraising initiative that seeks to raise money for WWF’s efforts to double the global population of wild tigers to 6,000 by 2022.
One of the biggest dangers to the earth is the demand for food and agriculture. This is because agriculture is the main cause of deforestation and is the reason why humans’ clear vast tracts of valuable habitat that threatens wildlife, sending many species to the brink of extinction. One type of cultivation is incredibly damaging, palm oil plantations. Palm oil is very important globally because it is used in a wide range of food and non-food products that people use on a daily basis. It is an incredibly productive crop, able to yield more per unit of land and requiring fewer inputs than any other type of vegetable oil crop
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