this program features live coverage of
an African safari and may include animal
kills and carcasses viewer discretion is
good afternoon everybody and welcome to
this the sunset Safari
on this glorious Sunday afternoon I
think it’s the 15th of April halfway
through if you can believe it fergus’s
on camera hey y-you saw my name there
it’s James Henry in case you’re
illiterate and in the final control
we’ve got Rebecca on the box and on the
keys I think we have still got the
long-suffering Lucas anyway on the other
vehicles we have Tyler and Brent there
was some fear of rain believe it or not
a little earlier it was raining from
what I couldn’t possibly tell you anyway
send us your questions or comments on
this easygoing Sunday afternoon hashtags
for alive or on the chat stream on
YouTube and we’ll do our level best to
answer them and entertain you for the
next three hours or so we are in the low
felt of South Africa that means the
lowlands were about 400 metres above sea
level on the eastern edge of the
Drakensberg escarpment while we’re down
in the bowl the Drakensberg excitement
and off to the east
goes the Mozambican plains and out to
the Indian Ocean about 200 kilometers
away so that’s where we find ourselves
on planet Earth while I Drive up towards
a waterhole not too far from here let’s
go across to Taylor mccurdy who is I
don’t know what she’s doing I think
everybody thinks I’m trying to get off
work – it’s a beginning on the show my
name is Taylor and I am NOT a slacker
today is sins or and we are sitting at a
tree house a dam I don’t know why I’m
exile signals being strange really the
gremlins are trying to get us but
remember you can chat to us and I look
forward to having conversations with all
of you and hopefully we’re going to find
some animals to have some conversations
about because at the moment there’s not
even any blacksmith left wing a
treehouse damn it’s very quiet so I’m
going to say
that we’re going to do birding today and
then by hopefully some miracle some
animals are going to jump out and we’re
going to find them maybe the elephant’s
decide to return perhaps a journey of
Drive pass on through Juma who knows the
options are endless is what we could see
today but but yes so it’s a little bit
on the quiet side it’s been a weird day
there’s been rain there’s been Sun as
you can see this blue sky and a cloud
would come over and it would rain on us
and that it would move away and then it
would be beautiful and go Sun Tanning
and then you’d have to put a jacket on a
scarf and a beanie on because the way
there would be to announce
it’s beautiful again it’s really quite
lovely but sadly this is all we have
yeah Rebecca please may I Drive I’m
going to drive I don’t know why the
gremlin attack attacking us I think I
can see some warthogs so you’re gonna
try get a bit closer to them they’re
down over there saw them feeding in the
grass but a bit too far away oh my
goodness we are not being attacked by
signal gremlins
can you believe well hold your breath
yeah wait a little bit downhill but
we’re going back up again are we still
here I think it might be one of those
I saw them moving but where did I see
them boy it’s too far away I don’t think
we’re gonna be able to see the warthogs
ever been so cool to see them off the
back me a little bit for the good that’s
right and checking is zooming away okay
sadly no war talks fast they’ve ran back
into the tall grass and you’ve seen what
the grass is like in this area it’s not
very nice for looking at small animals
especially when if they have to see over
the grass and some of you may remember
from the Mara how the waters used to
literally walk with their noses in the
air like this trying to desperately see
over their tall grass make sure they
didn’t walk into a lioness anyways I
don’t think there’s like water I would
be walking into a lioness but James has
some warthogs and maybe they will trot
into some cats I don’t think they’ll
walk into some cats or he will walk into
some cats and it’s possible though of
course this youngish male warthog
favored food of the likes of now the
reason we’ve come up here is that we can
hear some elephants shouting off away to
the I can I never get east and west
right the first time and off to the west
and I think they’re coming up towards
Sydney’s waterhole so it might be lucky
and see them come down for a drink e
gorgeous gorgeous afternoon I was just
saying to Fergus toe that this is the
most wonderful time of year in many
parts of South Africa he of course lives
in Cape Town lamentable lamentable
settlement but for this time of year
when the wind stops blowing for about
two weeks where my parents live in the
Eastern Cape also the wind tends to blow
her but but this time of year just
glorious and around here of course the
edge of the summers come off which means
that while it’s a beautiful warm day
probably around 29 degrees or so I think
they said which is about 84 85 degrees
Fahrenheit all those that’s very
pleasant to be out in
doesn’t feel like one’s cooking like one
all right we’re gonna stay with this
warthog Taylor has a small bird that she
wants to show you could be let’s go
across there we’ve got cuckoos we’ve got
two cuckoos in fact there are I think
can you turn and look this way please do
you you have a striped body or do you
have no stripes I think I did see some
stripes on the throat there so that
would make it and the valence cuckoo
which is pretty cool and there’s a pair
of them now I suspect that they’ve
hopped into the wari tree looking for
caterpillars because well caterpillars
are the favorite food of the cuckoo
species of birds I’m trying to see what
the other one is gone now it has flown
away I don’t want to start the car and
move it because I know what’s going to
happen is that it’s just going to just
disappear now there are two cookies that
look very similar to one another and
that is the Jacobins and the low valence
but I have not seen the breast of this
one just yet
oh it’s still there there you go it’s
actually in a better spot now please
I’m joking that bird does not make that
sound this is the son of Eila valence
cookie as I play it softly yeah that’s
definitely and the valence so that’s not
that bird calling that’s me very quickly
just playing the cold and so that you
can hear it very nice and anyways these
boots are migrants they are intro
African migrants so I don’t think
they’re going to be here for too much
longer just like everybody else
that typically arrived towards the end
of the year the start of a summer and oh
thank you being very polite and then
they normally linger around for a wee
bit and should theoretically start
there’s another cooker calling in the
far distance should start heading north
now April man is quite cool nice to see
them around we don’t often get to have
amazing sightings of all the cuckoo’s
you know there is another cooker calling
in the far distance so you can see that
bird is listening to it I think it’s now
responding to the call behind us and
going very nice little sighting very
glad she wasn’t a briefs
it was a long sighting I’m sure second
runway sorry about that rather sudden
departure from Taylor’s cuckoos I don’t
know what it is but on what I’m going to
guess is that it was a striped cuckoo
because a lot of the striped cuckoos
stay there first year here they don’t
migrate and while their parents
disappear they stay here but of course
they’ve never met their parents they
stay with their babblers it was a live
aelion’s cuckoo apparently which
unsurprisingly is also the striped
cuckoo what a stroke of luck and striped
cuckoo is the old name and they often
stay with their babbler friends well
friends see now you’re wondering arrived
ever seen a leopard attack a warthog I
think I’ve seen leopard tried to attack
warthogs I’ve never seen a leopard
successfully attack and kill a warthog
have I miss identified the sex of this
hog
I think it might be a lady hold now I
think it’s a lady hog
is it is a lady hog I’ve just looked at
the face now I do apologize everybody
it’s a lady hog not a male anyway what
I’m going to try and do is sneak a
little bit closer the Hogs here tend to
be very unconfident I’ve said but this
one seems to be okay so I’ll just try
and ease forward which of course is
difficult in a vehicle that makes the
amount of noise that these ones do but
let’s try so that we can get this Boosh
I’ll probably hit a stump or something
and give it a terrible fright woman is
an Impala just behind the ultimate
2-shot Sharia you want to know why the
warthog is kneeling well I’m afraid
Sharia you provide me with the
opportunity to give you a silly answer
I’m because of the day and so I’m going
to and then I’m going to but I’m going
to apologize in advance for giving you a
silly answer and it’s because it’s
Sunday of course it was praying that’s
why it was on its knees no that’s silly
answer they graze on their knees because
they have to dig out the rhizomes which
are the underground stems and sort of
storage vaults of energy that the grass
is produced and they’ve got a very hard
cartilaginous plate in the front of
their noses and that helps them to dig
and so when there’s something
particularly nice that they want
underneath the soil they’ll get on to
their knees and then dig it up so that’s
why it was on its knees it’s not a
particularly religious warthog as far as
I can tell and there if it was to see
what koumori it would certainly be
scenic you want to know warthogs eat
meat at all yes they do sometimes in
fact this infected female warthog like
this one could easily be found
scavenging off a carcass from time to
time especially if she was pregnant or
if she had youngsters and she just
needed a bit of extra nutria nutrition
swea calcium or phosphorus or maybe even
a little bit of protein so it would not
be unusual wouldn’t be surprising to
find her suffering on some bones or some
rotting flesh and certainly her closest
relative the bush pig are known to be
she’s got a wonderful set of tusks I
must say that’s why I mistook her for a
ball to start with him all right let’s
go across the Brent Leo Smith you
haven’t seen in me at this afternoon
oh yes sorry we had a few this is we’re
getting started so we got us a little
all my goodness apologies everybody
you’re just going to have to well grin
and bear with us today it’s going
through you on of those technical
gremlin infested shows get your fly
swatters out your bug spray all these
wonderful things I’m just checking the
clock surendra it is 343 he into African
time right now that’s what time it is
and it’s like it’s very nice it’s my
favorite time of the day 343 exactly and
maybe running oops I don’t know since or
what would you be doing at 343 if you
were owned said work I can only I’m
gonna back across a de Jane we do seem
to be making a fewer saddened arrivals
with us we’ve now got a very very close
to our hog friend she’s not a youngster
she’s fairly old I would say from the
gray hair that she has and she’s been
she’s the best warthog over the mid I
can’t believe how confiding she’s being
she’s seen it all before you see and you
can tell that from the magnificence of
her tusks and maybe you can just see the
wind flickering through the grass stalks
they’re very gentle bring he’s coming
out of the southeast and you might be
able to hear one or two robins calling
off to the west
nearly cities to get the white part
something goes into him there’s
literally madam Hogg what troubles the
search so no Willy you’re absolutely
right in fact the same applies just
about anything out here so it’s not very
easy to reach old age and certainly
isn’t in the fact that she’s got so far
I think indicates that she’s wily and
picked a good place to live I think I’ve
seen her around here before many times
and I think she’s had a number of
litters around here and I suspect her
success has quite a lot to do with the
openness of where she lives in the
shortness of the grass which means that
although she ain’t tall she can still
see over the short grass and what is
coming to eat her and her babies good it
has to move along
I’m Warthog out for the day
not sure how good our signals going to
be down here we did hear some elephants
[Laughter]
Ivy James is going more ha ha payback
because all the technical gremlins he
had write this stuff let’s be serious
now let’s not talk about those in walk
in a story everybody with they were I’m
trying to work on certain things now I’m
hoping that we are going to find husana
and he’s just going to pop out and thank
you dokie everybody rants I’ve got a
very important announcement to make
I’m apologizing on behalf of all of
everybody of all of everybody because
that’s how sorry we are that we’re
having these technical gremlins today
we’re going to be going to take a loop
so that we can try and sort the issues
and back we are everybody sorry about
these technical glitches you know
everything gets to have a bit of a
holiday and the technical stuff seems to
be having a holiday today rest assured
our technical staff on not having a
holiday at all today they’re working
like slaves trying to get everything
fixed up for the rest of the show these
are in parlor in case you’ve just join
us the most common antelope in all of
South Africa not the National antelope
don’t have a National antelope we have
national gazelle which I suppose is an
antelope actually and that is the
replaced ecologically by the impala very
strange kind of wither as Fergus was
saying we are surrounded on all sides by
massive builds up build ups builds up
build ups of cloud and we seem to be in
the eye of the storm under a beautiful
group of green sky beautiful blue sky it
is blue that’s the skies and it’s it’s
green that’s the the vegetation I think
yes I’m doing a handstand good point we
didn’t find the elephants I’m afraid
everybody not that we’ve looked
particularly hard we’ve been enjoying
the atmosphere of this gorgeous
afternoon all right now it would appear
that Brent Lea Smith has managed to go
to Chitra Chitra he’s done something
called power cycling I’ve got no idea
what that means but I have no doubt he
I don’t know what it means either VM did
it after daytime print and viens on
camera hopefully this time where I would
say hello properly we’re in one of my
favorite little spots a cheat but I
would just behind the dam wall looking
for any sign of ting garner or the sauna
both like to frequent this area and
you’ll see we do even though the Sun is
out it was raining when we left so we
had to put on our rain roof vim is that
kingfisher low enough but the roof is
not no the roofers case anyway that is
what it is let me just try and move
Servian can possibly get and I thought
looks like brown hooded Kingfisher if he
doesn’t fly away as we move a bit closer
also looking Oh saw some baby crocodiles
this is a good spot for them kingfish is
still there he’s gone and let’s have a
that is not crock that looks a bit of
mad isn’t it or stick sometimes it pays
to just sit and wait a little bit there
and they pop their little heads up
but as they we’re looking for any sign
of Miss Hannah or ting gana Hassan has
been into a camp on a kill right between
the guest rooms again he seems to like
that you see that grass moving rim now I
think we should have a little Sunday
afternoon challenge and what we’re going
to do is see how many mammal species we
can see this afternoon so of course we
will stop for reptiles like owls and
birdies as well but I think we’re gonna
go and see how many different mammals we
can get this afternoon I’m hoping how
many of you think we can get them nine I
think Craig yeah I think we can do
better than nine Oh
this appearing Craig I have not checked
out the barn owl nest recently Brent
it’s not too far from yeah so maybe we
will have a squiz there oh there we go
the cracks on the Fallen blog now come
on there is this is the definitely the
best spot to see black Craig’s around
here even though this one is being
reached Nicki and shy it’s also the best
spot to normally see Tinker on it so
nine I think we’re gonna start off with
at least five mammal species are on
chica dab them so I think nine I think
nine is is dual I think if we got to
fifteen I’d be really impressed and then
there’s 15 different mammals in a drive
that would be pretty awesome so I think
we’re definitely gonna get water back
around here we definitely and get them
parlor Justin you’re gonna get good
I mean aku do i airpo could ooh we
should get in the allah we should get
well instead of rattling off let’s see
how many we can get on camera
i’m hoping that it will be one of one of
the ones we get either hasan Oh Tim
now when mammal we might not get Sally
as giraffe we don’t actually have large
giraffe populations in this part of the
sabi sands as the favorite trees are not
all there around but they’re not very
common so they prefer a case yet
dominant woodland where we are in
complete some dominant will then they
are around actually Iran just below
chittering here is actually a good spot
there’s a big male that we see quite
often around here so there’s always a
chance but no we don’t see them that
often I would probably go as far as say
them that we see leopards more often
than we see giraffe no I think that’s
quite a safe assumption and say we see
more leopard than we see giraffe and now
there’s not many places in the world you
can claim that that you seem hot letter
than giraffe that’s what makes this area
sakes exquisite ok let us climb up onto
the wall and get our mammal challenge on
the go as I said I think then I start
off with at least four species so there
apparently you’re stuck with us guys now
we’re having still having a bit of a
tech difficulties but you have us here
we go it bows here’s our first mammal of
the day so there’s one here phase number
two Impala
this is quite quite confident we would
get here Burnham parlor and of course
water back
maybe a bit later in the evening it
might be a good spot ‘full come back and
see if we can get push back
and in yalla just great behind there’s
some water back and you see those water
back now behind the water back there’s
something Oringer to the right of it
maybe we get a little bit to the left
there we go that is an in yalla hiding
there in the understand the edge of the
shed so what did we learn now for that’s
not a bad start to our mammal challenge
for different species BM thinks we’re
gonna get 9 I’m hoping for 12 but if we
get 15 well I’ll be very impressed all
is with having a quick and closer look
around the edges of the dam here for for
pushback as well and of course and the
gorgeous Chitra Chitra Lodge is in a
prime spot I mean right around will the
leopards and lions like to hang about
often oh what’s going on over there you
see that there’s no fins on it oh oh
it’s all going on what why would you do
that you better help I decided to chase
the chase the Egyptian peace why are
I wonder if that was the male chasing
them around feeling of it frisky let’s
go have a look in that area and see
what’s happening there maybe in sauna is
Koster thank you thank you Kosta is cost
of the highest concentration of leopards
is quite a difficult one the highest
concentrations of leopards in Africa
that I know of is supposed to be the the
Luangwa Valley in Zambia but I think the
highest concentration of of leopards in
the world not just in Africa is sri
lanka one of the the parks and she like
I’m trying I can’t remember which one is
said to have the highest concentration
okay so what we are now a HIPAA in
parlor in yalla walls back that all the
I said that water back ran out of that
top section of the dam and it still
steer there’s one water back still
staring there I said it could have been
the male chasing about the females you
see it being spotted a crocodile
where are you looking vampy oh wow I’m
just looking far away but there’s a big
croc basking now as we get further and
further into the winter months we are
gonna see these Crocs basking more and
more as it’s quite chilly that’s one of
the big is that Vlad Boris Boris the
blade of Vlad the Impaler now that
crocodile is plenty big enough to chomp
it’s quite a strong wind in the sickness
this afternoon which is making my
hearing of it we’ll have to concentrate
now we think there might be some cloud
rolling in I’m gonna go have a look in
that little top corner to see if it was
vasana that was causing havoc amongst
the water back in the meantime and Jen
this is going to show you that card Bank
that’s rolling in yes we are sitting
with an enormous cloud bank here and
there’s another enormous cloud Bank off
to the south and east of the one you’re
looking at now Fergus is entire just
trying to get beyond this bush so that
we can show it to you
magnificent cloud formations I mean that
is just spectacular isn’t it no I’m not
a great deal of liquids hanging from
underneath it but it’s just magnificent
nevertheless hmm gorgeous yes an almost
expects God to be sitting there on his
throne fantastic I mean that really is
spectacular now that’s a big
cumulonimbus cloud a big thunder head as
I think they’re called in some parts of
the world and one would expect it to
produce quite a lot of lightning and
thunder none of which I can hear well I
can’t hear never hear lightning you can
certainly see it I can’t see or hear any
lightning or thunder now I’ve taken a
number of illegal photographs so brave
Laurie you say the death cloud looks
like a hippo Laurie I’m staring hard at
that cloud and a hippo I’m afraid I’m
failing to discern can you see a hippo
focus Fergus is it looks like a nuclear
bomb and apparently that’s what Conrad
and Jared in the final control said is
will well quite mm and really is very
pretty you know a there’s another one
off to the other side and I think we’ll
have one look at that have a quick see
if there isn’t any rain falling
underneath it and then we’ll continue on
beautiful all righty let’s go from this
massive macro scale cloud down to a
micro micro mammal yes micro mammal but
it is definitely a mammal for our
mamillus look there it goes a squirrel
really if we go on to the left there we
go some more micro mammals a little bit
lower where’d he go
oh yeah yeah disappear there we go look
at that another micro mammal the door
aren’t they cute I can hear them just
dude this is it this one closer to have
Impe on the sand giving us that little
look that there are one of my favorite
little creatures the dwarf mongoose
isn’t that cute
now it’s the smallest member of the
audit carnivory so in theory it’s the
smallest Carnival in Africa even though
mostly insectivores it sounds like the
fish eagle just arrived and caused
absolute pandemonium behind us just hit
all the birds explode in the hardy dies
so that sounds like a fish eagle when
the fish eagle arrives at the dam there
10t panic like that all out of focus is
disappeared but so they are got very
very complex social structures let me
just try see if we can get another view
of a dwarf monkeys because ice girls
disappeared you’re still hiding in there
oh yeah now to the grass and it’s quite
lucky to see them aren’t in the open
like this quite often they’ll skedaddle
we do have some very nice relaxed groups
that now they’re one of the only animals
that will love each other instead of
there’s a lot of them up there here we
go it is more heading up the road and I
so cute and as I was saying so there
they will actually have a level so
they’ve got a very similar sort of
social structure to something like an
African wild dog when they have an alpha
pair that does all the breeding and then
the rest of the individuals in in the
business which is the collective noun
for a group of Mongoose will look after
that there the Mongoose pups Cubs
mullets Mangla –ts and co spider yes
most most among species will fight
snakes I’m and eat snakes
however the dwarf Mongoose will
generally try avoid most snakes because
old tracks but there’s male lion tracks
they’re not very fresh unfortunately so
yes they will they will try fight snakes
and chase snakes very little guard in
here there is a little fire Finch oh
come on five inches that one of the
hardest birds to get on camera they’re
very very pretty and just popped into
the grass there darn it
you can hear the tiny little teat eats
seeds from all the little seed eaters so
things like wax balls and and five
and the squirrel making a noise I think
he’s just talking to other squirrels
there and him he is there and what have
you spotted that has made you upset
squirrel so that isn’t alarm call but I
can’t see what it’s alarming yet not a
very serious one there so when they’re
really serious their tails make just so
as they you never know how the husana
has been spending quite a bit of time in
the lodge itself and the boundary of the
lodge is not more than 100 metres from
us yeah so that’s squirrel never know if
Hassan has heard me talking and decided
to come investigate because he’s bored
girl you’re looking in here and I don’t
see anything in the dwarf mongooses
maybe it’s just a paranoid squirrel I’d
also be paranoid if I was a squirrel
with everything trying to eat me all the
okay so what we’re gonna do now is we’re
gonna do a sort of big loop around the
lodge see if any leopard tracks come out
of the lodge area mostly husana and also
see if we can find any tracks of the old
well I’m not sure what happened there
Rebecca Becca are we still alive I just
said crash cab crash cut live oh I’ve
got sure I got a fright they’re confused
we’re gonna cross James with odd to
crash cuts now I get it
let’s go see what Master Henry’s plans
up hooray
we have failed to find anything remotely
resembling a mammal so we’ll look at an
arachnid as instead and an arachnid that
I’ve shown you on bushwalk the other day
but I needed to get out of the calm
stretch me legs now so I thought I would
go across and show you the beautiful
golden or web spider so a few of them
have there been the season all last
spiked myself now this lady is the same
size as the one that I saw before she’s
not very big there yet about twice that
size and if I put my hand up behind her
you can kind of see that she’s this
almost the same size she stretched her
leg ease up but they can be about twice
that size ah now this is what I was
looking for that one there just below my
fingers is the mail there is and he’s
missing a leg it’s not unusual often the
males are missing legs they get into
tussles with their wives which often
results in there being eaten this one
has just lost himself a limb so those of
you who think you have marital troubles
bear in mind that hopefully it’s not as
bad as it is with the golden orb spider
and then of course the ubiquitous
mercury drop or do drop spider that
likes to steal food from this rather
intimidating looking but utterly
harmless and gorgeous spider lady she’s
caught herself lots of BT’s lots of
flies and in one case I think oh she’s
actually caught herself a jewel beetle
that she’s attached to this kind of bird
warning device here there’s a jewel
beetle there I’ll just bring that across
to you madam I’m taking a piece of your
your warning device and all right
the rest I shall leave intact here you
we want the sunshine on it pretty much I
think it was a jewel beetle here you see
how’s that Ferg cool just iridescent
colors so I think a jewel beetle
initially I thought the cuckoo wasp but
this one’s got Elijah and this is there
for a BT okay good let’s move on we’re
going towards Gallagher pan now we found
nothing up in the north east west
I believe tailors made it all the way to
beat hook damn let’s find out what the
hippo are doing they’re going underwater
just as we go live typical as you can
see there we go there’s another one very
cool now there’s a group of hippos yeah
which we call a pod as most of you know
but just in case there are some a new
viewers please open your mouth thank you
very much hippo on commanders as you can
see is one of these new voice-activated
hippos that we’ve recently just got
installed it bubbles up damn it’s quite
nice I was really excited to come and
see them today and as they’ve only been
here for a couple of days now and it’s
quite nice it’s not pretend you’re being
a rock oh look at that it’s just amazing
I’m hoping it’s going to roll over next
please roll over and show us your funny
feet no no there must be something wrong
yet I think you’ve got a startled slowly
it’s something about these new things it
takes time to get used to your voice and
then invention II you can ask them to do
anything you want but there are a few
more hippo in the bubbles hook Dam that
I’ve seen before they seem to be about
five now but you can’t see them you’ll
just have to trust me it’s two there’s
three four I’m pretty sure there was one
more I’m sure there were five here
anyways maybe the other one is shine is
holding its break as we know hippos can
do that very very very well but it’s a
relaxing afternoon everybody’s taking
their time just chilling out on a Sunday
getting ready to go out to the deck
party
I don’t know thing Sunday deck parties I
think we should make it a thing for the
hippos Sunday grazing parties where they
go out and they eat themselves silly
filled with grass well they’re gonna
have to walk a little bit of a distance
away
a little bit walking is going to have to
be done the grazing in this particular
area is not nice but some I don’t know
what it’s like a buffalo Khun
fortunately bees you can look around us
it’s quite sparse mm-hmm not that nice
the umpires in that right-hand corner
haven’t come down to graze that’s for
sure they are doing a bit of nibbling at
the moment I suspect they’ve come to the
water’s edge to drink though
no bachelorhood and lots and lots of
bachelorhood is what we’re seeing at the
moment one big ram staring into the
thicket as messing around the wind has
also just started to pick up quite a bit
that’s pretty scary I think it’s going
to blow
whatever is building up in the distance
and I’ve seen clouds in the South I
think James are showing you them who’s
big balls of candy floss and then just
above the impala there’s another huge
embankment of cars and they are climbing
vertically oops
hmmm that might mean rain I wonder what
will happen if the clouds meet from the
south and from the east anyways if
there’s one keeps up that might blow
whatever’s brewing in the sky away now
for those of you that have never joined
on one of these live and interactive
surveys you can actually ask me
questions can you believe that all James
Albright all you have to do is hashtag a
safari live or you can also talk to us
via the YouTube chat that’s also
acceptable now I’m I suppose the ready
to give you a very quick update sins
will be ready in case the hippos do
something exciting then I’ll just duck
should we do a practice run a practice
run so if they oppose open their miles
what I’m about to tell you a story this
is what’s going to happen one two three
Wow
same so that is so quick but that’s what
we’re going to do though only when it
opens its mouth oh but for now I’ll
quickly tell your story so we’re driving
up cheetah cut line we can kind of see
where the tortured pride of kemon what’s
the source of male leopard tracks very
exciting
they didn’t look massive either so I’m
wondering if they aren’t asanas maybe he
he’d popped in to torture didn’t quite
see where they went off because we had
all the Torchwood tracts sort of mingle
in with the leper tracks and then I just
gave up because we know how many sub
adult lines are in the pride and well to
try and distinguish between but once
nineteen different lines and one liquid
ah I was going to lose every single time
but there’s also some Egyptian geese but
I know Rebecca wants to ask me a
question as well hmm
okay also I was wrong there was only
four hippos and so let’s just Ricky go
back to hippo so just to coincide with
both sizes question about sensors on
hippos now they’re most acute since I
suppose and they’re in the water what do
you think it’s gonna be I’m gonna go
with hearing cuz well they’re eyes ears
a nose all on the same plane when it’s
above the water but we typically see
their ears working quite hard when they
go underneath the water I don’t know
what they’ll be using they don’t really
need much underneath the water
I suppose thinking maybe open the eyes I
don’t know how much she’ll see in the
murky water however but some they’re
definitely not chasing after fish so I
don’t think a hippo has any sensory
organ or sensory nerves around its mouth
to try and pick up vibrations of fish
because it doesn’t need to do that
oh are you sleeping in you got a bit of
a factor the Terran bites you where
everywhere it was not supposed to I bet
that happens every now and then and so I
think when I get out of the water
I’m still gonna go with you a little
even though they’ve got little ears I
think the hearing is not too bad and
they Saints as small of us would go
quite a large snot it seems to be the
largest feature on their bodies on their
face in fact and so I’m going to go the
sense of smell as well you know one’s
having a good old snooze a great sea a
stem why don’t you keep getting a fright
Jeff hiccups
don’t know if it’s maybe you got hiccups
the way that it was jerking and spongy
like that I’m Mina moon now you’ve
noticed the beautiful sort of glistening
shine that’s on this hippo you’re
wondering about why that is and so what
happens with hippos is that there’s a
Cretan oil called hippo sidorak acid
which is a substance also known as blood
sweat so I reckon that that’s got
something to do with it it’s quite an
oily substance so I can imagine we’re a
little bit of water gets onto it and
that there they do sort of boast that
glossy Sheen
please roll for us somebody roll over
there’s one coming close another one I’m
sort of convinced that there’s only one
big bull and that’s down though in there
he is that’s him now
they’re all so sleepy well he’s on the
move now eat when we first got you he
was very upset with us he opened his
mouth as he does normally he’s never
very chuffed when anybody comes to view
him and his ladies at that before look
damn he’s going under he heard me say
that
and so gizmo I’ve seen a hippo dissected
once they’ve got a lot of fats on them
that they do go to quite a thick layer
but they do have muscle of course as
well so I’ll try and dig out some
pictures I might if I scroll through
further and down on my phone back in
time I might be able to find some images
of what the hippo sort of fatty
substance looks like it’s it’s quite
insane how how thick it actually is it
must have been about six or seven
centimetres thick maybe between five and
seven centimetres thick of course it
depends on where you’re looking on the
body obviously around the back and
around the rump there was plenty of it
but they have a very thin epidermis
though Oh wonderful well James has been
singing a couple of songs lately at this
time he’s not doing all of the acting
and singing the grass is doing it for
well I think that on a Sunday afternoon
when there’s not a great deal to find
what one should do is die in a field of
grass observing the calms waving above
one’s head as the great blue vault of
my part fairly soon so I better stand up
I’m lying in the field of what is known
as hypo feel a dissolute er or the
yellow thatching grass hello as you can
see some of it is even taller than I and
while I am not very large I am 5 feet
and 8 inches and this grass is roughly
equivalent at 5 feet and 8 inches and
you can see how effective it must be as
a thatching grass so that is hypothet
dissolute ER the yellow thatch in grass
now pick your piece if you like would
you like me do you would okay good here
we go towards reminds me of the sort of
late winter time and August in the natal
part of the Drakensberg mountains where
you get this red fetching grass growing
and oh it’s just the most wonderful
color so there it is quite an impressive
organism really nothing more I can tell
you about it very bad grazing grass
hopeless in fact and if you were ever
wanting to make straw that’s what you’d
make it off so if you were the second
little pig you’ve quite like hyper
thelia the saluto as well because you
would make know the first little pig
sorry the first little pig made his
house of straw burgers not the second
one he made his a prefab the second runs
me yes
rush some more worried about ticks lying
in that grass well yes there may be a
few I’ll check my leg ease when I get
home and stop any that are crawling up
towards the sensitive parts because
that’s what they do of course very
unpleasant now let’s find a mammal shall
we a real actual mammal that will be
wonderful
all dirt I’ll take a bit an unusual bird
I must say I want to ask you all why
don’t you send through while we wait for
something massively action orientated to
heaven why don’t you send through a bird
that you would like to see an unusual
bird that you would like to see that you
know occurs here there are some arrow
marked babblers in this Grove of silver
cluster leaf trees you see them there
Ferg and I’ll still around so send us
through on a hashtags for a live on the
chat on YouTube
tell us what unusual bird you might like
to see this afternoon gone they do like
to pop there’s one than the that tree
there yeah we get it’s just gone to the
lift this is the fascinating bear blue
sighting ah there’s its bottom wonderful
it’s a flock of about 10 of them Trish
you like seen ostrich that’s a good call
Brent may be able to find one of chitwa
chitwa and challenge him with ostrich I
think I’ve seen one there I think I’ve
seen one on the airstrip actually a Leah
Corey busted another good one many in
the Mara of course and some here but not
I would like to see a yellow-bellied
arrow mamala their goal just have yellow
bellies that’s why they’re called yellow
bellied Fergus yes the yellow bellied
come on there must be something else
around again our Cathy wants an African
Hoopoe of all the requests we’ve had
Cathy yours is most likely the one to be
fulfilled
you like that rendezvous focus easier to
keep film and just very nice yes the
African poopoo here we have some people
on their game drive some African people
yes good afternoon how you doing good
absolutely nothing there was a flock of
era marked babblers there ten of them
good luck they’ve seen our mark burber
is already they don’t want to see
I suppose I should have asked what they
saw around here all right well good news
is Brent Leah Smith has managed to find
himself some footprints let’s see if he
well there we go
a big male leper track I think it is
quarantine coming into Chitra Chitra so
sometime during the day today quarantine
is marched in so I think it’s quarantine
trucks look a bit bigger than
singhania’s tracks so hopefully it is
I’ll be very happy just before Hasan and
shangela so he is his brother is kanuma
but in his offer days on Mala Mala now
where they call him the Senegal Bush
male and he set up territory to the
his his older half-brother who was by
the name of Shiva Millan and pushed him
out of this area to the east of us
cheetah plains and the southern sections
no she’s not
is it he’s kochava around as well no
but these tracks are quite nice and see
I’m just carrying on here should I keep
checking where they’re going fingers
crossed we get to find quarantine now
the main the main reason I actually came
out into this area was to try to get our
mammal list up with Steinbach and die
cat but I’ll take Lee at the tracks I
will Justin so even though with this
button here Justin he’s called
quarantine because of the area he
frequented when he first became
independent from his mother so there’s
that clearing outside of our camp called
quarantine and it’s called quarantine as
that’s because where they used to
quarantine cattle when people are still
trying to cattle for this area so they
would quarantine so he spent a lot of
time on the quarantine clearings when he
became independent from kuru left it’s
now with him around you must check every
okay so Kerala was a very successful
female leopard for many years and she
produced quite a lot of offspring child
of the University the offspring of hers
that are still alive I’ve lost the
tracks and we just have a quick precise
quiz here interesting no tracks yes I
think we’re gonna have to check
Shabalala Road so it is quarantines
alive a consumers alive we don’t know
about your underline anymore Tandy most
obviously Tandy from her first litter
I’m just trying to think I think that’s
it at the moment that we can be a
hundred percent certain of now of course
a lot of the males young males over the
years might have dispersed further and
could still be very much alive just we
don’t know there could be in remote
I’d say yes sir that’s a three minute
Andy quarantine and kanuma and decider
of course said he me for up until
recently of course shadow was also part
of that group but she’s obviously hasn’t
been seen in so many months or over
about two months now so it’s probably
safe to assume that she is moved on to
the next plane we just got
now we look for various different things
Evelyn when we were trying to locate a
leopard footprints are a good idea to
give you a good general direction where
to go but most of the time you find them
from the alarm calls of other animals so
squirrels and Paula could you all make a
lot of noise when they spot a predator
like a leopard
so they’ll all shout to the tops of the
trees trying to tell everyone to be
okay there’s no sign of them going that
way so we’re going to do is we’re going
to loop back through onto Shabalala red
Shabalala means kudu in zulu those who
are wandering and shang garnet is normal
I said quarantine has been pushing
slowly slowly further and further into
chitwa now this is probably a better
territory than the one he’s got that’s
why he wants to take it from ting Ghana
but it’s going to be very interesting to
see how the leopard dynamics play out in
the next little while now it seems like
you set gems a bird challenge so let’s
see how he’s going with that no no
ostriches no African who boos know kori
bustards it’s getting quite windy which
i think is making finding ostriches very
difficult they like to you know go into
their burrows when it’s windy like this
I agree with brains of the leopard
dynamics going on here at the moment are
fascinating I mean they’re played out
here for millennia but it’s not often
that you get to actually watch a
takeover and change like the one we’ve
been able to now there’s a tiny little
flock of birds on the top of that tree
there for gust oh well this one bird
calling yeah top you got him there here
we are don’t fly please Oh two of them
they were yellow front end Canaries
an apparently Rebecca wanted to see the
yellow front of the canary well we aim
also I would like to know what has
happened to shadow has been apparently
no word from all of her for some time
now and one doesn’t want to fear the
worst but it would seem that things
might have well not been particularly
pleasant for her Skeeter you were
wondering what happened to shadow I
don’t know
and there haven’t been any reports of
her from all for a while should do do
obviously pushing down into her
territory shadow for those of you don’t
know now I guess she must be tin by now
ten-year-old female leopard Tandy’s
littermate so but odd we haven’t seen
she used to hang around here so who
knows what’s happened to her not Barbara
not Barbara was her cub or is her cub
depending on where they are on this
Bob a nice one from you about the life
expectancy of a leopard well it really
does depend on a lot of luck potentially
leopards like 10 Ghana could live up to
sort of 14 years old that would be very
old from male I think the oldest male on
record in the sabi sand was the campaign
male he made it to 15 and that’s very
old so I mean you know 12 13 14 that
would be around about the age for a male
leopard if he’s manages to stay out of
trouble but of course that will reduce
as soon as pressure is brought to bear
and no one can predict what sort of
pressure will be brought to bear on
these animals and certainly chingada
who’s I’ve just I don’t think he’s quite
hit his 12th birthday yet I he I’m
surprised that he has lost as much
condition as quickly as he has and I
really think that he is ill I don’t
think he’s well I remember that one day
we found him lying underneath a bush and
he just didn’t move and this was before
we had seen hook amore and he just
didn’t move for two days he lay under
that Bush and then he sauntered into
chitra camp and lay there for another
few days he’s put on white since that
time but he seems to be doing a lot of
sleeping and I wonder if he’s just not
well and if that hasn’t allowed Hooper
Murray to come into this area
unchallenged and now putting Garner to
take it back again very difficult female
leopards live a little bit longer than
the males and potentially up to 17 or 18
years and in captivity probably a bit
longer but I would say an average of 14
or 15
and our beloved Corolla or obviously
Debbie didn’t you say gorillas male Cubs
haven’t dispersed very far is that
unusual
well it’s only unusual if there is you
know if they’re occupying territories
that were full obviously warranty moved
on to children to cheetah planes into an
area where his father used to be sort of
dominant and his father then disappeared
so that kind of gave him his spot and he
wedged himself between his brother
Siobhan B’Elanna and in Anton Ghana and
I think Siobhan B’Elanna has just gone
further and further east into the Kruger
and so quarantine found himself a small
there’s a green pigeon but it’s now
flying at a great speed away from us was
eating these fruits quarantines just
found himself a sort of not very large
territory but a territory there between
cheetah planes and chitwa chitwa moving
on to children up so I don’t think
necessarily that her other male
offspring Amin kanuma went all the way
down to Mala Mala that’s quite far as
Siobhan Berlin has gone into the Kruger
I don’t know where I don’t even remember
if me Shaw and Induna were both males
I’m not sure but they certainly aren’t
seen around here anymore so no I don’t
think they they are dispersing unusually
close to their natal territories there’s
the vulture whose home is in this tree
let’s have a look at him oh no we’ve got
behind the tree which means he’ll
probably fly as soon as we get any
closer he’s done fire you stay where you
are there was nothing else to see except
you
unlevel now what you will see of course
is the vulture there in the tree and
below his nest a mistletoe and in
vulture society of course the romance of
mistletoe happens beneath you’ll nest
not above your door did you know that
folks yes exactly you don’t want to go
to a vulture party unaware of that you
might have you might have to you might
find yourself having to kiss a
lappet-faced vulture would be very
unpleasant Rusin you wanted to see a
vulture well that is a white-faced
vulture and that is its home that’s the
mistletoe I’ve been talking about that
green spot there and in the platform of
Styx just above is the nest and they
obviously nest in trees and I think if
I’m not mistaken I’m just gonna check us
up to you I think they’re egg-laying
time he is now let me just look that up
for you one of the few birds that will
breathe during the winter months over
for Fulcher were four white backed
breeding monogamous presumed to prepare
[Music]
nest one adult presumably male brings
most sticks oh that’s interesting
mate places and arranges them so the
male the male goes out and fetches the
sticks and he brings them back and the
female then puts them together into the
nest that seems like a very amicable way
to do things rather than arguing over
the general Feng Shui she’s in charge of
that and he goes and he fetches what she
needs
lined with dry grass sometimes green
leaves yes yes yes yes
so they lay their egg ease between April
and July that’s in Zimbabwe in South
Africa April to June that’s very
interesting so I believe the tailor has
seen both of this pair arranging the
sticks so they obviously have a slightly
more equitable relationship a more
modern vulture family he’s got an itchy
head poor fella anyway and the
incubation period just 56 days and they
I just want to find out when they
fledged then they fledge at about 90
days can’t be nestling period here and
108 140 days depending on the conditions
I guess that’s quite a big range so 120
days is how many months Furguson four
months four to five months in the nest
and then they fly away and must go and
find disgusting pieces of rotting flesh
to eat all on their own I imagine being
a vulture chick fairly unpleasant for a
meal a point of view because well not
only do your parents eat fowl and
rotting material they then bring it up
for you to eat when they return home I
guess that’s very unpleasant yes start
with a barlow I guess if you’re going to
go and eat a rancid carcass best it
tastes better than what you used to get
at home so we shall what
this nest with eagerness and I’m doubt
Taylor said that she was saw them
actually interacting at the nest means
that we may well have some little
vultures in this area for some time
fairly soon well that was a nice animal
sighting wasn’t it folks
yes really good well we have a question
let’s stay here child of the universe
you say why are none of the leopard
carcasses found I’m not sure what you
mean there they are
it’s not like leopard carcasses never
found we will we find them vultures and
hyenas absolutely find them and so if
they are out in the open then oh oh I
see
right so you mean the carcasses of dead
leopards as opposed to the carcasses
leopards have killed all right um I
suspect quite often because they go off
to die in very thick bush and it is very
common in fact that you don’t find
leopard carcasses no matter how well you
know the leopard and I think what they
do is you know if they’re injured or
something like that they’ll go and find
such thick bush where they’ll choose to
sort of either convalesce or die quietly
that’s yeah you wouldn’t find the
carcasses the unusual to find them and
then of course you know in not very long
hyenas I mean hyenas will definitely
discover the carcasses once they start
to rot and they’ll tell him to pieces
very quickly and so you know you may
find some of the bones that we found our
line and lipid carcasses but it’s
largely because they go to quite places
to bubble pop their clogs as it were all
right Fergus should we put on from our
we’ll go off towards treehouse Dam and
see what we can find there I know Taylor
started there you never know what’s come
down by now
by volge have a lovely day afternoon
he’s just watching the Sun go down
quietly
or she is maybe they’ve had a fight he’s
all right Taylor mccurdy has now given
up trying to find signal on jigger she’s
on her feet and on quarantine clearings
and she’d like to fight tell you about
what that experience feels like on a
Sunday bushwalk 2.0 for the day thank
goodness I didn’t do a work hard cause
now we’re gonna do this bush walk like
this backwards think we might actually
no come on sensor come on at the pace
I’m doing come on I’m doing the rim did
you guys have to do all the time you’ve
to right in front of me what’s so hard
projecting today on afternoon Bush walk
for a little bit maybe we will do
workouts you will find things in the
bush that we can work out with whether
it’s picking up rocks pushing down trees
now Jake we’re not gonna be doing any of
that
I have absolutely no idea what I’m going
to show you on this bush walkers I’ve
literally just stepped out of final
control and so we will try and find
something I don’t think we’re going to
have a huge amount of insects I’m afraid
as it hasn’t been the nicest day and if
I were an insect I probably just would
have called it quits and stayed home
under cover under a leaf so maybe we
will have to be turning over many leaves
today
let’s check this wealth area wealth area
wealth area please give us something
even a trip not even one okay next tree
oh let’s go to brain quickly with
monkeys well there we go number seven on
the species list vervet monkeys looking
a little bit out of sorts in the long
grass oh there’s a light camera let me
well off it goes doesn’t wanna be left
behind
jump jump jump now of course they’re
really important for us monkeys apart
from being wonderful to watch they also
really really great spotters of leopards
oh that one fell out at the branch he
just goes forward a little bit for them
so we can try get a better view of them
the monkeys have incredibly good
eyesight and playing and like a lot of
primates they can be very very playful
particular at this time of the day
they’ve almost done with their foraging
and feeding in there they’re going to be
looking for a good spot to roost they
can be lovely and playful at this time
of the day and it looks like one of the
big males they’re keeping a watchful eye
on everything in the ACC’s right up to
the top making sure there’s no potential
danger for his troop I’m happy for you
Sasuke this is Saskia’s first monkey
it’s quite a nice one oh and down so I
think they’re heading down towards the
river and a little more why Nene so they
can hide and get right up in the trees
and that’s where they’re gonna roost for
now we’re gonna just quickly shoot down
the airstrip lots of Impala and stuff
around yeah maybe we’ll get another
species and it’s waving quickly you know
hopefully try get another species so
we’re on seven which is not bad VM said
we’d only get nine species today I still
think we can get to at least eleven
different species on our drive today and
I think Chitra is the place to do it
on chitwa chitwa I think we might get a
surprise all three of the different
species let’s hope we get some pushback
as well we’ve already seen these two
species already it is just lovely golden
light on them the Impala and in yella
now what we want them to do is start
barking it’s our eighth species of the
day can be a leopard but at the moment
they’re all looking very relaxed and
we’re gonna send you back to madame
mccurdy on foot he’s got something that
likes to curl up to defend itself almost
not yet third was scared a minute ago
but we’ve got Mildred aka a millipede
for those of you who have no idea I
can’t remember why we called it a
Mildred I think I may have collected one
and then drove it around for the whole
Safari and decided to give it a name and
I’m big on integration so Mildred
millipede well you get the picture now
these are very cool little creatures
although to you to some of you you may
think Oh potato get away from that puffy
but they’re really quite cool they’re
fun to put in your hands so that they
walk around but they’re also really
important to the environment and because
just like termites are largely
responsible for decomposing vegetable
matter so on Mildred’s they do a very
very good job and because they eat such
large quantities of decaying plant
matter and you can imagine it’s got to
go somewhere and we know that when they
do defecate it’s quite cool because
it is their defense as well but what I’m
getting to is we’ll get to the defense
in a minute but most of you know about
it it’s just like always talk about the
caterpillars and how they’re eating
these recycles nutrients back into the
soil lot quicker with their feces with
their fresh fresh the same thing applies
to the millipedes which was very very
cool so you must be thankful for them
although I can imagine when there are
lots of them when you see them in large
groups they’ll probably be a little bit
of a paste now this one is searching
searching searching maybe for a burrow
I don’t know if I’d like to be out late
at night they typically are a diurnal
maybe you get some nocturnal so maybe
you get some nocturnal ones I’m
unfamiliar with any nocturnal ones I
would imagine that they’d prefer to be
out on the nice warm day so maybe it’s
going to curl up go into a hole into the
ground somewhere and oh it’s just
searching for a patch of decaying leaves
sorry about that everybody we find
ourselves once more trusting to us us
yes we had some hornbills but they were
very nasty and they flew away oh here
wait wait everyone we’ve got some real
action going on here circus do see it is
the it is the canary metal pretty and we
shall remind ourselves Fergus of the
Latin name of the canary nettle do you
know what it is I’m going to say you
don’t would I be correct
you don’t look very less and no no in
fact lesson you’re inescapably not it’s
a rather wonderful name and it goes as
follows if I can find it’s because I
can’t remember it naturally it is Fidel
no Karpis pruriens Fidel know Karpis
protiens would you like to try and say
that but try anyway it’s a good one
Sudama no carpus Cyprian’s near er you
see you are latin who basically come
from Venezuela like Ally no Ally’s
Venezuelan brother Diego
for damn no carpus Koreans Thank You
Diego
let us continue to treehouse damn we
it is everyone you can all practice
saying that wherever you happen to find
there’s lots of speed and no Karpis puri
ins all over the place I remember the
day there was a day much like this one
where there wasn’t a great deal going on
on the reserve and somehow we got into
long words and somebody sent me the
following word
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
which I believe if I remember correctly
is the heat fear of long words
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia it’s
good word that I’m having a bout of
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia and
Rebekah’s is doing out of spilitt well
my spilling is so utterly appalling I’m
yes it’s a little common wax bill I
found your tiny bird to look at that’s a
no it’s not it’s a Melba Finch aka greed
winged pettalia and that’s mrs. green
winged by Thalia we don’t often get a
picture of a female green winged by
Thalia like this
the male is oh there’s oh no and there’s
some five things his brain was looking
for five inches earlier just below
gorgeous shot of what looks like a blue
build fire Finch Rebecca is of the
opinion that that bird looks like it
should be in Switzerland with Heidi I
have absolutely no idea why the poor
blue build fire Finch should live with
Heidi and the freezing climes of this
was Alps Pop’s are part of that’s
Holland isn’t it clogs o´clock
phenomenal clock yes perhaps did Heidi
have a talk like that that hi do you
have a cuckoo clock
yes another five inch clock exactly okay
those are two very nice little birds
that we saw them let’s continue
all right Taylor has decided that she is
a little bit shorter today and so she
I’m going to fall over I tried very hard
to gather myself but I was also too
quiet for not so long look what’s
happened to me I just want to show you
if anybody that does not suffer from
grass allergies this is literally my
life look at that look at those welts
you’re amazing
they’re so cool and they’re so it she I
cannot tell you how each he that is I
just I just want to scratch it and since
always telling me off as I was trying to
stand on the tree tell me there’s no
need to scratch it even did one of these
so tell me off now let’s try and find a
natural antihistamine I remember her be
saying something once about the cambium
layer of a marula tree however I don’t
have my multi-tool with me this
afternoon to try and cut away do you
have your one in another man with these
things or not today okay next time sorry
we were not prepared for bushel we just
sort of ran our scenes a little head
Slipslop son he had to go and put shoes
on show everybody on our shoes peace
ends oh look I lovely there oh look at
the outfit so he’s got Gators on not
horse riding Gators it’s not get
confused those ones I just stopped the
grass seeds from growing in your shoes
which I forgot at home and my mother
shouted at me she reprimanded me she
told me that I’ve left everything my
binoculars straps all sorts of things
but Otto’s behind
bark piece of bark let’s pull a bit off
hmm I can put that back on but look what
I found
I will be able to stick it we have found
behind part number one some worms some
larvae of sorts one has already poop a
turd you can see the one on the left and
these two which I didn’t mean to do this
to because I didn’t think there would be
anything here and have not be paid to
just yet
I don’t know what Lavie is it would be
maybe a boring beetle larvae perhaps
some of you have known maybe they’ve
been identified before this is on a
marauder Tory but let me close them
but they covered back on now I’ve got to
play the game of shapes which way does
the beauty of marula tree healed fixed I
would beat curse the neck doing puzzles
but she’s also not very good at doing
puzzles just stroking she’s much better
than me she has more patience than me to
do puzzles and now since all is
basically gonna be deciding not what
we’re talking about today but what trees
and things would be going to so earlier
on before we had Mildred before we were
rudely interrupted by the technical
gremlins again we’re going to have a
look at the stream and there could be
many different things that Livius
scorpions lizards termites I can’t
see some termite activity over here in
fact but we will wait because there’s no
need to rush away I’m going to send you
to James Oh apparently has got a very
nice view of the sunset well we do have
a view of the Sun the Sun is setting and
the wind is starting to blow perhaps a
storm coming up so this very nicely
managed to frame the Sun and the gap
between the trees well done it was my
parking there wasn’t it yes it’s all up
I think we’ll wait for it to go on that
gap then go just clouds above it hello
Monty you say that the bird was the
seventieth bird on your list I’m
assuming you’re talking about the the
fire finch heidi’s bird that’s great I’m
assuming you have the blacksmith left
wing on your list we have a blacksmith
Lapwing here watching the Sun go down
having his bath which I think Taylor
said was not here when she came down
last time so I told you it’d be a good
idea and be a great kisser of things
coming down during the afternoon one of
which is the blacksmith Lapwing not very
rare fairly common up to scene hello
have you had a good Sunday you have have
a roast chicken dinner did you hmm
roast lamb today mmm delicious YUM yes
quite interesting to see him pull a
roast chicken out of the oven really
even have an oven the others calling I
think there’s a chicks you know that
maybe there’s four that have just
learned it I suspect that those little
those all they’re adults now but I
suspect that they have just fledged and
they’re from the season because they’re
quite territorial birds and so they’re
unlikely to stay in an area with other
blacksmith lapwings unless they are very
closely related to the territorial
blacksmith lab wings of the area
question looking for ants most likely
which there will be many this is really
quite cool actually catering you ask a
question that is seemingly obvious but
has no obvious answer I don’t think what
I guess it does have a relatively
obvious odds you say why are sunbirds so
common and some birds so rare I think
some birds are just better adapted to
living at this particular stage of the
Earth’s life so a good example would be
the blacksmith Lapwing and there’s lots
of habitat for it to live in lots of
different things for it to eat and it’s
adapted to eating what’s available now
and then you take something like a
ground hornbill for example which by
very nature of its diets it’s a predator
it’s always almost always going to be
less common than something that is more
herbivorous
it doesn’t have many nesting sites like
it used to an enormous birds which means
they need enormous nesting sites that
take 9 years to get to breeding sort of
adulthood so I think there are a whole
number of reasons but I would say it’s
largely to do with habitat and I think
if you were to go back I don’t know say
3,000 years and then 4000 years and then
you know if you were to go back a
thousand years at a time you’d probably
find that some of the birds that are
very common now were rarer and some of
the birds that are rare now were much
more common so it’s not surprising and
something like a Nerina trogon is not as
common as a blacksmith left wing because
its habitat is that much more fragmented
and far less common oh another war
playing out on the plains is taking
and I promise it’s not between sins or
and I yet oh my goodness there was also
a spider saying oh did you see that
termites versus ants and then look at
that thing there I’m not you’re not
illegally chase it jumped sorry I don’t
know if you can see it there you see
that thing there since all sorry I’m
messing up your no juju there’s you
kneel down but there’s something really
small and one and I don’t know what kind
of spider it is I can’t really tell if
it’s a jumping spider or not but it’s
exceptionally small was it going for the
ants or was it going for the termite if
I was a spider I’d probably go for it
delicious termite I don’t think that
ants
taste quite as nice and and you can
clearly see the proof is in the pudding
this afternoon as the ants have raided
the termite nest they’re still going
after them they’re taking them back one
by one decimating the colony’s
population of Joe – but they haven’t got
too far to walk and it’s actually not
uncommon to see ants and termites sort
of living in close proximity which one
another obviously these little termites
are feeding on wood at the moment and
probably grasses and other vegetable
matter however these ants are ravenous
and they have a craving for termites
that only termites can well sort that
craving out I suppose as well is going
to go with that but so they’re taking
lots of them so I’m trying to think how
these ants would be killing these
termites because you can see this is
where they starting look here maybe
we’re gonna see them putting up a fight
where the soldiers where’s the
reinforcements come on termites there’s
a little hole in there and I think
that’s where the ants are going in and
then there’s actually a couple if you
look over there some termites and ants
oh no I did that sorry and I think those
workers are trying to fight back so I
think those ants might be biting them
perhaps they have a venomous sort I
don’t think that I don’t I don’t know
about ants being venomous maybe they
just bite them to the point that they
can’t survive anymore it’s very brutal
very savage as you can see barbaric if
you will as they
grab them some non then we’re carrying
their own termite and I mean those two
months a tiny tiny tiny little ones and
those ants are probably about a third of
the size of the termite but that’s
incredible it looks like those termites
are trying to fight back facing their
opponents with their pincers I don’t
imagine they’re very strong they need
the soldiers I don’t know why the
soldiers haven’t come through yet to
help out that’s very unusual normally
when there is an attack on a colony of
whether it’s ants or termites the
soldiers will come on in and try and
protect them and then those little
lentils not stand a chance
build a wall build the world you think
that’s what they’re all shouting it’s
like a game of Thrones scenes going on
over here this afternoon
anyways I don’t know actually I’m gonna
comes crouched next to sins look because
he’s got such an amazing view much
better than what I can see try and
figure out what’s actually going on
there’s one termite sacrificing itself
that’s putting up a fight though it’s
not letting them well yes it’s not going
I’ve been told to move the grass yep
gone is that better there was for effect
oh my goodness look how they have this
termite they’re pulling it from either
side but they need to take it home to
feed the rest of the ant colony go go go
I don’t even know if that termite is
still alive they’re pulling at its legs
it doesn’t stand a chance I’m afraid
dynamite definitely comes in small
packages oh my goodness shame I’m so
sorry little termite and I’m just
standing here watching you since all we
could be next
we better be very careful that we don’t
get carried away into a chamber never to
see the light of day again anyways okay
sorry termites good luck I don’t think
the ants are really going to decimate
your whole colony we’re obviously being
dramatic because at Sunday
and I think that on Sundays you’re
allowed to be a little bit on the
dramatic side but that was quite a nice
little wall
don’t you think going on between two
species so we didn’t find a lizard we
didn’t find a scorpion but there’s a big
hole going into the side of the log and
looks like more of a termite mound I
don’t actually want to know what’s
living in this are we gonna move away
from that now cuz it looks very mumble
like brains how River has arrived at
shutdown for the second time today I
wonder if he’s going to add new mammals
to his list come on Taylor put your hand
in the hole put your hand in the hole
that’s not never a good idea and they
should have a torch yeah sorry we’ve
struggling to find some new mammals and
cheaper and no fresh sign of Leopard
anyway apart from those tracks that when
they got to the main road were
obliterated but I think he’s gone north
into Torchwood so I think we’re gonna
head back towards Juma now I head along
cheetah Kaplan maybe tandy has come back
from Torchwood
you never know it’s the right time of
there’s lots of different ways to
describe predator tracks Tina like you
could I think the most correct actual
correct way is probably of the cats as
pugmarks so rather than footprints or I
spell the tracks lion track leopard
track it’s it’s all pretty much correct
you’d call it line footprints it’s still
correct and I think sort of the the one
of the terms is is pugmarks or for the
cats and the big cats never really
thought about it too much to be honest
in a lot of a lot of areas in Africa
sometimes you will find animals that
have collars Kristen we don’t collar in
this area to track their territories we
do it the leopards here are mostly
arbitrated and we can find them with
relative ease and work out their
territory is quite easy from just where
we see them there’s no need to color
them there are different research
organizations that do color from time to
time but not in the sabi sands if we see
a collared animal here it is normally
being collared outside of the sabi sands
and has come in so occasionally we’ll
see collared wild dogs it’s probably the
most common colored animal we see as
there are an endangered species and the
EWTN danger dois dive trust is
monitoring majority of the packs in this
area and some of those packs will will
indeed have collars and the other two
animals that we see that are khalid from
time to time is elephant and and buffalo
and both those situations again there
have been collared under various
different research projects but inside
the kruger national park and then of
course as being open to the kruger they
will wander in and out of the sabi sands
into the kruger and so on okay
maybe we’re gonna have some Tandy Lac
because she has been giving me a hard
yesterday she was deep inside Torchwood
so there’s a very good chance she might
have me ended her way back
look at that
lots of big big beautiful clouds and
it’s hope the rain stays away till the
end of the sunset Safari so our mammal
challenge we’re on 7 them you might be
right vn said 9 I’m hoping we can get
over 9 and let me just change tact here
and now you said coat come off the
eastern channel that I was using on
Chitra and back on the northern Channel
I had to use on humour now Walter Bucky
is one of the animals we’ve already
gotten our mammal challenge so let’s go
to James while I try to find something
else there are some water bucking and
unfortunately I cannot move into a
position where you can see anything
other than their backsides because we
will lose signal entirely I do apologize
for that oh there we go
thank you very much beautiful water
bucket ball young bull um I wanted to
say something advice important say is
say been seen 7 mammals what do we see
we’ve seen I can’t believe is anything
close to that we’ve seen warthogs ease
these chaps we’ve had an Impala just
three three species in two and a half
so this will be a young young this will
be a herd of young bulls still quite
friendly with each other enjoying the
sort of a fraternal bond of bachelors
and then not too long from now they will
become older and disgusted by each
other’s presence and seek out the
presence of ladies and I’m sure they are
hanging around here because there isn’t
a territorial bull around twin dams
where we find ourselves at the dam where
there is not much going on there is one
lonely gypto goose its partners
I know that’s a vehicle that’s what was
an elephant okay let’s go
as this elephant is moving very quickly
let’s go across to the gypto geese
beautiful clouds very nice today
overlaid a leopard or a lion or an
very pretty indeed now do you and I
believe you want to sue Tula Ann wants
to see a duck
well it’s your your lucky
here is a duck call the goose but in
fact a duck you can see it as a grazing
duck is grazing on grass yeah
the Egyptian goose or Tomb duck very
nice I’m a landscape of clearly
sort of nutrient poor soil and when you
look at soil like this it exposed low
felt soil you can see why this place was
such a disaster for any form of
Agriculture there really is very little
nutrition in the soil and apparently the
low felt itself is some of the most
ancient land in Africa and what that
means is that it has for the longest
time more than any other area in Africa
not had any tectonic or volcanic
activity and that means that it has had
no fresh deposits of nutrients for much
longer than many other landscapes in
Africa and that’s why it’s hopeless for
agriculture in most parts beautiful
right Tara mccurdy finds herself in the
great herds of quarantine let’s go and
see oh yes is very exciting up here
today we’ve got wildebeest as far as the
eye can see dotted with an Impala in
between very nice don’t you think kind
of creep over to Shenzhen so I can see
what you’re looking at cuz I think it
might be different to me
oh yes standing in and amongst the
Rula trees no Chaka who is only five
years old hello my dear friend and it’s
great to have a question from you now
your question specifically was about the
zebra and we are they do we not have
them anymore have they all died I’m
afraid they have not all died no why
would I say something like that I should
have been they know tiger they haven’t
died promise you they’re still all right
they’re on holiday at the moment and
they’re not willing to just our train
get rained on they don’t like the rain
so they’ve been trying to avoid it so
they’ve gone north for a little bit I
would imagine they’ve gone north that
way you can’t see it there but it’s down
in that direction
and the grass is nice and tall it’s
great you know they’ve babies having a
family reunion perhaps they haven’t seen
the other zebra frames or cousins or
brothers or sisters for a very very very
long time so maybe everyone was busy and
was doing you know private holidays over
Christmas and normally April is a good
time of the year to have a Christmas
holiday anyway I don’t know what I’m
talking about sorry Tucker
they will be back I promise you and the
day that we see a zebra I’m going to
make sure that you are watching so that
we can show you all the Zebras
but there is an Impala Ram chasing the
girls around causing all sorts of havoc
stop staring you can see look at the
pandemonium that’s going on now they’re
all just like oh we were just trying to
get ready for bed
and now we’ve gotten up for a sprint I
always feel sorry for the Empire use at
this time of the year
they don’t stop it’s just go go go all
the time the wildebeests not really
acknowledging what’s going on they’re
just standing still hoping that an
Impala won’t run into them but as those
females look very relaxed there’s one
member of the wildebeest herd that is
not relaxed at all and that is the bull
who is keeping a very close eye on us
also you may see some lights and a fence
that’s our other accommodation staff
accommodation hello boy so that’s the
big bull he’s been standing guard he’s
been watching us and snorting at us all
afternoon and I wouldn’t want to
too close to his hood because he’s just
got his lady so you can imagine he’d be
quite protective over them so we’ll
probably just stand from way over yeah
and watch him some Impala use trying to
escape from that RAM that was chasing
them around yes Rebecca I would imagine
that the wildebeest do get annoyed with
the Impala especially when they have to
listen to that snorting noise that the
impala make and then racing laps just in
a massive high kick jump not that one
but there was another one that’s printed
under a huge leap okay so what we gonna
wait for now is unfortunately these
animals are kind of like sheep in the
sense that they herd animals and they
follow one another see yes smile they’re
all starting to run in that dirt slowly
building up speed here’s one racing on
in it comes it’ll seize about to
overtake there it goes bounce bounce
bounce they’re all going to follow now
so this is gonna be quite exciting no I
would give that Impala only a four out
of ten
disappointment you get kicked off the
South African team here we go who’ve we
got next
no one else charging on in I’m waiting
I’m waiting for the rest of the herd to
realise what’s going on and that they
have been left behind and then
theoretically from every other Impala
sighting that I’ve ever seen they’ll
start coming this way and even the
wildebeests are slowly starting to move
in the direction of the Impala remember
now polar and I suppose yes certain
antelope species can interbreed or their
subspecies of one another which is
typically why when since you can’t have
black and blue wildebeest you just leave
them alone and keep them separate and
just trying to think what could mate
with an impala I don’t know but can I
tell you a really interesting story I
don’t know why this happened it still
boggles my mind then one day when I was
working in the Eastern Cape actually I
saw it more than once and I wasn’t the
only person to see it either so I wasn’t
going a little bit loopy was a big
inaudible
which is in the tracker lay for the
families most of you know so the same
family has a bush back and look could
you and those in yellow was out in the
open with a herd of Impala that were
grazing and it was sort of coming into
wretching season and for some bizarre
reason there was no Impala RAM with his
group of use but the in yellow bull I
kid you not was well and I think I’ve
told the story before was walking behind
and tasting a number of different news
and Fleming grimacing they can’t
interbreed but it was bizarre I don’t
know why he had a problem finding the
species of his own kind because there
was so many in Jana around so that was
quite weird I don’t actually know how to
explain it
oh look the wildebeest are coming back
now see they did they followed the
Impala
here they come and I don’t know if they
were going to be going down to where the
dam for a drink maybe they are they
normally start making their way up to
the open areas by now and then they are
just walking past the accomodations he
says these are Bucky and a buddy a Bucky
is not a swear word I promise
it is a word that South Africans used to
describe a pickup truck or a ute if
you’re from Australia yeah you say a ute
we don’t we say a Bucky that’s that
thing at the back over there Bucky could
also be a small container a Tupperware
to see South African language is way too
confusing and so yes so that’s the fence
that we’re telling you about so that’s
where some of the other members of the
wild earth team live is in there isn’t
that nice there’s so many elephants that
come through and pull down trees almost
breaking that fence
not that that fence really keeps
anything out because we tend to leave
the gate open all the time so then the
elephants and the hippos just walk on in
remember that great story brain loves to
tell about the time that the hippo tried
to get into the swimming pool was
walking on the deck which was quite
funny and say yeah it’s trying to get
the hip hard must have been very
entertaining especially under the cover
of darkness and
I wouldn’t surprise me if a lion or a
leopard hasn’t poked its nose in there
once or twice before so we try and keep
that gate closed especially when Darryl
the elephant is around if Darryl the LF
if you don’t know who Darryl the
elephant is he’s one of my favorite
elephants and there’s avid lots of
videos of him all over the social media
we even did it safari life story on
Darryl anyways let’s go a two-brains you
actually lives at this house and asked
him to rejoice the hippos story well I’m
a bit sidetracked suppose I found some
leopard tracks from during the day today
coming into Juma there’s also Lion
tracks there’s a bit older and someone
has driven over them but they definitely
went around this morning it’s a male
leopard could be husana could also be
tan ghana their footprints are quite
similarly sized at the moment but yes
III am i resided Inga’s and i was there
when the hippo wanted to climb into the
swimming pool and the wind through the
deck and trying to we were trying to
shoo him but you’ve got to be quite
scared wary of shooing animals such as
hippopotamus because they can shoo you
in half if you’re not careful but yes we
did manage to stop him getting into the
pool but unfortunately not stopped him
walking through the deck shame that
hippo is no more and did not survive the
ah maybe I Thank You mcaddie she said
she had a lots of serious alarm calls
around wari pan which is where we are
and she did see these tracks these
tracks are heading straight to quarry
pan at this very moment they are for a
male so I wonder if little Hasan has
come to cause nonsense yeah and just
double check it is this is confusing
though there’s Lion tracks yeah with the
Lion tracks looks a little bit older and
sea lions here I’m just trying to find
out where the leopard wind ooh no I’m
just joking I was trying to give you all
the fright I think I failed p.m. did I
fail did you get a fright for him a
little bit yes okay now this time of the
day tracks become quite difficult to see
so before I me and Iran just going to
try make a hundred percent sure oh yeah
where the leopard wind it looks like you
might have gone this way it’s double
check there in this low light gonna be a
little bit cheeky it’s also good just to
be stationary at this time of that I
hate to stop and it could be moving so
my tiara no I’m cool let’s do a loop
around this block them so it will go
down which way do we want to go let’s go
now it’s quite likely that what ever
leopard this was it might have stopped
for a drink yeah and then headed off
into the block so I’m just gonna have a
quick look around the pan while we do
that let’s go see what James these plans
well James II has just put his er well
Jamie didn’t but um Fergus did just put
the infrared lighter on in preparation
for the darkness which is a falling
quite rapidly now as the clouds gather
we’ve come to around where Tandy we
thought was yesterday so far
and I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you
right now there is a virtual Starling
where will it land oh good
film the virtual Starling there furgus
it’s the one on top of the tree now some
interesting colors behind it some bruise
and pinkish blues mm-hmm looks almost
black what an itchy ear and it will be
finding a roosting spot somewhere safe
ideally I mean they missed entry holes a
lot of birds don’t spend any time in
their nests other than for breeding and
I always think that I lived if I lived
in a tree hole as a bird that’s the
first place I’d go at night I wouldn’t
like to be out of my tree hole warm tree
hole nest in the night time latter I
suspect it’ll just find a piece of thick
bush to go and sit in
I did see it Franklin scramble up even
have any signal I’m afraid scramble up
into the top of a board where I think it
will remain for the night out of arms
way these pans also been very quiet of
late not much going on within I think
the heat you know like I say has come
off the edge of the summer and so not a
but this would be the time that Allah
pod would come out and begin hunting for
a lion or a high in death
Oh apparently you’re losing signal I’m
sorry about that let’s go across to
Brent I’ll find some more signal well
we’ve got those tracks now hitting
donburi pan road sorry about that it
seems like gem Z’s found the gremlins i
lost of them today we all have better we
will persevere now as they this light
tracking becomes quite difficult so I’m
very much concentrating and staring at
the road and what we are hoping for is a
little bit of luck with hopefully and
kudu just spotting there the leopard
starting to alarm call also because it’s
another species on our list
how many mammal species we can get quite
often like to do this I turn off the car
and freewheel down the roads where it’s
possible so I can use my ears more so in
that sort of half flight time of the day
when spotlight isn’t really that useful
you just have a look for tracks so
difficult from this flight you know
whether the light of the cars is better
electric cars and that’s how amazing
will be to drive around look at this
quiet you’ll hear so much more that’s it
sucks like Taylor’s decided to have
herself a solo fireside chat Sant’s fire
ah that’s not sure I’m collecting a
would bring collecting here it is very
nice
the fire started as Rebecca says I’m not
dragging I cannot blow fire out of my
[Laughter]
fireside chat past five everybody I did
also tweet I did an illegal tweet while
I was not alive because I’m still alive
right Carol first ones up have I ever
seen porcupine yeah at fireside chat on
the BBQ no never
however I have seen them running her a
hundred four I haven’t seen a porcupine
for a long time the last time I may have
seen one was possibly in the Mara being
chased by the hola Lola Lions next no
Gareth trick question where is the best
area to see sable I’ve I’m lucky there
any time that has luck is when it comes
to seeing sable so I’ve actually seen
them around Bergen doll look as I said I
have also seen them near number gate two
and I would imagine the large
populations disabled would be further up
north and Kruger maybe like past Satara
down that way but I’ve actually seen
lots and lots of sable and down
the southern sectors of crew I just
cannot remember what this one the cut
point and it’s not lookout point some
little cookie little mountain thing of
rocks and I once saw a herd of maybe
about fifteen or sixteen sable it was
really cool and they were so relaxed and
so close to the road
okay next trick was a trick wish you can
see them anyway now equalizes something
I have not seen up here in the sabi
sands as Rebecca has just said it is an
odd wolf um I’ve I couldn’t see why you
wouldn’t get them up yet I don’t know if
brains or James have maybe seen them um
I don’t actually know if their
distribution moves up to this area but
I’ve seen odd wolf not too far away from
here about four hours drive slightly
further north so I can’t imagine why
they wouldn’t be here maybe predator
density possibly we’ll get back to you
on that we’ll ask James and brain
they’ve worked in the sabi sand for a
long time
next okay to be comfortable for the Sun
scene as though you’re wondering where
my dream holidays these no scorpions
crawling out of the bar comfortable my
dream holiday casein there’s a hot in
the sky can you see that sorry just see
the heart sizzle or is it a Mickey Mouse
it’s a heart I’m gonna go with the heart
I’m proud watching for the race to this
afternoon see that’s how much we all
love each other even nature’s telling us
right now that’s amazing and now I’m
trying to think of where my dream
holiday would be I’d like to go to maybe
Madagascar or the Galapagus would be
quite cool I’d like to see animals that
have no fear of anything so the
Galapagos would be quite cool although
I’ve also want to go and see all the
chameleon species in Madagascar or also
Brazil I’d like to travel everywhere I
don’t have just one favorite place I
don’t have a dream holiday I want it all
all the holidays are my dreams next I
can sit up now because I’m not for my
holidays anymore
oh yes that’s yeah Saskia no Saskia
Saskia and yes there is definitely a
risk of forest fires in the
that’s one of the reasons why we have to
put in fire break often talk here I was
talking about driving along on fire
breaks and so basically we clear a
section on the outskirts typically on
the boundaries of the property and
there’ll be no vegetation whatsoever so
that if a fire does push in it’s got it
hits a section of about 3 or 4 meters
probably a bit wider than that and
hoping that the fire then will just die
down they do a lot of back burning here
to try and get rid of all the excess
mari pants or all the bill death of
trees and elephants have pushed out all
the leaves all those different types of
things we try and get rid of that
lightning is a massive problem and then
of course people breaking glasses and
bottles leaving the glass behind whether
it’s on purpose or not probably not on
purpose people throwing the cigarette
butts are that’s one purpose please
don’t do that that’s how you can’t start
a fire and I can’t tell you how many
lodges have burned down and lodges have
almost been lost because of fighting
fires and we have to fight those fires
and it’s not fun fighting fires remember
it’s very remote our chair so normally
it’s people on there working at the
lodges are part of the conservation
teams that are a will trying to put
those fires out it’s very dangerous
right where you going to have to start
going home soon but we’ll probably do
one more segment when we get a bit
closer to camp and but for now I’m going
to send you to James and he’s yielding a
spotlight yes who have my spotlight out
oh the southern white crowned Shrike
that has done what everything else is
done today Fergus hey he’s gone yes he’s
I mean it’s all very well saying you
shouldn’t throw a cigarette butt out of
the car you shouldn’t be smoking in the
car full stop
well you shouldn’t be smoking end of
Russell you ought to know if I have ever
had to fight a fire in the bush Russell
I have fought many fires in the bush
I found it one of the most exhilarating
activities I ever did one of them I
caused myself I won’t tell you that
story but another one or many others
you know we’ve got had to get heavily
involved and all the lodgers come
together and I think I have told the
story before what we we had a big fire
on lo Z once and I mean you wait around
August September time he watched the
southern horizon to see what’s coming
and this monstrous thing came out of the
south and so everyone the alarm was
raised everyone got in and started
lighting fire breaks and I was
coordinating the thing very
inexperienced I was at the time and
these people arrived very kindly from a
lodge that shall remain nameless and
they arrived with with what looked like
sort of Ghostbuster suits on and one of
my friends who was helping with the
fighting the fire is now the general
manager at lund Losey he said to him he
has a sense of humor quite similar to
mine he thinks it he said is that so
that you can serve hot chocolate to
those of us who are actually fighting
this fire which they were very offended
by there had these sort of backpacks on
with a pumping handle and I don’t have
you ever done sports events where you
are but in this country you can go to
watch the cricket
well the rugby and these guys will come
part with backpacks full of steaming hot
chocolate or coffee or gluhwein if
you’re very lucky and they’ll pump the
thing and then fill your glass up you
know that’s what these guys were wearing
and no they were very insulted they had
special fire sludge in the back in their
backpacks the problem was that the fire
sludge only sprayed about two feet from
the front of the nozzle which meant that
in the face of a blazing inferno they
would have to have been ignited
themselves before they managed to bring
their fire Jil specialized fire drill to
bear on any kind of flame so they were
actually useless but we appreciated
having them around we got the fire art
in fact the night time took the fire art
if you can keep a fire at bay until
night it really is much much easier to
fire to fire when the temperature drops
and often the wind drops in the night as
well a fire needs wind temperature and
fuel and if those thing three things
combined which they often do in
September and you can see that this
grass is very long now and I’ll continue
the story when I’ve we’ve gone over to
well we haven’t given up on our mammal
list yet and we have a little gray
darker in infrared so what is this this
is number eight a female darker monkeys
were seven number eight as a little
beautiful now much more relaxed than
during the day because we normally they
disappeared rate of knots and docket are
quite nocturnal in their feeding habits
and they tend to be a little bit more
relaxed at night and see she’s listening
very intently and of course could be a
leopard too close by so it pays to be
very attentive and she turned her head
there you saw some little glands on the
side of her nose see if she does it
again there we got and she’ll scent mark
with those hey little one except she’s
gonna sneak off or wagging tail and
carry on on her nocturnal feeding now we
are in infrared and that’s why the
are we gonna leave the little darker and
keep moving and hopefully find a little
leopard so in the meantime let us go oh
I’m sorry I interrupted you Jonesy let’s
go back to Jim so he can finish his
well at least Brent had an animal to
show you that it was much more important
than my fire story I think I was saying
it was temperature temperature and fuel
and wouldn’t there we get those three
things combined oh yes now I know
exactly how I was gonna finish the story
and it is in September totally it gets
very hot after a rainy year like this
and you can see all around us relatively
long grass and this is going to be a
fire hazard come August and September
the rains come
and so you’ll find that we’ll have to be
quite careful about burning fire breaks
in the winter that’s when we normally do
it sort of June July we’ll burn fire
breaks around the camp so that the fire
of a fire does come the camps aren’t
threatened but I would say unlike last
year in the year before when there was
no fire hazard because there’s no grass
around come the 2018 fire season of
August and September into October we
magic dragon wizard do you think with a
name like that that you would know all
things you want to know how scarce are
animals after a fire depends on the
animal obviously and almost don’t stay
away but obviously if they’re grazers
there’s nothing for them to eat until
the green flash comes which is if
there’s moisture in the soil will be
fairly soon afterwards you know a couple
of days to a week or so there will be a
flush there’s a bird on the ground their
focus and so you’ll find that you’ll
have huge concentrations of grazers on
burnt areas as soon as that first green
flush happens but until that happens now
you won’t find much at all
there is a forked tail drawn by now this
has an interesting little memory for me
the first time I noticed that forked
tail drongos liked to sit on the road in
the very very last light of the day I
was living not too far from here up in a
place called pala Bora and I used to go
running in the evening it wasn’t
actually in the town which is quite
possibly the most unattractive tile in
South Africa I was in a rural area and I
used to go running around about this
time and I’d come back home in the last
light and there would be the drongos all
of them all through the Mopani woodland
on the road and I still don’t really
know why it is that they do this it must
be for eating what was that oh yes I
think of these whore whores they’re
looking for for little bugs and insects
to eat but they will go and roost I mean
they’re not nocturnal so it’s only at
this very last we’re doing during the
last embers of the day that they will
sit on an open patch like this and wait
for things to come past and it’s only
they do it a very interesting behaviour
we to an eye on infrared are we focused
and that’s why your picture is black and
white in case you were wondering
you can stop shaking your television or
your Smart TV
ya know checking the day to check that
it’s not 1968 one of only three black
birds that occur here
you know the Bing the black fly catcher
and the one last one being the black a
cuckoo track Lea yes we have we’ve had
very nice birds today you say we’ve had
awesome birds
I agree we’ve had a good time on the
bird front and that’s quite unusual on a
windy day like we’ve had today but very
pleasant now will she do something
psycho trying to figure out what he’s no
not not like fly away I tell show me
what you’re doing anyway that was the
all right Brent Lea Smith floods a
spotlight probably far more than I do
would like to just spot something with
well I’m hoping say I think James
doesn’t like the spotlight because it’s
like this he’s got to sort of try see
over the wheel and shine the spotlight
with his arm up Jamie also has to
whether his eye I can just sort of sit
normally him carry on shining the
spotlight we’re still hoping for a
last-minute leopard we’re doing a
blocker and it was loop around the block
oh there we go there’s number 9vm scrub
here so we’ve got two VIMS number nine
the vm thought we were only going to see
nine different species all they
disappeared the little scrubby’s huh all
right next
oh he’s disappeared under bush okay
that’s nine mammal species are we going
to break into ten the most elusive
animal in jhummer who’s that Jane I was
asking probably Pangolin Oh actually
Zorilla I’ve definitely seen more
pangolins in the sabi sands and I’ve
seen Paul cats
I’ve only seen Paul cat once and that
was coming when Tristan and Addie was
still working at see Bambi Lee Jamie and
I went for dinner with him then on our
way back we saw we saw striped ball caps
in the red Pangolin was Paul cash what
do you think then Oh Paul Katz yeah
carico I mean they’re all quite quite
scarce and whatnot but I think Paul Katz
is definitely something you don’t see as
often here Oh baby them oh no it’s
jumping too fast
ready go there I can see the eyes just
trying to find that a gap through the
trees that would have been number 10 but
we didn’t get him on camera so he
doesn’t count does it Jim yeah
maybe we’ll get lucky with another bush
baby no he’s still there
I see him leave him and just see his i/o
terminal is in a terrible spot he’s
going up pop his head out a little bit
high of him yeah so they’re on that left
hand sort of there we go somewhere in
there baby
he’s gone down all this more than one
another one coming through seal that
Shack there yet
okay I saw and I oh we saw a moving
branch you guys haven’t open a little
bit done there no you got him right
there let’s say Center frame there we go
bush baby yeah little guy that’s number
there’s a couple of there’s a two or
three in that little weeping wattle off
oh this is another one just dropped off
to the right getting ready for a busy
night of hunting insects I have just
just woken up as it’s got dark off and
into the thickets it goes bye-bye little
one thank you for making an appearance
and getting us our tenth mammal species
of the of the of the drive okay yay okay
now we need Leopard 411 Rebecca runs 11
leopards geez not demanding it all
Rebecca I’ll take one method rather than
11 at the moment
now we we seem to be having quite a lot
of luck with our spotlight we found
darker and Bush baby and scrub hair
unfortunately it seems like James is not
having as much luck let’s go find out
what his plans are yes I’ve spotted some
fruits in a tree beautiful large fruited
Bush willow huh look at that Hey
complete entirely Wow are you amazed
Fergus saw amazed
beautiful they look like chameleons
that’s how I spotted them very good
Leah Smith is definitely flashing me on
the mammal front we did see a scrub pair
we didn’t show you we so we have had
hope we saw some skin walk as well so
even those that we didn’t even if we
count the ones we haven’t shown you we
still aren’t even close we’ve had Impala
and Walt Hogan water buck we did see a
darker it ran away
Stian walk that ran away bunny the drown
away six
oh right okay get it now right so yeah
this is the time of the night when I
need to tell you and encourage you and
beg with you and plead with you to
please vote for us on the web ‘yes if
you don’t know what the web these are
the web e’s apparently or the equivalent
of the Oscars or Emmys but full of the
web and so you can vote for us on the
web ease we’ve been nominated for three
categories apparently some basset hound
is beating us and one of those
categories I’m not sure what this basset
hound achieved during the day to make
him so successful and the way these but
he is beating us in one category so
please go along all you do is go to our
Facebook page you’ll find the post on
the web ‘yes and then you just click on
webbie’s and then you vote for us please
if you win the webbie’s maybe you win a
computer or an iPod they make iPods
anymore I don’t know what happens anyway
be very nice it would be prestigious
maybe we’ll stick a sticker on our
vehicle that says we beat the Basset
Victoria you asked a very salient
question you say why are there no
headlights on the vehicle the answer is
that I turned them off I’m not sure why
turn the more I think there was
something on the road anyway they’re
back on now thank you thank you very
much for pointing up to me I hadn’t even
noticed I drove into a police roadblock
once yeah in the evening is in
Johannesburg they have set up roadblocks
to stop drunk drivers I was most pleased
with myself because I hadn’t had
anything to drink and I was looking
forward to blowing into a breathalyzer
and the chap said I’m writing you a
ticket for 500 Rand and I said but I
haven’t drunk anything he said no but
you didn’t have your lights on so I’ve
been driving around in the darkness of
Johannesburg without my lights on anyway
then I don’t think I’ve paid the fine
I did pay the fine in case anyone from
the traffic departments watching I paid
all right let’s go back across the Brent
leer Smith he’s had his lights on all
night well he has told us that he is a
much better driver than me and everyone
else and so did the evidence would show
that he is watched nonsenses James
talked you know I just said I could see
over the steering wheel more easily oh
not subscribe haze around but we are
trying to find some more species now we
just had that wonderful sighting of the
bush baby hello little scrub here nope
sorry I’ll wait for them to find it you
gotta front you can see how a bug flew
into me you just let straight up in the
air silly thing I’ve even I were just
discussing we think I’m trying to work
out on average how many scrub has did
eat in a day I think a lot there’s at
least one per leopard per day is a good
one on average and wild dog pack
probably four or five per day and not
I’m not forgetting everything else the
birds of prey that owls I’d say I reckon
throughout the sabi sands I’d say close
on more than a hundred scrub hairs get
eaten a day what do you think’s in and
there’s a lot I mean we’ve seen seven or
Wow
it’s got a split yeah I didn’t even
notice that turn around definitely has a
split in its left ear here we go
it probably is sketched some bird of
prey or something Oh stopping for a
off you go little scrub here watch out
for the leopards now we did see a bush
baby a little bit earlier no run they
are not related to koalas at all koalas
are marsupials we don’t have any
marsupials in Africa so no they’re not
there are small primates they’re related
to slow lorises and well other
now you will notice that we did switch
our lights off quite often and that’s to
not blind certain animals and that and
so when we turn the lights off they tend
to move out of the red now
the bush babies have a very varied diet
gizmo so they are insectivores they are
also fruit they also eat fruits and but
mostly insects they’ll even eat certain
flowers but mostly the little bush
babies are insectivores and so there
it’s a very wide variety of of nocturnal
and insects they have quite set
territories and they urinate on their
hands and feet and so as they move along
their territory they are able to scent
mark on the go so to speak by using
their hands as they go so they’re
constantly our scent marking they live
in little family groups so you can in in
a little hole you can sometimes have up
to six or seven Bush babies all cuddled
up together there’s a few spots I
haven’t checked the bush baby nests for
a while and then I’ll do that tomorrow
night I’m down in the in the in the west
of Jummah there’s a one that they used
to frequent now a lot of those little
holes are used by quite a few different
animals over a period are birds Janet’s
bush babies rock monitors will all
utilize the same hole and just depends
who’s in in residence at the moment now
one of the the biggest predators of Bush
babies is actually rock monitors and
they’ll try seek out the babies in those
holes and eat them we had a house and
Hut sprites Jamie and I had a lovely
family of about and I spend about six of
them little Bush babies a mom dad and
all the little offspring it needs to
come out of the roof every evening and
then the big rock monitor was constantly
trying to get at them now strange enough
sir we have tenants in in our in our
house at the moment and there are not
bush people
and they do work for the the military in
the area there’s a big military base
outside let’s break they’re contractors
so companies ranging the house from us
and we just Jamie had just arrived in
Kenya and we got an email from our
estate agent I was quite a funny email
because she was letting us know that the
tenants were obviously not bush people
because they had sent a complaint that
there was a crocodile in the roof now of
course was just a very big rock monitor
lizard he is a bit of a pain I mean just
before I moved to Kenya I thought I’d
stopped his his route into the Ruth so
the Tristan was actually helping me out
we had got chainsaws and we climbed up
the trees and cut down the branches and
Jamie shouting has been nearly broke one
of the windows and I was up sitting on a
tree bunch catching it with a chainsaw
and the branch started breaking while I
was on it that was quite scary but but
yeah so lots of different creatures
utilized what was that these holes and
I’m hoping that was going to be elected
new tracks I’m hoping tomorrow morning
when we’ve got a nice blank canvas of
tracks from from the night we’ll have a
bit more lack of another scrap here as I
say that’s probably if I start counting
that’s probably number 20 no baby not
quite – ain’t yet but least number 15
that I’ve seen in that innocence we saw
now remember or not only do we want to
take you on explorations through the
African bush and day and night will
someone to take you underwater
hopefully day and night as well so
remember to go check out our dive alive
Kickstarter campaign and be one of the
lucky people who can enjoy the private
drive a private dives when we launch
make sure you don’t miss out and you’re
one of the first to enjoy that amazing
now I love the oceans and well I’ll go
visit the dive live camps but I’m gonna
I’m not a big diver I will I can dive
but I’ve always chosen to go fishing
instead of diving
I do love my fishing I want to go catch
some big gt’s this year I think that’s
on the cards Justin I also talking about
trying to plant a tiger fishing trip
because Justin’s never been Tiger
fishing and it is one of my favorite
types of fishing and I used to be a
fishing guide up on the Zambezi reverser
and I know that part of the world very
well when it comes to catching the
striped water dog what is that film it
was a too far in yalla ya in yalla and
just see the horns dönitz I thought
maybe there was a leopard walking down
the maratti wouldn’t that have been
now there’s an interesting one from the
Lorax
I have person whales related probably as
much as whales and human beings are
related and the fact that they’re both
mammals I’m just trying to think not
that I know of them of course
everything’s related if you go far
enough back but I don’t think there’s a
close relation between hippo and whales
well sorry Jim I hit that a bit fast
image Shh here now what I’m trying to do
is I’m trying to get to 11 species and
I’ve only got 7 minutes and I’m hoping
that those wildebeest are still on
quarantine to get to us
one more species and of course the more
ground we cover the more chance we have
to have species we haven’t given up on
the leopard front yet we’re still sort
of on the peripheries of where that
leopard might have got to and one of the
reasons I like night drive so much and
my spotlight so much is that yes
sometimes they are very very quiet the
night drives and you don’t see much you
know see me flashing about my spot live
but you’ve got a chance to see some
really interesting little mammals and
particularly little carnivorous mammals
and about 75 of your more interesting
mammal species only come out at night
and I’m talking about your little things
like Janet’s any badges art farc
Pangolin what else am I missing there VM
caracal serval sorry gerbils bushwell
the bushveld gerbil nest or hole so
maybe we might even catch a bush veldt
gerbil before the end of Safari I’m
gonna I’m gonna head there it’s on the
way to quarantine now let’s go see what
James and joy is about the African night
I enjoy the silence of the African night
when I saw that silent but it’s a
difference of sound it’s a it’s just a
very peaceful sound and this of course
you happen to have a lion and savaging a
buffalo outside your room in which case
it isn’t a very peaceful sound at all
but I like the sounds of the night and
they’re sort of quiet peace
contemplative peace and if we do get
lucky and find interesting things out
here at night time and really is great
Bush babies for example there’s a
chameleon is it yes it is all chameleons
for example hurrah
hey can you believe it Ferguson there we
go I’ve spotted 7,000 chameleons today
all of them turned out to be the fruit
of the large fruit bush willow but there
we have an actual flat necked chameleon
just near home and I guess as the winter
continues so they will retreat further
and further into the middle of the
bushes where they will east of 8 and
wait for warmer times you do still see
them in winter but not obviously as
commonly as you do in summer somebody
told me once that the chameleons hanging
out from the edges of the branches of
the females and the males hang out in
the middle they couldn’t tell me why
that was the case and so I dismissed it
anyway there we go nice little flap make
chameleons that’s one’s about three
inches long
pretty good really good the other thing
I like about the night of course the
Stars I find the stars deeply
fascinating and well it’s great to give
a sort of perspective of our
insignificance in the universe when you
consider the distances sizes numbers it
really is quite astonishing when you
stare up at the Milky Way which is
billions of stars knowing that those
billions of stars form a galaxy that is
just one of many billions of other
galaxies which is really just quite
astonishing those numbers that we can’t
honestly contemplate anybody who says
they understand what a billion looks
like I don’t think it has any clue and a
billion billion well that’s just
ridiculous right we’re going across the
damn wall slowly making our way towards
home maybe there will be something
Amil you ought to know if all mammals
now Emil vampires don’t see shadows and
they’re mammals they are unable to see
shadows but other than vampires I’m
pretty sure that all mammals would be
able to see shadows yes I can’t see a
reason why they wouldn’t any animal that
is able to distinguish light from dark
wood will be able to see a shadow a
shadow is off after all just a blocking
of the light so I’m gonna say yes all
animal mammals can see shadows all right
let’s go across the rent Leah mammal
hunter he is on the trail of number 11
we’ve got looks actually like a shrew
rather than a gerbil what do you think
forward with him
[Music]
it actually looks more like a little
shoe guys well we don’t is behind the
he’s trying to sneak away from us a tiny
little shoe he’s gonna pop out there and
that law there is it a shoe I can’t see
no it’s not a she it is a little gerbil
it’s just a juvenile chair ball oh there
we go that’s 11 and number 11 so we got
there and we didn’t have to do it with
the Valda Beast
unfortunately sorry Valle the Beast we
didn’t get to the Valda Beast
but thanks everyone for joining us it
has been a bit quiet but hopefully
tomorrow we’re gonna be able to bring
out the big cats and force I’ve had a
thoroughly good time on Drive with you
and I’m sure James and Taylor have as
well can’t wait to do it all again
tomorrow morning so from all of us it’s
fired I’ve doodle-ooh by bond we cow and all the rest
an African safari and may include animal
kills and carcasses viewer discretion is
good afternoon everybody and welcome to
this the sunset Safari
on this glorious Sunday afternoon I
think it’s the 15th of April halfway
through if you can believe it fergus’s
on camera hey y-you saw my name there
it’s James Henry in case you’re
illiterate and in the final control
we’ve got Rebecca on the box and on the
keys I think we have still got the
long-suffering Lucas anyway on the other
vehicles we have Tyler and Brent there
was some fear of rain believe it or not
a little earlier it was raining from
what I couldn’t possibly tell you anyway
send us your questions or comments on
this easygoing Sunday afternoon hashtags
for alive or on the chat stream on
YouTube and we’ll do our level best to
answer them and entertain you for the
next three hours or so we are in the low
felt of South Africa that means the
lowlands were about 400 metres above sea
level on the eastern edge of the
Drakensberg escarpment while we’re down
in the bowl the Drakensberg excitement
and off to the east
goes the Mozambican plains and out to
the Indian Ocean about 200 kilometers
away so that’s where we find ourselves
on planet Earth while I Drive up towards
a waterhole not too far from here let’s
go across to Taylor mccurdy who is I
don’t know what she’s doing I think
everybody thinks I’m trying to get off
work – it’s a beginning on the show my
name is Taylor and I am NOT a slacker
today is sins or and we are sitting at a
tree house a dam I don’t know why I’m
exile signals being strange really the
gremlins are trying to get us but
remember you can chat to us and I look
forward to having conversations with all
of you and hopefully we’re going to find
some animals to have some conversations
about because at the moment there’s not
even any blacksmith left wing a
treehouse damn it’s very quiet so I’m
going to say
that we’re going to do birding today and
then by hopefully some miracle some
animals are going to jump out and we’re
going to find them maybe the elephant’s
decide to return perhaps a journey of
Drive pass on through Juma who knows the
options are endless is what we could see
today but but yes so it’s a little bit
on the quiet side it’s been a weird day
there’s been rain there’s been Sun as
you can see this blue sky and a cloud
would come over and it would rain on us
and that it would move away and then it
would be beautiful and go Sun Tanning
and then you’d have to put a jacket on a
scarf and a beanie on because the way
there would be to announce
it’s beautiful again it’s really quite
lovely but sadly this is all we have
yeah Rebecca please may I Drive I’m
going to drive I don’t know why the
gremlin attack attacking us I think I
can see some warthogs so you’re gonna
try get a bit closer to them they’re
down over there saw them feeding in the
grass but a bit too far away oh my
goodness we are not being attacked by
signal gremlins
can you believe well hold your breath
yeah wait a little bit downhill but
we’re going back up again are we still
here I think it might be one of those
I saw them moving but where did I see
them boy it’s too far away I don’t think
we’re gonna be able to see the warthogs
ever been so cool to see them off the
back me a little bit for the good that’s
right and checking is zooming away okay
sadly no war talks fast they’ve ran back
into the tall grass and you’ve seen what
the grass is like in this area it’s not
very nice for looking at small animals
especially when if they have to see over
the grass and some of you may remember
from the Mara how the waters used to
literally walk with their noses in the
air like this trying to desperately see
over their tall grass make sure they
didn’t walk into a lioness anyways I
don’t think there’s like water I would
be walking into a lioness but James has
some warthogs and maybe they will trot
into some cats I don’t think they’ll
walk into some cats or he will walk into
some cats and it’s possible though of
course this youngish male warthog
favored food of the likes of now the
reason we’ve come up here is that we can
hear some elephants shouting off away to
the I can I never get east and west
right the first time and off to the west
and I think they’re coming up towards
Sydney’s waterhole so it might be lucky
and see them come down for a drink e
gorgeous gorgeous afternoon I was just
saying to Fergus toe that this is the
most wonderful time of year in many
parts of South Africa he of course lives
in Cape Town lamentable lamentable
settlement but for this time of year
when the wind stops blowing for about
two weeks where my parents live in the
Eastern Cape also the wind tends to blow
her but but this time of year just
glorious and around here of course the
edge of the summers come off which means
that while it’s a beautiful warm day
probably around 29 degrees or so I think
they said which is about 84 85 degrees
Fahrenheit all those that’s very
pleasant to be out in
doesn’t feel like one’s cooking like one
all right we’re gonna stay with this
warthog Taylor has a small bird that she
wants to show you could be let’s go
across there we’ve got cuckoos we’ve got
two cuckoos in fact there are I think
can you turn and look this way please do
you you have a striped body or do you
have no stripes I think I did see some
stripes on the throat there so that
would make it and the valence cuckoo
which is pretty cool and there’s a pair
of them now I suspect that they’ve
hopped into the wari tree looking for
caterpillars because well caterpillars
are the favorite food of the cuckoo
species of birds I’m trying to see what
the other one is gone now it has flown
away I don’t want to start the car and
move it because I know what’s going to
happen is that it’s just going to just
disappear now there are two cookies that
look very similar to one another and
that is the Jacobins and the low valence
but I have not seen the breast of this
one just yet
oh it’s still there there you go it’s
actually in a better spot now please
I’m joking that bird does not make that
sound this is the son of Eila valence
cookie as I play it softly yeah that’s
definitely and the valence so that’s not
that bird calling that’s me very quickly
just playing the cold and so that you
can hear it very nice and anyways these
boots are migrants they are intro
African migrants so I don’t think
they’re going to be here for too much
longer just like everybody else
that typically arrived towards the end
of the year the start of a summer and oh
thank you being very polite and then
they normally linger around for a wee
bit and should theoretically start
there’s another cooker calling in the
far distance should start heading north
now April man is quite cool nice to see
them around we don’t often get to have
amazing sightings of all the cuckoo’s
you know there is another cooker calling
in the far distance so you can see that
bird is listening to it I think it’s now
responding to the call behind us and
going very nice little sighting very
glad she wasn’t a briefs
it was a long sighting I’m sure second
runway sorry about that rather sudden
departure from Taylor’s cuckoos I don’t
know what it is but on what I’m going to
guess is that it was a striped cuckoo
because a lot of the striped cuckoos
stay there first year here they don’t
migrate and while their parents
disappear they stay here but of course
they’ve never met their parents they
stay with their babblers it was a live
aelion’s cuckoo apparently which
unsurprisingly is also the striped
cuckoo what a stroke of luck and striped
cuckoo is the old name and they often
stay with their babbler friends well
friends see now you’re wondering arrived
ever seen a leopard attack a warthog I
think I’ve seen leopard tried to attack
warthogs I’ve never seen a leopard
successfully attack and kill a warthog
have I miss identified the sex of this
hog
I think it might be a lady hold now I
think it’s a lady hog
is it is a lady hog I’ve just looked at
the face now I do apologize everybody
it’s a lady hog not a male anyway what
I’m going to try and do is sneak a
little bit closer the Hogs here tend to
be very unconfident I’ve said but this
one seems to be okay so I’ll just try
and ease forward which of course is
difficult in a vehicle that makes the
amount of noise that these ones do but
let’s try so that we can get this Boosh
I’ll probably hit a stump or something
and give it a terrible fright woman is
an Impala just behind the ultimate
2-shot Sharia you want to know why the
warthog is kneeling well I’m afraid
Sharia you provide me with the
opportunity to give you a silly answer
I’m because of the day and so I’m going
to and then I’m going to but I’m going
to apologize in advance for giving you a
silly answer and it’s because it’s
Sunday of course it was praying that’s
why it was on its knees no that’s silly
answer they graze on their knees because
they have to dig out the rhizomes which
are the underground stems and sort of
storage vaults of energy that the grass
is produced and they’ve got a very hard
cartilaginous plate in the front of
their noses and that helps them to dig
and so when there’s something
particularly nice that they want
underneath the soil they’ll get on to
their knees and then dig it up so that’s
why it was on its knees it’s not a
particularly religious warthog as far as
I can tell and there if it was to see
what koumori it would certainly be
scenic you want to know warthogs eat
meat at all yes they do sometimes in
fact this infected female warthog like
this one could easily be found
scavenging off a carcass from time to
time especially if she was pregnant or
if she had youngsters and she just
needed a bit of extra nutria nutrition
swea calcium or phosphorus or maybe even
a little bit of protein so it would not
be unusual wouldn’t be surprising to
find her suffering on some bones or some
rotting flesh and certainly her closest
relative the bush pig are known to be
she’s got a wonderful set of tusks I
must say that’s why I mistook her for a
ball to start with him all right let’s
go across the Brent Leo Smith you
haven’t seen in me at this afternoon
oh yes sorry we had a few this is we’re
getting started so we got us a little
all my goodness apologies everybody
you’re just going to have to well grin
and bear with us today it’s going
through you on of those technical
gremlin infested shows get your fly
swatters out your bug spray all these
wonderful things I’m just checking the
clock surendra it is 343 he into African
time right now that’s what time it is
and it’s like it’s very nice it’s my
favorite time of the day 343 exactly and
maybe running oops I don’t know since or
what would you be doing at 343 if you
were owned said work I can only I’m
gonna back across a de Jane we do seem
to be making a fewer saddened arrivals
with us we’ve now got a very very close
to our hog friend she’s not a youngster
she’s fairly old I would say from the
gray hair that she has and she’s been
she’s the best warthog over the mid I
can’t believe how confiding she’s being
she’s seen it all before you see and you
can tell that from the magnificence of
her tusks and maybe you can just see the
wind flickering through the grass stalks
they’re very gentle bring he’s coming
out of the southeast and you might be
able to hear one or two robins calling
off to the west
nearly cities to get the white part
something goes into him there’s
literally madam Hogg what troubles the
search so no Willy you’re absolutely
right in fact the same applies just
about anything out here so it’s not very
easy to reach old age and certainly
isn’t in the fact that she’s got so far
I think indicates that she’s wily and
picked a good place to live I think I’ve
seen her around here before many times
and I think she’s had a number of
litters around here and I suspect her
success has quite a lot to do with the
openness of where she lives in the
shortness of the grass which means that
although she ain’t tall she can still
see over the short grass and what is
coming to eat her and her babies good it
has to move along
I’m Warthog out for the day
not sure how good our signals going to
be down here we did hear some elephants
[Laughter]
Ivy James is going more ha ha payback
because all the technical gremlins he
had write this stuff let’s be serious
now let’s not talk about those in walk
in a story everybody with they were I’m
trying to work on certain things now I’m
hoping that we are going to find husana
and he’s just going to pop out and thank
you dokie everybody rants I’ve got a
very important announcement to make
I’m apologizing on behalf of all of
everybody of all of everybody because
that’s how sorry we are that we’re
having these technical gremlins today
we’re going to be going to take a loop
so that we can try and sort the issues
and back we are everybody sorry about
these technical glitches you know
everything gets to have a bit of a
holiday and the technical stuff seems to
be having a holiday today rest assured
our technical staff on not having a
holiday at all today they’re working
like slaves trying to get everything
fixed up for the rest of the show these
are in parlor in case you’ve just join
us the most common antelope in all of
South Africa not the National antelope
don’t have a National antelope we have
national gazelle which I suppose is an
antelope actually and that is the
replaced ecologically by the impala very
strange kind of wither as Fergus was
saying we are surrounded on all sides by
massive builds up build ups builds up
build ups of cloud and we seem to be in
the eye of the storm under a beautiful
group of green sky beautiful blue sky it
is blue that’s the skies and it’s it’s
green that’s the the vegetation I think
yes I’m doing a handstand good point we
didn’t find the elephants I’m afraid
everybody not that we’ve looked
particularly hard we’ve been enjoying
the atmosphere of this gorgeous
afternoon all right now it would appear
that Brent Lea Smith has managed to go
to Chitra Chitra he’s done something
called power cycling I’ve got no idea
what that means but I have no doubt he
I don’t know what it means either VM did
it after daytime print and viens on
camera hopefully this time where I would
say hello properly we’re in one of my
favorite little spots a cheat but I
would just behind the dam wall looking
for any sign of ting garner or the sauna
both like to frequent this area and
you’ll see we do even though the Sun is
out it was raining when we left so we
had to put on our rain roof vim is that
kingfisher low enough but the roof is
not no the roofers case anyway that is
what it is let me just try and move
Servian can possibly get and I thought
looks like brown hooded Kingfisher if he
doesn’t fly away as we move a bit closer
also looking Oh saw some baby crocodiles
this is a good spot for them kingfish is
still there he’s gone and let’s have a
that is not crock that looks a bit of
mad isn’t it or stick sometimes it pays
to just sit and wait a little bit there
and they pop their little heads up
but as they we’re looking for any sign
of Miss Hannah or ting gana Hassan has
been into a camp on a kill right between
the guest rooms again he seems to like
that you see that grass moving rim now I
think we should have a little Sunday
afternoon challenge and what we’re going
to do is see how many mammal species we
can see this afternoon so of course we
will stop for reptiles like owls and
birdies as well but I think we’re gonna
go and see how many different mammals we
can get this afternoon I’m hoping how
many of you think we can get them nine I
think Craig yeah I think we can do
better than nine Oh
this appearing Craig I have not checked
out the barn owl nest recently Brent
it’s not too far from yeah so maybe we
will have a squiz there oh there we go
the cracks on the Fallen blog now come
on there is this is the definitely the
best spot to see black Craig’s around
here even though this one is being
reached Nicki and shy it’s also the best
spot to normally see Tinker on it so
nine I think we’re gonna start off with
at least five mammal species are on
chica dab them so I think nine I think
nine is is dual I think if we got to
fifteen I’d be really impressed and then
there’s 15 different mammals in a drive
that would be pretty awesome so I think
we’re definitely gonna get water back
around here we definitely and get them
parlor Justin you’re gonna get good
I mean aku do i airpo could ooh we
should get in the allah we should get
well instead of rattling off let’s see
how many we can get on camera
i’m hoping that it will be one of one of
the ones we get either hasan Oh Tim
now when mammal we might not get Sally
as giraffe we don’t actually have large
giraffe populations in this part of the
sabi sands as the favorite trees are not
all there around but they’re not very
common so they prefer a case yet
dominant woodland where we are in
complete some dominant will then they
are around actually Iran just below
chittering here is actually a good spot
there’s a big male that we see quite
often around here so there’s always a
chance but no we don’t see them that
often I would probably go as far as say
them that we see leopards more often
than we see giraffe no I think that’s
quite a safe assumption and say we see
more leopard than we see giraffe and now
there’s not many places in the world you
can claim that that you seem hot letter
than giraffe that’s what makes this area
sakes exquisite ok let us climb up onto
the wall and get our mammal challenge on
the go as I said I think then I start
off with at least four species so there
apparently you’re stuck with us guys now
we’re having still having a bit of a
tech difficulties but you have us here
we go it bows here’s our first mammal of
the day so there’s one here phase number
two Impala
this is quite quite confident we would
get here Burnham parlor and of course
water back
maybe a bit later in the evening it
might be a good spot ‘full come back and
see if we can get push back
and in yalla just great behind there’s
some water back and you see those water
back now behind the water back there’s
something Oringer to the right of it
maybe we get a little bit to the left
there we go that is an in yalla hiding
there in the understand the edge of the
shed so what did we learn now for that’s
not a bad start to our mammal challenge
for different species BM thinks we’re
gonna get 9 I’m hoping for 12 but if we
get 15 well I’ll be very impressed all
is with having a quick and closer look
around the edges of the dam here for for
pushback as well and of course and the
gorgeous Chitra Chitra Lodge is in a
prime spot I mean right around will the
leopards and lions like to hang about
often oh what’s going on over there you
see that there’s no fins on it oh oh
it’s all going on what why would you do
that you better help I decided to chase
the chase the Egyptian peace why are
I wonder if that was the male chasing
them around feeling of it frisky let’s
go have a look in that area and see
what’s happening there maybe in sauna is
Koster thank you thank you Kosta is cost
of the highest concentration of leopards
is quite a difficult one the highest
concentrations of leopards in Africa
that I know of is supposed to be the the
Luangwa Valley in Zambia but I think the
highest concentration of of leopards in
the world not just in Africa is sri
lanka one of the the parks and she like
I’m trying I can’t remember which one is
said to have the highest concentration
okay so what we are now a HIPAA in
parlor in yalla walls back that all the
I said that water back ran out of that
top section of the dam and it still
steer there’s one water back still
staring there I said it could have been
the male chasing about the females you
see it being spotted a crocodile
where are you looking vampy oh wow I’m
just looking far away but there’s a big
croc basking now as we get further and
further into the winter months we are
gonna see these Crocs basking more and
more as it’s quite chilly that’s one of
the big is that Vlad Boris Boris the
blade of Vlad the Impaler now that
crocodile is plenty big enough to chomp
it’s quite a strong wind in the sickness
this afternoon which is making my
hearing of it we’ll have to concentrate
now we think there might be some cloud
rolling in I’m gonna go have a look in
that little top corner to see if it was
vasana that was causing havoc amongst
the water back in the meantime and Jen
this is going to show you that card Bank
that’s rolling in yes we are sitting
with an enormous cloud bank here and
there’s another enormous cloud Bank off
to the south and east of the one you’re
looking at now Fergus is entire just
trying to get beyond this bush so that
we can show it to you
magnificent cloud formations I mean that
is just spectacular isn’t it no I’m not
a great deal of liquids hanging from
underneath it but it’s just magnificent
nevertheless hmm gorgeous yes an almost
expects God to be sitting there on his
throne fantastic I mean that really is
spectacular now that’s a big
cumulonimbus cloud a big thunder head as
I think they’re called in some parts of
the world and one would expect it to
produce quite a lot of lightning and
thunder none of which I can hear well I
can’t hear never hear lightning you can
certainly see it I can’t see or hear any
lightning or thunder now I’ve taken a
number of illegal photographs so brave
Laurie you say the death cloud looks
like a hippo Laurie I’m staring hard at
that cloud and a hippo I’m afraid I’m
failing to discern can you see a hippo
focus Fergus is it looks like a nuclear
bomb and apparently that’s what Conrad
and Jared in the final control said is
will well quite mm and really is very
pretty you know a there’s another one
off to the other side and I think we’ll
have one look at that have a quick see
if there isn’t any rain falling
underneath it and then we’ll continue on
beautiful all righty let’s go from this
massive macro scale cloud down to a
micro micro mammal yes micro mammal but
it is definitely a mammal for our
mamillus look there it goes a squirrel
really if we go on to the left there we
go some more micro mammals a little bit
lower where’d he go
oh yeah yeah disappear there we go look
at that another micro mammal the door
aren’t they cute I can hear them just
dude this is it this one closer to have
Impe on the sand giving us that little
look that there are one of my favorite
little creatures the dwarf mongoose
isn’t that cute
now it’s the smallest member of the
audit carnivory so in theory it’s the
smallest Carnival in Africa even though
mostly insectivores it sounds like the
fish eagle just arrived and caused
absolute pandemonium behind us just hit
all the birds explode in the hardy dies
so that sounds like a fish eagle when
the fish eagle arrives at the dam there
10t panic like that all out of focus is
disappeared but so they are got very
very complex social structures let me
just try see if we can get another view
of a dwarf monkeys because ice girls
disappeared you’re still hiding in there
oh yeah now to the grass and it’s quite
lucky to see them aren’t in the open
like this quite often they’ll skedaddle
we do have some very nice relaxed groups
that now they’re one of the only animals
that will love each other instead of
there’s a lot of them up there here we
go it is more heading up the road and I
so cute and as I was saying so there
they will actually have a level so
they’ve got a very similar sort of
social structure to something like an
African wild dog when they have an alpha
pair that does all the breeding and then
the rest of the individuals in in the
business which is the collective noun
for a group of Mongoose will look after
that there the Mongoose pups Cubs
mullets Mangla –ts and co spider yes
most most among species will fight
snakes I’m and eat snakes
however the dwarf Mongoose will
generally try avoid most snakes because
old tracks but there’s male lion tracks
they’re not very fresh unfortunately so
yes they will they will try fight snakes
and chase snakes very little guard in
here there is a little fire Finch oh
come on five inches that one of the
hardest birds to get on camera they’re
very very pretty and just popped into
the grass there darn it
you can hear the tiny little teat eats
seeds from all the little seed eaters so
things like wax balls and and five
and the squirrel making a noise I think
he’s just talking to other squirrels
there and him he is there and what have
you spotted that has made you upset
squirrel so that isn’t alarm call but I
can’t see what it’s alarming yet not a
very serious one there so when they’re
really serious their tails make just so
as they you never know how the husana
has been spending quite a bit of time in
the lodge itself and the boundary of the
lodge is not more than 100 metres from
us yeah so that’s squirrel never know if
Hassan has heard me talking and decided
to come investigate because he’s bored
girl you’re looking in here and I don’t
see anything in the dwarf mongooses
maybe it’s just a paranoid squirrel I’d
also be paranoid if I was a squirrel
with everything trying to eat me all the
okay so what we’re gonna do now is we’re
gonna do a sort of big loop around the
lodge see if any leopard tracks come out
of the lodge area mostly husana and also
see if we can find any tracks of the old
well I’m not sure what happened there
Rebecca Becca are we still alive I just
said crash cab crash cut live oh I’ve
got sure I got a fright they’re confused
we’re gonna cross James with odd to
crash cuts now I get it
let’s go see what Master Henry’s plans
up hooray
we have failed to find anything remotely
resembling a mammal so we’ll look at an
arachnid as instead and an arachnid that
I’ve shown you on bushwalk the other day
but I needed to get out of the calm
stretch me legs now so I thought I would
go across and show you the beautiful
golden or web spider so a few of them
have there been the season all last
spiked myself now this lady is the same
size as the one that I saw before she’s
not very big there yet about twice that
size and if I put my hand up behind her
you can kind of see that she’s this
almost the same size she stretched her
leg ease up but they can be about twice
that size ah now this is what I was
looking for that one there just below my
fingers is the mail there is and he’s
missing a leg it’s not unusual often the
males are missing legs they get into
tussles with their wives which often
results in there being eaten this one
has just lost himself a limb so those of
you who think you have marital troubles
bear in mind that hopefully it’s not as
bad as it is with the golden orb spider
and then of course the ubiquitous
mercury drop or do drop spider that
likes to steal food from this rather
intimidating looking but utterly
harmless and gorgeous spider lady she’s
caught herself lots of BT’s lots of
flies and in one case I think oh she’s
actually caught herself a jewel beetle
that she’s attached to this kind of bird
warning device here there’s a jewel
beetle there I’ll just bring that across
to you madam I’m taking a piece of your
your warning device and all right
the rest I shall leave intact here you
we want the sunshine on it pretty much I
think it was a jewel beetle here you see
how’s that Ferg cool just iridescent
colors so I think a jewel beetle
initially I thought the cuckoo wasp but
this one’s got Elijah and this is there
for a BT okay good let’s move on we’re
going towards Gallagher pan now we found
nothing up in the north east west
I believe tailors made it all the way to
beat hook damn let’s find out what the
hippo are doing they’re going underwater
just as we go live typical as you can
see there we go there’s another one very
cool now there’s a group of hippos yeah
which we call a pod as most of you know
but just in case there are some a new
viewers please open your mouth thank you
very much hippo on commanders as you can
see is one of these new voice-activated
hippos that we’ve recently just got
installed it bubbles up damn it’s quite
nice I was really excited to come and
see them today and as they’ve only been
here for a couple of days now and it’s
quite nice it’s not pretend you’re being
a rock oh look at that it’s just amazing
I’m hoping it’s going to roll over next
please roll over and show us your funny
feet no no there must be something wrong
yet I think you’ve got a startled slowly
it’s something about these new things it
takes time to get used to your voice and
then invention II you can ask them to do
anything you want but there are a few
more hippo in the bubbles hook Dam that
I’ve seen before they seem to be about
five now but you can’t see them you’ll
just have to trust me it’s two there’s
three four I’m pretty sure there was one
more I’m sure there were five here
anyways maybe the other one is shine is
holding its break as we know hippos can
do that very very very well but it’s a
relaxing afternoon everybody’s taking
their time just chilling out on a Sunday
getting ready to go out to the deck
party
I don’t know thing Sunday deck parties I
think we should make it a thing for the
hippos Sunday grazing parties where they
go out and they eat themselves silly
filled with grass well they’re gonna
have to walk a little bit of a distance
away
a little bit walking is going to have to
be done the grazing in this particular
area is not nice but some I don’t know
what it’s like a buffalo Khun
fortunately bees you can look around us
it’s quite sparse mm-hmm not that nice
the umpires in that right-hand corner
haven’t come down to graze that’s for
sure they are doing a bit of nibbling at
the moment I suspect they’ve come to the
water’s edge to drink though
no bachelorhood and lots and lots of
bachelorhood is what we’re seeing at the
moment one big ram staring into the
thicket as messing around the wind has
also just started to pick up quite a bit
that’s pretty scary I think it’s going
to blow
whatever is building up in the distance
and I’ve seen clouds in the South I
think James are showing you them who’s
big balls of candy floss and then just
above the impala there’s another huge
embankment of cars and they are climbing
vertically oops
hmmm that might mean rain I wonder what
will happen if the clouds meet from the
south and from the east anyways if
there’s one keeps up that might blow
whatever’s brewing in the sky away now
for those of you that have never joined
on one of these live and interactive
surveys you can actually ask me
questions can you believe that all James
Albright all you have to do is hashtag a
safari live or you can also talk to us
via the YouTube chat that’s also
acceptable now I’m I suppose the ready
to give you a very quick update sins
will be ready in case the hippos do
something exciting then I’ll just duck
should we do a practice run a practice
run so if they oppose open their miles
what I’m about to tell you a story this
is what’s going to happen one two three
Wow
same so that is so quick but that’s what
we’re going to do though only when it
opens its mouth oh but for now I’ll
quickly tell your story so we’re driving
up cheetah cut line we can kind of see
where the tortured pride of kemon what’s
the source of male leopard tracks very
exciting
they didn’t look massive either so I’m
wondering if they aren’t asanas maybe he
he’d popped in to torture didn’t quite
see where they went off because we had
all the Torchwood tracts sort of mingle
in with the leper tracks and then I just
gave up because we know how many sub
adult lines are in the pride and well to
try and distinguish between but once
nineteen different lines and one liquid
ah I was going to lose every single time
but there’s also some Egyptian geese but
I know Rebecca wants to ask me a
question as well hmm
okay also I was wrong there was only
four hippos and so let’s just Ricky go
back to hippo so just to coincide with
both sizes question about sensors on
hippos now they’re most acute since I
suppose and they’re in the water what do
you think it’s gonna be I’m gonna go
with hearing cuz well they’re eyes ears
a nose all on the same plane when it’s
above the water but we typically see
their ears working quite hard when they
go underneath the water I don’t know
what they’ll be using they don’t really
need much underneath the water
I suppose thinking maybe open the eyes I
don’t know how much she’ll see in the
murky water however but some they’re
definitely not chasing after fish so I
don’t think a hippo has any sensory
organ or sensory nerves around its mouth
to try and pick up vibrations of fish
because it doesn’t need to do that
oh are you sleeping in you got a bit of
a factor the Terran bites you where
everywhere it was not supposed to I bet
that happens every now and then and so I
think when I get out of the water
I’m still gonna go with you a little
even though they’ve got little ears I
think the hearing is not too bad and
they Saints as small of us would go
quite a large snot it seems to be the
largest feature on their bodies on their
face in fact and so I’m going to go the
sense of smell as well you know one’s
having a good old snooze a great sea a
stem why don’t you keep getting a fright
Jeff hiccups
don’t know if it’s maybe you got hiccups
the way that it was jerking and spongy
like that I’m Mina moon now you’ve
noticed the beautiful sort of glistening
shine that’s on this hippo you’re
wondering about why that is and so what
happens with hippos is that there’s a
Cretan oil called hippo sidorak acid
which is a substance also known as blood
sweat so I reckon that that’s got
something to do with it it’s quite an
oily substance so I can imagine we’re a
little bit of water gets onto it and
that there they do sort of boast that
glossy Sheen
please roll for us somebody roll over
there’s one coming close another one I’m
sort of convinced that there’s only one
big bull and that’s down though in there
he is that’s him now
they’re all so sleepy well he’s on the
move now eat when we first got you he
was very upset with us he opened his
mouth as he does normally he’s never
very chuffed when anybody comes to view
him and his ladies at that before look
damn he’s going under he heard me say
that
and so gizmo I’ve seen a hippo dissected
once they’ve got a lot of fats on them
that they do go to quite a thick layer
but they do have muscle of course as
well so I’ll try and dig out some
pictures I might if I scroll through
further and down on my phone back in
time I might be able to find some images
of what the hippo sort of fatty
substance looks like it’s it’s quite
insane how how thick it actually is it
must have been about six or seven
centimetres thick maybe between five and
seven centimetres thick of course it
depends on where you’re looking on the
body obviously around the back and
around the rump there was plenty of it
but they have a very thin epidermis
though Oh wonderful well James has been
singing a couple of songs lately at this
time he’s not doing all of the acting
and singing the grass is doing it for
well I think that on a Sunday afternoon
when there’s not a great deal to find
what one should do is die in a field of
grass observing the calms waving above
one’s head as the great blue vault of
my part fairly soon so I better stand up
I’m lying in the field of what is known
as hypo feel a dissolute er or the
yellow thatching grass hello as you can
see some of it is even taller than I and
while I am not very large I am 5 feet
and 8 inches and this grass is roughly
equivalent at 5 feet and 8 inches and
you can see how effective it must be as
a thatching grass so that is hypothet
dissolute ER the yellow thatch in grass
now pick your piece if you like would
you like me do you would okay good here
we go towards reminds me of the sort of
late winter time and August in the natal
part of the Drakensberg mountains where
you get this red fetching grass growing
and oh it’s just the most wonderful
color so there it is quite an impressive
organism really nothing more I can tell
you about it very bad grazing grass
hopeless in fact and if you were ever
wanting to make straw that’s what you’d
make it off so if you were the second
little pig you’ve quite like hyper
thelia the saluto as well because you
would make know the first little pig
sorry the first little pig made his
house of straw burgers not the second
one he made his a prefab the second runs
me yes
rush some more worried about ticks lying
in that grass well yes there may be a
few I’ll check my leg ease when I get
home and stop any that are crawling up
towards the sensitive parts because
that’s what they do of course very
unpleasant now let’s find a mammal shall
we a real actual mammal that will be
wonderful
all dirt I’ll take a bit an unusual bird
I must say I want to ask you all why
don’t you send through while we wait for
something massively action orientated to
heaven why don’t you send through a bird
that you would like to see an unusual
bird that you would like to see that you
know occurs here there are some arrow
marked babblers in this Grove of silver
cluster leaf trees you see them there
Ferg and I’ll still around so send us
through on a hashtags for a live on the
chat on YouTube
tell us what unusual bird you might like
to see this afternoon gone they do like
to pop there’s one than the that tree
there yeah we get it’s just gone to the
lift this is the fascinating bear blue
sighting ah there’s its bottom wonderful
it’s a flock of about 10 of them Trish
you like seen ostrich that’s a good call
Brent may be able to find one of chitwa
chitwa and challenge him with ostrich I
think I’ve seen one there I think I’ve
seen one on the airstrip actually a Leah
Corey busted another good one many in
the Mara of course and some here but not
I would like to see a yellow-bellied
arrow mamala their goal just have yellow
bellies that’s why they’re called yellow
bellied Fergus yes the yellow bellied
come on there must be something else
around again our Cathy wants an African
Hoopoe of all the requests we’ve had
Cathy yours is most likely the one to be
fulfilled
you like that rendezvous focus easier to
keep film and just very nice yes the
African poopoo here we have some people
on their game drive some African people
yes good afternoon how you doing good
absolutely nothing there was a flock of
era marked babblers there ten of them
good luck they’ve seen our mark burber
is already they don’t want to see
I suppose I should have asked what they
saw around here all right well good news
is Brent Leah Smith has managed to find
himself some footprints let’s see if he
well there we go
a big male leper track I think it is
quarantine coming into Chitra Chitra so
sometime during the day today quarantine
is marched in so I think it’s quarantine
trucks look a bit bigger than
singhania’s tracks so hopefully it is
I’ll be very happy just before Hasan and
shangela so he is his brother is kanuma
but in his offer days on Mala Mala now
where they call him the Senegal Bush
male and he set up territory to the
his his older half-brother who was by
the name of Shiva Millan and pushed him
out of this area to the east of us
cheetah plains and the southern sections
no she’s not
is it he’s kochava around as well no
but these tracks are quite nice and see
I’m just carrying on here should I keep
checking where they’re going fingers
crossed we get to find quarantine now
the main the main reason I actually came
out into this area was to try to get our
mammal list up with Steinbach and die
cat but I’ll take Lee at the tracks I
will Justin so even though with this
button here Justin he’s called
quarantine because of the area he
frequented when he first became
independent from his mother so there’s
that clearing outside of our camp called
quarantine and it’s called quarantine as
that’s because where they used to
quarantine cattle when people are still
trying to cattle for this area so they
would quarantine so he spent a lot of
time on the quarantine clearings when he
became independent from kuru left it’s
now with him around you must check every
okay so Kerala was a very successful
female leopard for many years and she
produced quite a lot of offspring child
of the University the offspring of hers
that are still alive I’ve lost the
tracks and we just have a quick precise
quiz here interesting no tracks yes I
think we’re gonna have to check
Shabalala Road so it is quarantines
alive a consumers alive we don’t know
about your underline anymore Tandy most
obviously Tandy from her first litter
I’m just trying to think I think that’s
it at the moment that we can be a
hundred percent certain of now of course
a lot of the males young males over the
years might have dispersed further and
could still be very much alive just we
don’t know there could be in remote
I’d say yes sir that’s a three minute
Andy quarantine and kanuma and decider
of course said he me for up until
recently of course shadow was also part
of that group but she’s obviously hasn’t
been seen in so many months or over
about two months now so it’s probably
safe to assume that she is moved on to
the next plane we just got
now we look for various different things
Evelyn when we were trying to locate a
leopard footprints are a good idea to
give you a good general direction where
to go but most of the time you find them
from the alarm calls of other animals so
squirrels and Paula could you all make a
lot of noise when they spot a predator
like a leopard
so they’ll all shout to the tops of the
trees trying to tell everyone to be
okay there’s no sign of them going that
way so we’re going to do is we’re going
to loop back through onto Shabalala red
Shabalala means kudu in zulu those who
are wandering and shang garnet is normal
I said quarantine has been pushing
slowly slowly further and further into
chitwa now this is probably a better
territory than the one he’s got that’s
why he wants to take it from ting Ghana
but it’s going to be very interesting to
see how the leopard dynamics play out in
the next little while now it seems like
you set gems a bird challenge so let’s
see how he’s going with that no no
ostriches no African who boos know kori
bustards it’s getting quite windy which
i think is making finding ostriches very
difficult they like to you know go into
their burrows when it’s windy like this
I agree with brains of the leopard
dynamics going on here at the moment are
fascinating I mean they’re played out
here for millennia but it’s not often
that you get to actually watch a
takeover and change like the one we’ve
been able to now there’s a tiny little
flock of birds on the top of that tree
there for gust oh well this one bird
calling yeah top you got him there here
we are don’t fly please Oh two of them
they were yellow front end Canaries
an apparently Rebecca wanted to see the
yellow front of the canary well we aim
also I would like to know what has
happened to shadow has been apparently
no word from all of her for some time
now and one doesn’t want to fear the
worst but it would seem that things
might have well not been particularly
pleasant for her Skeeter you were
wondering what happened to shadow I
don’t know
and there haven’t been any reports of
her from all for a while should do do
obviously pushing down into her
territory shadow for those of you don’t
know now I guess she must be tin by now
ten-year-old female leopard Tandy’s
littermate so but odd we haven’t seen
she used to hang around here so who
knows what’s happened to her not Barbara
not Barbara was her cub or is her cub
depending on where they are on this
Bob a nice one from you about the life
expectancy of a leopard well it really
does depend on a lot of luck potentially
leopards like 10 Ghana could live up to
sort of 14 years old that would be very
old from male I think the oldest male on
record in the sabi sand was the campaign
male he made it to 15 and that’s very
old so I mean you know 12 13 14 that
would be around about the age for a male
leopard if he’s manages to stay out of
trouble but of course that will reduce
as soon as pressure is brought to bear
and no one can predict what sort of
pressure will be brought to bear on
these animals and certainly chingada
who’s I’ve just I don’t think he’s quite
hit his 12th birthday yet I he I’m
surprised that he has lost as much
condition as quickly as he has and I
really think that he is ill I don’t
think he’s well I remember that one day
we found him lying underneath a bush and
he just didn’t move and this was before
we had seen hook amore and he just
didn’t move for two days he lay under
that Bush and then he sauntered into
chitra camp and lay there for another
few days he’s put on white since that
time but he seems to be doing a lot of
sleeping and I wonder if he’s just not
well and if that hasn’t allowed Hooper
Murray to come into this area
unchallenged and now putting Garner to
take it back again very difficult female
leopards live a little bit longer than
the males and potentially up to 17 or 18
years and in captivity probably a bit
longer but I would say an average of 14
or 15
and our beloved Corolla or obviously
Debbie didn’t you say gorillas male Cubs
haven’t dispersed very far is that
unusual
well it’s only unusual if there is you
know if they’re occupying territories
that were full obviously warranty moved
on to children to cheetah planes into an
area where his father used to be sort of
dominant and his father then disappeared
so that kind of gave him his spot and he
wedged himself between his brother
Siobhan B’Elanna and in Anton Ghana and
I think Siobhan B’Elanna has just gone
further and further east into the Kruger
and so quarantine found himself a small
there’s a green pigeon but it’s now
flying at a great speed away from us was
eating these fruits quarantines just
found himself a sort of not very large
territory but a territory there between
cheetah planes and chitwa chitwa moving
on to children up so I don’t think
necessarily that her other male
offspring Amin kanuma went all the way
down to Mala Mala that’s quite far as
Siobhan Berlin has gone into the Kruger
I don’t know where I don’t even remember
if me Shaw and Induna were both males
I’m not sure but they certainly aren’t
seen around here anymore so no I don’t
think they they are dispersing unusually
close to their natal territories there’s
the vulture whose home is in this tree
let’s have a look at him oh no we’ve got
behind the tree which means he’ll
probably fly as soon as we get any
closer he’s done fire you stay where you
are there was nothing else to see except
you
unlevel now what you will see of course
is the vulture there in the tree and
below his nest a mistletoe and in
vulture society of course the romance of
mistletoe happens beneath you’ll nest
not above your door did you know that
folks yes exactly you don’t want to go
to a vulture party unaware of that you
might have you might have to you might
find yourself having to kiss a
lappet-faced vulture would be very
unpleasant Rusin you wanted to see a
vulture well that is a white-faced
vulture and that is its home that’s the
mistletoe I’ve been talking about that
green spot there and in the platform of
Styx just above is the nest and they
obviously nest in trees and I think if
I’m not mistaken I’m just gonna check us
up to you I think they’re egg-laying
time he is now let me just look that up
for you one of the few birds that will
breathe during the winter months over
for Fulcher were four white backed
breeding monogamous presumed to prepare
[Music]
nest one adult presumably male brings
most sticks oh that’s interesting
mate places and arranges them so the
male the male goes out and fetches the
sticks and he brings them back and the
female then puts them together into the
nest that seems like a very amicable way
to do things rather than arguing over
the general Feng Shui she’s in charge of
that and he goes and he fetches what she
needs
lined with dry grass sometimes green
leaves yes yes yes yes
so they lay their egg ease between April
and July that’s in Zimbabwe in South
Africa April to June that’s very
interesting so I believe the tailor has
seen both of this pair arranging the
sticks so they obviously have a slightly
more equitable relationship a more
modern vulture family he’s got an itchy
head poor fella anyway and the
incubation period just 56 days and they
I just want to find out when they
fledged then they fledge at about 90
days can’t be nestling period here and
108 140 days depending on the conditions
I guess that’s quite a big range so 120
days is how many months Furguson four
months four to five months in the nest
and then they fly away and must go and
find disgusting pieces of rotting flesh
to eat all on their own I imagine being
a vulture chick fairly unpleasant for a
meal a point of view because well not
only do your parents eat fowl and
rotting material they then bring it up
for you to eat when they return home I
guess that’s very unpleasant yes start
with a barlow I guess if you’re going to
go and eat a rancid carcass best it
tastes better than what you used to get
at home so we shall what
this nest with eagerness and I’m doubt
Taylor said that she was saw them
actually interacting at the nest means
that we may well have some little
vultures in this area for some time
fairly soon well that was a nice animal
sighting wasn’t it folks
yes really good well we have a question
let’s stay here child of the universe
you say why are none of the leopard
carcasses found I’m not sure what you
mean there they are
it’s not like leopard carcasses never
found we will we find them vultures and
hyenas absolutely find them and so if
they are out in the open then oh oh I
see
right so you mean the carcasses of dead
leopards as opposed to the carcasses
leopards have killed all right um I
suspect quite often because they go off
to die in very thick bush and it is very
common in fact that you don’t find
leopard carcasses no matter how well you
know the leopard and I think what they
do is you know if they’re injured or
something like that they’ll go and find
such thick bush where they’ll choose to
sort of either convalesce or die quietly
that’s yeah you wouldn’t find the
carcasses the unusual to find them and
then of course you know in not very long
hyenas I mean hyenas will definitely
discover the carcasses once they start
to rot and they’ll tell him to pieces
very quickly and so you know you may
find some of the bones that we found our
line and lipid carcasses but it’s
largely because they go to quite places
to bubble pop their clogs as it were all
right Fergus should we put on from our
we’ll go off towards treehouse Dam and
see what we can find there I know Taylor
started there you never know what’s come
down by now
by volge have a lovely day afternoon
he’s just watching the Sun go down
quietly
or she is maybe they’ve had a fight he’s
all right Taylor mccurdy has now given
up trying to find signal on jigger she’s
on her feet and on quarantine clearings
and she’d like to fight tell you about
what that experience feels like on a
Sunday bushwalk 2.0 for the day thank
goodness I didn’t do a work hard cause
now we’re gonna do this bush walk like
this backwards think we might actually
no come on sensor come on at the pace
I’m doing come on I’m doing the rim did
you guys have to do all the time you’ve
to right in front of me what’s so hard
projecting today on afternoon Bush walk
for a little bit maybe we will do
workouts you will find things in the
bush that we can work out with whether
it’s picking up rocks pushing down trees
now Jake we’re not gonna be doing any of
that
I have absolutely no idea what I’m going
to show you on this bush walkers I’ve
literally just stepped out of final
control and so we will try and find
something I don’t think we’re going to
have a huge amount of insects I’m afraid
as it hasn’t been the nicest day and if
I were an insect I probably just would
have called it quits and stayed home
under cover under a leaf so maybe we
will have to be turning over many leaves
today
let’s check this wealth area wealth area
wealth area please give us something
even a trip not even one okay next tree
oh let’s go to brain quickly with
monkeys well there we go number seven on
the species list vervet monkeys looking
a little bit out of sorts in the long
grass oh there’s a light camera let me
well off it goes doesn’t wanna be left
behind
jump jump jump now of course they’re
really important for us monkeys apart
from being wonderful to watch they also
really really great spotters of leopards
oh that one fell out at the branch he
just goes forward a little bit for them
so we can try get a better view of them
the monkeys have incredibly good
eyesight and playing and like a lot of
primates they can be very very playful
particular at this time of the day
they’ve almost done with their foraging
and feeding in there they’re going to be
looking for a good spot to roost they
can be lovely and playful at this time
of the day and it looks like one of the
big males they’re keeping a watchful eye
on everything in the ACC’s right up to
the top making sure there’s no potential
danger for his troop I’m happy for you
Sasuke this is Saskia’s first monkey
it’s quite a nice one oh and down so I
think they’re heading down towards the
river and a little more why Nene so they
can hide and get right up in the trees
and that’s where they’re gonna roost for
now we’re gonna just quickly shoot down
the airstrip lots of Impala and stuff
around yeah maybe we’ll get another
species and it’s waving quickly you know
hopefully try get another species so
we’re on seven which is not bad VM said
we’d only get nine species today I still
think we can get to at least eleven
different species on our drive today and
I think Chitra is the place to do it
on chitwa chitwa I think we might get a
surprise all three of the different
species let’s hope we get some pushback
as well we’ve already seen these two
species already it is just lovely golden
light on them the Impala and in yella
now what we want them to do is start
barking it’s our eighth species of the
day can be a leopard but at the moment
they’re all looking very relaxed and
we’re gonna send you back to madame
mccurdy on foot he’s got something that
likes to curl up to defend itself almost
not yet third was scared a minute ago
but we’ve got Mildred aka a millipede
for those of you who have no idea I
can’t remember why we called it a
Mildred I think I may have collected one
and then drove it around for the whole
Safari and decided to give it a name and
I’m big on integration so Mildred
millipede well you get the picture now
these are very cool little creatures
although to you to some of you you may
think Oh potato get away from that puffy
but they’re really quite cool they’re
fun to put in your hands so that they
walk around but they’re also really
important to the environment and because
just like termites are largely
responsible for decomposing vegetable
matter so on Mildred’s they do a very
very good job and because they eat such
large quantities of decaying plant
matter and you can imagine it’s got to
go somewhere and we know that when they
do defecate it’s quite cool because
it is their defense as well but what I’m
getting to is we’ll get to the defense
in a minute but most of you know about
it it’s just like always talk about the
caterpillars and how they’re eating
these recycles nutrients back into the
soil lot quicker with their feces with
their fresh fresh the same thing applies
to the millipedes which was very very
cool so you must be thankful for them
although I can imagine when there are
lots of them when you see them in large
groups they’ll probably be a little bit
of a paste now this one is searching
searching searching maybe for a burrow
I don’t know if I’d like to be out late
at night they typically are a diurnal
maybe you get some nocturnal so maybe
you get some nocturnal ones I’m
unfamiliar with any nocturnal ones I
would imagine that they’d prefer to be
out on the nice warm day so maybe it’s
going to curl up go into a hole into the
ground somewhere and oh it’s just
searching for a patch of decaying leaves
sorry about that everybody we find
ourselves once more trusting to us us
yes we had some hornbills but they were
very nasty and they flew away oh here
wait wait everyone we’ve got some real
action going on here circus do see it is
the it is the canary metal pretty and we
shall remind ourselves Fergus of the
Latin name of the canary nettle do you
know what it is I’m going to say you
don’t would I be correct
you don’t look very less and no no in
fact lesson you’re inescapably not it’s
a rather wonderful name and it goes as
follows if I can find it’s because I
can’t remember it naturally it is Fidel
no Karpis pruriens Fidel know Karpis
protiens would you like to try and say
that but try anyway it’s a good one
Sudama no carpus Cyprian’s near er you
see you are latin who basically come
from Venezuela like Ally no Ally’s
Venezuelan brother Diego
for damn no carpus Koreans Thank You
Diego
let us continue to treehouse damn we
it is everyone you can all practice
saying that wherever you happen to find
there’s lots of speed and no Karpis puri
ins all over the place I remember the
day there was a day much like this one
where there wasn’t a great deal going on
on the reserve and somehow we got into
long words and somebody sent me the
following word
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
which I believe if I remember correctly
is the heat fear of long words
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia it’s
good word that I’m having a bout of
hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia and
Rebekah’s is doing out of spilitt well
my spilling is so utterly appalling I’m
yes it’s a little common wax bill I
found your tiny bird to look at that’s a
no it’s not it’s a Melba Finch aka greed
winged pettalia and that’s mrs. green
winged by Thalia we don’t often get a
picture of a female green winged by
Thalia like this
the male is oh there’s oh no and there’s
some five things his brain was looking
for five inches earlier just below
gorgeous shot of what looks like a blue
build fire Finch Rebecca is of the
opinion that that bird looks like it
should be in Switzerland with Heidi I
have absolutely no idea why the poor
blue build fire Finch should live with
Heidi and the freezing climes of this
was Alps Pop’s are part of that’s
Holland isn’t it clogs o´clock
phenomenal clock yes perhaps did Heidi
have a talk like that that hi do you
have a cuckoo clock
yes another five inch clock exactly okay
those are two very nice little birds
that we saw them let’s continue
all right Taylor has decided that she is
a little bit shorter today and so she
I’m going to fall over I tried very hard
to gather myself but I was also too
quiet for not so long look what’s
happened to me I just want to show you
if anybody that does not suffer from
grass allergies this is literally my
life look at that look at those welts
you’re amazing
they’re so cool and they’re so it she I
cannot tell you how each he that is I
just I just want to scratch it and since
always telling me off as I was trying to
stand on the tree tell me there’s no
need to scratch it even did one of these
so tell me off now let’s try and find a
natural antihistamine I remember her be
saying something once about the cambium
layer of a marula tree however I don’t
have my multi-tool with me this
afternoon to try and cut away do you
have your one in another man with these
things or not today okay next time sorry
we were not prepared for bushel we just
sort of ran our scenes a little head
Slipslop son he had to go and put shoes
on show everybody on our shoes peace
ends oh look I lovely there oh look at
the outfit so he’s got Gators on not
horse riding Gators it’s not get
confused those ones I just stopped the
grass seeds from growing in your shoes
which I forgot at home and my mother
shouted at me she reprimanded me she
told me that I’ve left everything my
binoculars straps all sorts of things
but Otto’s behind
bark piece of bark let’s pull a bit off
hmm I can put that back on but look what
I found
I will be able to stick it we have found
behind part number one some worms some
larvae of sorts one has already poop a
turd you can see the one on the left and
these two which I didn’t mean to do this
to because I didn’t think there would be
anything here and have not be paid to
just yet
I don’t know what Lavie is it would be
maybe a boring beetle larvae perhaps
some of you have known maybe they’ve
been identified before this is on a
marauder Tory but let me close them
but they covered back on now I’ve got to
play the game of shapes which way does
the beauty of marula tree healed fixed I
would beat curse the neck doing puzzles
but she’s also not very good at doing
puzzles just stroking she’s much better
than me she has more patience than me to
do puzzles and now since all is
basically gonna be deciding not what
we’re talking about today but what trees
and things would be going to so earlier
on before we had Mildred before we were
rudely interrupted by the technical
gremlins again we’re going to have a
look at the stream and there could be
many different things that Livius
scorpions lizards termites I can’t
see some termite activity over here in
fact but we will wait because there’s no
need to rush away I’m going to send you
to James Oh apparently has got a very
nice view of the sunset well we do have
a view of the Sun the Sun is setting and
the wind is starting to blow perhaps a
storm coming up so this very nicely
managed to frame the Sun and the gap
between the trees well done it was my
parking there wasn’t it yes it’s all up
I think we’ll wait for it to go on that
gap then go just clouds above it hello
Monty you say that the bird was the
seventieth bird on your list I’m
assuming you’re talking about the the
fire finch heidi’s bird that’s great I’m
assuming you have the blacksmith left
wing on your list we have a blacksmith
Lapwing here watching the Sun go down
having his bath which I think Taylor
said was not here when she came down
last time so I told you it’d be a good
idea and be a great kisser of things
coming down during the afternoon one of
which is the blacksmith Lapwing not very
rare fairly common up to scene hello
have you had a good Sunday you have have
a roast chicken dinner did you hmm
roast lamb today mmm delicious YUM yes
quite interesting to see him pull a
roast chicken out of the oven really
even have an oven the others calling I
think there’s a chicks you know that
maybe there’s four that have just
learned it I suspect that those little
those all they’re adults now but I
suspect that they have just fledged and
they’re from the season because they’re
quite territorial birds and so they’re
unlikely to stay in an area with other
blacksmith lapwings unless they are very
closely related to the territorial
blacksmith lab wings of the area
question looking for ants most likely
which there will be many this is really
quite cool actually catering you ask a
question that is seemingly obvious but
has no obvious answer I don’t think what
I guess it does have a relatively
obvious odds you say why are sunbirds so
common and some birds so rare I think
some birds are just better adapted to
living at this particular stage of the
Earth’s life so a good example would be
the blacksmith Lapwing and there’s lots
of habitat for it to live in lots of
different things for it to eat and it’s
adapted to eating what’s available now
and then you take something like a
ground hornbill for example which by
very nature of its diets it’s a predator
it’s always almost always going to be
less common than something that is more
herbivorous
it doesn’t have many nesting sites like
it used to an enormous birds which means
they need enormous nesting sites that
take 9 years to get to breeding sort of
adulthood so I think there are a whole
number of reasons but I would say it’s
largely to do with habitat and I think
if you were to go back I don’t know say
3,000 years and then 4000 years and then
you know if you were to go back a
thousand years at a time you’d probably
find that some of the birds that are
very common now were rarer and some of
the birds that are rare now were much
more common so it’s not surprising and
something like a Nerina trogon is not as
common as a blacksmith left wing because
its habitat is that much more fragmented
and far less common oh another war
playing out on the plains is taking
and I promise it’s not between sins or
and I yet oh my goodness there was also
a spider saying oh did you see that
termites versus ants and then look at
that thing there I’m not you’re not
illegally chase it jumped sorry I don’t
know if you can see it there you see
that thing there since all sorry I’m
messing up your no juju there’s you
kneel down but there’s something really
small and one and I don’t know what kind
of spider it is I can’t really tell if
it’s a jumping spider or not but it’s
exceptionally small was it going for the
ants or was it going for the termite if
I was a spider I’d probably go for it
delicious termite I don’t think that
ants
taste quite as nice and and you can
clearly see the proof is in the pudding
this afternoon as the ants have raided
the termite nest they’re still going
after them they’re taking them back one
by one decimating the colony’s
population of Joe – but they haven’t got
too far to walk and it’s actually not
uncommon to see ants and termites sort
of living in close proximity which one
another obviously these little termites
are feeding on wood at the moment and
probably grasses and other vegetable
matter however these ants are ravenous
and they have a craving for termites
that only termites can well sort that
craving out I suppose as well is going
to go with that but so they’re taking
lots of them so I’m trying to think how
these ants would be killing these
termites because you can see this is
where they starting look here maybe
we’re gonna see them putting up a fight
where the soldiers where’s the
reinforcements come on termites there’s
a little hole in there and I think
that’s where the ants are going in and
then there’s actually a couple if you
look over there some termites and ants
oh no I did that sorry and I think those
workers are trying to fight back so I
think those ants might be biting them
perhaps they have a venomous sort I
don’t think that I don’t I don’t know
about ants being venomous maybe they
just bite them to the point that they
can’t survive anymore it’s very brutal
very savage as you can see barbaric if
you will as they
grab them some non then we’re carrying
their own termite and I mean those two
months a tiny tiny tiny little ones and
those ants are probably about a third of
the size of the termite but that’s
incredible it looks like those termites
are trying to fight back facing their
opponents with their pincers I don’t
imagine they’re very strong they need
the soldiers I don’t know why the
soldiers haven’t come through yet to
help out that’s very unusual normally
when there is an attack on a colony of
whether it’s ants or termites the
soldiers will come on in and try and
protect them and then those little
lentils not stand a chance
build a wall build the world you think
that’s what they’re all shouting it’s
like a game of Thrones scenes going on
over here this afternoon
anyways I don’t know actually I’m gonna
comes crouched next to sins look because
he’s got such an amazing view much
better than what I can see try and
figure out what’s actually going on
there’s one termite sacrificing itself
that’s putting up a fight though it’s
not letting them well yes it’s not going
I’ve been told to move the grass yep
gone is that better there was for effect
oh my goodness look how they have this
termite they’re pulling it from either
side but they need to take it home to
feed the rest of the ant colony go go go
I don’t even know if that termite is
still alive they’re pulling at its legs
it doesn’t stand a chance I’m afraid
dynamite definitely comes in small
packages oh my goodness shame I’m so
sorry little termite and I’m just
standing here watching you since all we
could be next
we better be very careful that we don’t
get carried away into a chamber never to
see the light of day again anyways okay
sorry termites good luck I don’t think
the ants are really going to decimate
your whole colony we’re obviously being
dramatic because at Sunday
and I think that on Sundays you’re
allowed to be a little bit on the
dramatic side but that was quite a nice
little wall
don’t you think going on between two
species so we didn’t find a lizard we
didn’t find a scorpion but there’s a big
hole going into the side of the log and
looks like more of a termite mound I
don’t actually want to know what’s
living in this are we gonna move away
from that now cuz it looks very mumble
like brains how River has arrived at
shutdown for the second time today I
wonder if he’s going to add new mammals
to his list come on Taylor put your hand
in the hole put your hand in the hole
that’s not never a good idea and they
should have a torch yeah sorry we’ve
struggling to find some new mammals and
cheaper and no fresh sign of Leopard
anyway apart from those tracks that when
they got to the main road were
obliterated but I think he’s gone north
into Torchwood so I think we’re gonna
head back towards Juma now I head along
cheetah Kaplan maybe tandy has come back
from Torchwood
you never know it’s the right time of
there’s lots of different ways to
describe predator tracks Tina like you
could I think the most correct actual
correct way is probably of the cats as
pugmarks so rather than footprints or I
spell the tracks lion track leopard
track it’s it’s all pretty much correct
you’d call it line footprints it’s still
correct and I think sort of the the one
of the terms is is pugmarks or for the
cats and the big cats never really
thought about it too much to be honest
in a lot of a lot of areas in Africa
sometimes you will find animals that
have collars Kristen we don’t collar in
this area to track their territories we
do it the leopards here are mostly
arbitrated and we can find them with
relative ease and work out their
territory is quite easy from just where
we see them there’s no need to color
them there are different research
organizations that do color from time to
time but not in the sabi sands if we see
a collared animal here it is normally
being collared outside of the sabi sands
and has come in so occasionally we’ll
see collared wild dogs it’s probably the
most common colored animal we see as
there are an endangered species and the
EWTN danger dois dive trust is
monitoring majority of the packs in this
area and some of those packs will will
indeed have collars and the other two
animals that we see that are khalid from
time to time is elephant and and buffalo
and both those situations again there
have been collared under various
different research projects but inside
the kruger national park and then of
course as being open to the kruger they
will wander in and out of the sabi sands
into the kruger and so on okay
maybe we’re gonna have some Tandy Lac
because she has been giving me a hard
yesterday she was deep inside Torchwood
so there’s a very good chance she might
have me ended her way back
look at that
lots of big big beautiful clouds and
it’s hope the rain stays away till the
end of the sunset Safari so our mammal
challenge we’re on 7 them you might be
right vn said 9 I’m hoping we can get
over 9 and let me just change tact here
and now you said coat come off the
eastern channel that I was using on
Chitra and back on the northern Channel
I had to use on humour now Walter Bucky
is one of the animals we’ve already
gotten our mammal challenge so let’s go
to James while I try to find something
else there are some water bucking and
unfortunately I cannot move into a
position where you can see anything
other than their backsides because we
will lose signal entirely I do apologize
for that oh there we go
thank you very much beautiful water
bucket ball young bull um I wanted to
say something advice important say is
say been seen 7 mammals what do we see
we’ve seen I can’t believe is anything
close to that we’ve seen warthogs ease
these chaps we’ve had an Impala just
three three species in two and a half
so this will be a young young this will
be a herd of young bulls still quite
friendly with each other enjoying the
sort of a fraternal bond of bachelors
and then not too long from now they will
become older and disgusted by each
other’s presence and seek out the
presence of ladies and I’m sure they are
hanging around here because there isn’t
a territorial bull around twin dams
where we find ourselves at the dam where
there is not much going on there is one
lonely gypto goose its partners
I know that’s a vehicle that’s what was
an elephant okay let’s go
as this elephant is moving very quickly
let’s go across to the gypto geese
beautiful clouds very nice today
overlaid a leopard or a lion or an
very pretty indeed now do you and I
believe you want to sue Tula Ann wants
to see a duck
well it’s your your lucky
here is a duck call the goose but in
fact a duck you can see it as a grazing
duck is grazing on grass yeah
the Egyptian goose or Tomb duck very
nice I’m a landscape of clearly
sort of nutrient poor soil and when you
look at soil like this it exposed low
felt soil you can see why this place was
such a disaster for any form of
Agriculture there really is very little
nutrition in the soil and apparently the
low felt itself is some of the most
ancient land in Africa and what that
means is that it has for the longest
time more than any other area in Africa
not had any tectonic or volcanic
activity and that means that it has had
no fresh deposits of nutrients for much
longer than many other landscapes in
Africa and that’s why it’s hopeless for
agriculture in most parts beautiful
right Tara mccurdy finds herself in the
great herds of quarantine let’s go and
see oh yes is very exciting up here
today we’ve got wildebeest as far as the
eye can see dotted with an Impala in
between very nice don’t you think kind
of creep over to Shenzhen so I can see
what you’re looking at cuz I think it
might be different to me
oh yes standing in and amongst the
Rula trees no Chaka who is only five
years old hello my dear friend and it’s
great to have a question from you now
your question specifically was about the
zebra and we are they do we not have
them anymore have they all died I’m
afraid they have not all died no why
would I say something like that I should
have been they know tiger they haven’t
died promise you they’re still all right
they’re on holiday at the moment and
they’re not willing to just our train
get rained on they don’t like the rain
so they’ve been trying to avoid it so
they’ve gone north for a little bit I
would imagine they’ve gone north that
way you can’t see it there but it’s down
in that direction
and the grass is nice and tall it’s
great you know they’ve babies having a
family reunion perhaps they haven’t seen
the other zebra frames or cousins or
brothers or sisters for a very very very
long time so maybe everyone was busy and
was doing you know private holidays over
Christmas and normally April is a good
time of the year to have a Christmas
holiday anyway I don’t know what I’m
talking about sorry Tucker
they will be back I promise you and the
day that we see a zebra I’m going to
make sure that you are watching so that
we can show you all the Zebras
but there is an Impala Ram chasing the
girls around causing all sorts of havoc
stop staring you can see look at the
pandemonium that’s going on now they’re
all just like oh we were just trying to
get ready for bed
and now we’ve gotten up for a sprint I
always feel sorry for the Empire use at
this time of the year
they don’t stop it’s just go go go all
the time the wildebeests not really
acknowledging what’s going on they’re
just standing still hoping that an
Impala won’t run into them but as those
females look very relaxed there’s one
member of the wildebeest herd that is
not relaxed at all and that is the bull
who is keeping a very close eye on us
also you may see some lights and a fence
that’s our other accommodation staff
accommodation hello boy so that’s the
big bull he’s been standing guard he’s
been watching us and snorting at us all
afternoon and I wouldn’t want to
too close to his hood because he’s just
got his lady so you can imagine he’d be
quite protective over them so we’ll
probably just stand from way over yeah
and watch him some Impala use trying to
escape from that RAM that was chasing
them around yes Rebecca I would imagine
that the wildebeest do get annoyed with
the Impala especially when they have to
listen to that snorting noise that the
impala make and then racing laps just in
a massive high kick jump not that one
but there was another one that’s printed
under a huge leap okay so what we gonna
wait for now is unfortunately these
animals are kind of like sheep in the
sense that they herd animals and they
follow one another see yes smile they’re
all starting to run in that dirt slowly
building up speed here’s one racing on
in it comes it’ll seize about to
overtake there it goes bounce bounce
bounce they’re all going to follow now
so this is gonna be quite exciting no I
would give that Impala only a four out
of ten
disappointment you get kicked off the
South African team here we go who’ve we
got next
no one else charging on in I’m waiting
I’m waiting for the rest of the herd to
realise what’s going on and that they
have been left behind and then
theoretically from every other Impala
sighting that I’ve ever seen they’ll
start coming this way and even the
wildebeests are slowly starting to move
in the direction of the Impala remember
now polar and I suppose yes certain
antelope species can interbreed or their
subspecies of one another which is
typically why when since you can’t have
black and blue wildebeest you just leave
them alone and keep them separate and
just trying to think what could mate
with an impala I don’t know but can I
tell you a really interesting story I
don’t know why this happened it still
boggles my mind then one day when I was
working in the Eastern Cape actually I
saw it more than once and I wasn’t the
only person to see it either so I wasn’t
going a little bit loopy was a big
inaudible
which is in the tracker lay for the
families most of you know so the same
family has a bush back and look could
you and those in yellow was out in the
open with a herd of Impala that were
grazing and it was sort of coming into
wretching season and for some bizarre
reason there was no Impala RAM with his
group of use but the in yellow bull I
kid you not was well and I think I’ve
told the story before was walking behind
and tasting a number of different news
and Fleming grimacing they can’t
interbreed but it was bizarre I don’t
know why he had a problem finding the
species of his own kind because there
was so many in Jana around so that was
quite weird I don’t actually know how to
explain it
oh look the wildebeest are coming back
now see they did they followed the
Impala
here they come and I don’t know if they
were going to be going down to where the
dam for a drink maybe they are they
normally start making their way up to
the open areas by now and then they are
just walking past the accomodations he
says these are Bucky and a buddy a Bucky
is not a swear word I promise
it is a word that South Africans used to
describe a pickup truck or a ute if
you’re from Australia yeah you say a ute
we don’t we say a Bucky that’s that
thing at the back over there Bucky could
also be a small container a Tupperware
to see South African language is way too
confusing and so yes so that’s the fence
that we’re telling you about so that’s
where some of the other members of the
wild earth team live is in there isn’t
that nice there’s so many elephants that
come through and pull down trees almost
breaking that fence
not that that fence really keeps
anything out because we tend to leave
the gate open all the time so then the
elephants and the hippos just walk on in
remember that great story brain loves to
tell about the time that the hippo tried
to get into the swimming pool was
walking on the deck which was quite
funny and say yeah it’s trying to get
the hip hard must have been very
entertaining especially under the cover
of darkness and
I wouldn’t surprise me if a lion or a
leopard hasn’t poked its nose in there
once or twice before so we try and keep
that gate closed especially when Darryl
the elephant is around if Darryl the LF
if you don’t know who Darryl the
elephant is he’s one of my favorite
elephants and there’s avid lots of
videos of him all over the social media
we even did it safari life story on
Darryl anyways let’s go a two-brains you
actually lives at this house and asked
him to rejoice the hippos story well I’m
a bit sidetracked suppose I found some
leopard tracks from during the day today
coming into Juma there’s also Lion
tracks there’s a bit older and someone
has driven over them but they definitely
went around this morning it’s a male
leopard could be husana could also be
tan ghana their footprints are quite
similarly sized at the moment but yes
III am i resided Inga’s and i was there
when the hippo wanted to climb into the
swimming pool and the wind through the
deck and trying to we were trying to
shoo him but you’ve got to be quite
scared wary of shooing animals such as
hippopotamus because they can shoo you
in half if you’re not careful but yes we
did manage to stop him getting into the
pool but unfortunately not stopped him
walking through the deck shame that
hippo is no more and did not survive the
ah maybe I Thank You mcaddie she said
she had a lots of serious alarm calls
around wari pan which is where we are
and she did see these tracks these
tracks are heading straight to quarry
pan at this very moment they are for a
male so I wonder if little Hasan has
come to cause nonsense yeah and just
double check it is this is confusing
though there’s Lion tracks yeah with the
Lion tracks looks a little bit older and
sea lions here I’m just trying to find
out where the leopard wind ooh no I’m
just joking I was trying to give you all
the fright I think I failed p.m. did I
fail did you get a fright for him a
little bit yes okay now this time of the
day tracks become quite difficult to see
so before I me and Iran just going to
try make a hundred percent sure oh yeah
where the leopard wind it looks like you
might have gone this way it’s double
check there in this low light gonna be a
little bit cheeky it’s also good just to
be stationary at this time of that I
hate to stop and it could be moving so
my tiara no I’m cool let’s do a loop
around this block them so it will go
down which way do we want to go let’s go
now it’s quite likely that what ever
leopard this was it might have stopped
for a drink yeah and then headed off
into the block so I’m just gonna have a
quick look around the pan while we do
that let’s go see what James these plans
well James II has just put his er well
Jamie didn’t but um Fergus did just put
the infrared lighter on in preparation
for the darkness which is a falling
quite rapidly now as the clouds gather
we’ve come to around where Tandy we
thought was yesterday so far
and I’m afraid that’s all I can tell you
right now there is a virtual Starling
where will it land oh good
film the virtual Starling there furgus
it’s the one on top of the tree now some
interesting colors behind it some bruise
and pinkish blues mm-hmm looks almost
black what an itchy ear and it will be
finding a roosting spot somewhere safe
ideally I mean they missed entry holes a
lot of birds don’t spend any time in
their nests other than for breeding and
I always think that I lived if I lived
in a tree hole as a bird that’s the
first place I’d go at night I wouldn’t
like to be out of my tree hole warm tree
hole nest in the night time latter I
suspect it’ll just find a piece of thick
bush to go and sit in
I did see it Franklin scramble up even
have any signal I’m afraid scramble up
into the top of a board where I think it
will remain for the night out of arms
way these pans also been very quiet of
late not much going on within I think
the heat you know like I say has come
off the edge of the summer and so not a
but this would be the time that Allah
pod would come out and begin hunting for
a lion or a high in death
Oh apparently you’re losing signal I’m
sorry about that let’s go across to
Brent I’ll find some more signal well
we’ve got those tracks now hitting
donburi pan road sorry about that it
seems like gem Z’s found the gremlins i
lost of them today we all have better we
will persevere now as they this light
tracking becomes quite difficult so I’m
very much concentrating and staring at
the road and what we are hoping for is a
little bit of luck with hopefully and
kudu just spotting there the leopard
starting to alarm call also because it’s
another species on our list
how many mammal species we can get quite
often like to do this I turn off the car
and freewheel down the roads where it’s
possible so I can use my ears more so in
that sort of half flight time of the day
when spotlight isn’t really that useful
you just have a look for tracks so
difficult from this flight you know
whether the light of the cars is better
electric cars and that’s how amazing
will be to drive around look at this
quiet you’ll hear so much more that’s it
sucks like Taylor’s decided to have
herself a solo fireside chat Sant’s fire
ah that’s not sure I’m collecting a
would bring collecting here it is very
nice
the fire started as Rebecca says I’m not
dragging I cannot blow fire out of my
[Laughter]
fireside chat past five everybody I did
also tweet I did an illegal tweet while
I was not alive because I’m still alive
right Carol first ones up have I ever
seen porcupine yeah at fireside chat on
the BBQ no never
however I have seen them running her a
hundred four I haven’t seen a porcupine
for a long time the last time I may have
seen one was possibly in the Mara being
chased by the hola Lola Lions next no
Gareth trick question where is the best
area to see sable I’ve I’m lucky there
any time that has luck is when it comes
to seeing sable so I’ve actually seen
them around Bergen doll look as I said I
have also seen them near number gate two
and I would imagine the large
populations disabled would be further up
north and Kruger maybe like past Satara
down that way but I’ve actually seen
lots and lots of sable and down
the southern sectors of crew I just
cannot remember what this one the cut
point and it’s not lookout point some
little cookie little mountain thing of
rocks and I once saw a herd of maybe
about fifteen or sixteen sable it was
really cool and they were so relaxed and
so close to the road
okay next trick was a trick wish you can
see them anyway now equalizes something
I have not seen up here in the sabi
sands as Rebecca has just said it is an
odd wolf um I’ve I couldn’t see why you
wouldn’t get them up yet I don’t know if
brains or James have maybe seen them um
I don’t actually know if their
distribution moves up to this area but
I’ve seen odd wolf not too far away from
here about four hours drive slightly
further north so I can’t imagine why
they wouldn’t be here maybe predator
density possibly we’ll get back to you
on that we’ll ask James and brain
they’ve worked in the sabi sand for a
long time
next okay to be comfortable for the Sun
scene as though you’re wondering where
my dream holidays these no scorpions
crawling out of the bar comfortable my
dream holiday casein there’s a hot in
the sky can you see that sorry just see
the heart sizzle or is it a Mickey Mouse
it’s a heart I’m gonna go with the heart
I’m proud watching for the race to this
afternoon see that’s how much we all
love each other even nature’s telling us
right now that’s amazing and now I’m
trying to think of where my dream
holiday would be I’d like to go to maybe
Madagascar or the Galapagus would be
quite cool I’d like to see animals that
have no fear of anything so the
Galapagos would be quite cool although
I’ve also want to go and see all the
chameleon species in Madagascar or also
Brazil I’d like to travel everywhere I
don’t have just one favorite place I
don’t have a dream holiday I want it all
all the holidays are my dreams next I
can sit up now because I’m not for my
holidays anymore
oh yes that’s yeah Saskia no Saskia
Saskia and yes there is definitely a
risk of forest fires in the
that’s one of the reasons why we have to
put in fire break often talk here I was
talking about driving along on fire
breaks and so basically we clear a
section on the outskirts typically on
the boundaries of the property and
there’ll be no vegetation whatsoever so
that if a fire does push in it’s got it
hits a section of about 3 or 4 meters
probably a bit wider than that and
hoping that the fire then will just die
down they do a lot of back burning here
to try and get rid of all the excess
mari pants or all the bill death of
trees and elephants have pushed out all
the leaves all those different types of
things we try and get rid of that
lightning is a massive problem and then
of course people breaking glasses and
bottles leaving the glass behind whether
it’s on purpose or not probably not on
purpose people throwing the cigarette
butts are that’s one purpose please
don’t do that that’s how you can’t start
a fire and I can’t tell you how many
lodges have burned down and lodges have
almost been lost because of fighting
fires and we have to fight those fires
and it’s not fun fighting fires remember
it’s very remote our chair so normally
it’s people on there working at the
lodges are part of the conservation
teams that are a will trying to put
those fires out it’s very dangerous
right where you going to have to start
going home soon but we’ll probably do
one more segment when we get a bit
closer to camp and but for now I’m going
to send you to James and he’s yielding a
spotlight yes who have my spotlight out
oh the southern white crowned Shrike
that has done what everything else is
done today Fergus hey he’s gone yes he’s
I mean it’s all very well saying you
shouldn’t throw a cigarette butt out of
the car you shouldn’t be smoking in the
car full stop
well you shouldn’t be smoking end of
Russell you ought to know if I have ever
had to fight a fire in the bush Russell
I have fought many fires in the bush
I found it one of the most exhilarating
activities I ever did one of them I
caused myself I won’t tell you that
story but another one or many others
you know we’ve got had to get heavily
involved and all the lodgers come
together and I think I have told the
story before what we we had a big fire
on lo Z once and I mean you wait around
August September time he watched the
southern horizon to see what’s coming
and this monstrous thing came out of the
south and so everyone the alarm was
raised everyone got in and started
lighting fire breaks and I was
coordinating the thing very
inexperienced I was at the time and
these people arrived very kindly from a
lodge that shall remain nameless and
they arrived with with what looked like
sort of Ghostbuster suits on and one of
my friends who was helping with the
fighting the fire is now the general
manager at lund Losey he said to him he
has a sense of humor quite similar to
mine he thinks it he said is that so
that you can serve hot chocolate to
those of us who are actually fighting
this fire which they were very offended
by there had these sort of backpacks on
with a pumping handle and I don’t have
you ever done sports events where you
are but in this country you can go to
watch the cricket
well the rugby and these guys will come
part with backpacks full of steaming hot
chocolate or coffee or gluhwein if
you’re very lucky and they’ll pump the
thing and then fill your glass up you
know that’s what these guys were wearing
and no they were very insulted they had
special fire sludge in the back in their
backpacks the problem was that the fire
sludge only sprayed about two feet from
the front of the nozzle which meant that
in the face of a blazing inferno they
would have to have been ignited
themselves before they managed to bring
their fire Jil specialized fire drill to
bear on any kind of flame so they were
actually useless but we appreciated
having them around we got the fire art
in fact the night time took the fire art
if you can keep a fire at bay until
night it really is much much easier to
fire to fire when the temperature drops
and often the wind drops in the night as
well a fire needs wind temperature and
fuel and if those thing three things
combined which they often do in
September and you can see that this
grass is very long now and I’ll continue
the story when I’ve we’ve gone over to
well we haven’t given up on our mammal
list yet and we have a little gray
darker in infrared so what is this this
is number eight a female darker monkeys
were seven number eight as a little
beautiful now much more relaxed than
during the day because we normally they
disappeared rate of knots and docket are
quite nocturnal in their feeding habits
and they tend to be a little bit more
relaxed at night and see she’s listening
very intently and of course could be a
leopard too close by so it pays to be
very attentive and she turned her head
there you saw some little glands on the
side of her nose see if she does it
again there we got and she’ll scent mark
with those hey little one except she’s
gonna sneak off or wagging tail and
carry on on her nocturnal feeding now we
are in infrared and that’s why the
are we gonna leave the little darker and
keep moving and hopefully find a little
leopard so in the meantime let us go oh
I’m sorry I interrupted you Jonesy let’s
go back to Jim so he can finish his
well at least Brent had an animal to
show you that it was much more important
than my fire story I think I was saying
it was temperature temperature and fuel
and wouldn’t there we get those three
things combined oh yes now I know
exactly how I was gonna finish the story
and it is in September totally it gets
very hot after a rainy year like this
and you can see all around us relatively
long grass and this is going to be a
fire hazard come August and September
the rains come
and so you’ll find that we’ll have to be
quite careful about burning fire breaks
in the winter that’s when we normally do
it sort of June July we’ll burn fire
breaks around the camp so that the fire
of a fire does come the camps aren’t
threatened but I would say unlike last
year in the year before when there was
no fire hazard because there’s no grass
around come the 2018 fire season of
August and September into October we
magic dragon wizard do you think with a
name like that that you would know all
things you want to know how scarce are
animals after a fire depends on the
animal obviously and almost don’t stay
away but obviously if they’re grazers
there’s nothing for them to eat until
the green flash comes which is if
there’s moisture in the soil will be
fairly soon afterwards you know a couple
of days to a week or so there will be a
flush there’s a bird on the ground their
focus and so you’ll find that you’ll
have huge concentrations of grazers on
burnt areas as soon as that first green
flush happens but until that happens now
you won’t find much at all
there is a forked tail drawn by now this
has an interesting little memory for me
the first time I noticed that forked
tail drongos liked to sit on the road in
the very very last light of the day I
was living not too far from here up in a
place called pala Bora and I used to go
running in the evening it wasn’t
actually in the town which is quite
possibly the most unattractive tile in
South Africa I was in a rural area and I
used to go running around about this
time and I’d come back home in the last
light and there would be the drongos all
of them all through the Mopani woodland
on the road and I still don’t really
know why it is that they do this it must
be for eating what was that oh yes I
think of these whore whores they’re
looking for for little bugs and insects
to eat but they will go and roost I mean
they’re not nocturnal so it’s only at
this very last we’re doing during the
last embers of the day that they will
sit on an open patch like this and wait
for things to come past and it’s only
they do it a very interesting behaviour
we to an eye on infrared are we focused
and that’s why your picture is black and
white in case you were wondering
you can stop shaking your television or
your Smart TV
ya know checking the day to check that
it’s not 1968 one of only three black
birds that occur here
you know the Bing the black fly catcher
and the one last one being the black a
cuckoo track Lea yes we have we’ve had
very nice birds today you say we’ve had
awesome birds
I agree we’ve had a good time on the
bird front and that’s quite unusual on a
windy day like we’ve had today but very
pleasant now will she do something
psycho trying to figure out what he’s no
not not like fly away I tell show me
what you’re doing anyway that was the
all right Brent Lea Smith floods a
spotlight probably far more than I do
would like to just spot something with
well I’m hoping say I think James
doesn’t like the spotlight because it’s
like this he’s got to sort of try see
over the wheel and shine the spotlight
with his arm up Jamie also has to
whether his eye I can just sort of sit
normally him carry on shining the
spotlight we’re still hoping for a
last-minute leopard we’re doing a
blocker and it was loop around the block
oh there we go there’s number 9vm scrub
here so we’ve got two VIMS number nine
the vm thought we were only going to see
nine different species all they
disappeared the little scrubby’s huh all
right next
oh he’s disappeared under bush okay
that’s nine mammal species are we going
to break into ten the most elusive
animal in jhummer who’s that Jane I was
asking probably Pangolin Oh actually
Zorilla I’ve definitely seen more
pangolins in the sabi sands and I’ve
seen Paul cats
I’ve only seen Paul cat once and that
was coming when Tristan and Addie was
still working at see Bambi Lee Jamie and
I went for dinner with him then on our
way back we saw we saw striped ball caps
in the red Pangolin was Paul cash what
do you think then Oh Paul Katz yeah
carico I mean they’re all quite quite
scarce and whatnot but I think Paul Katz
is definitely something you don’t see as
often here Oh baby them oh no it’s
jumping too fast
ready go there I can see the eyes just
trying to find that a gap through the
trees that would have been number 10 but
we didn’t get him on camera so he
doesn’t count does it Jim yeah
maybe we’ll get lucky with another bush
baby no he’s still there
I see him leave him and just see his i/o
terminal is in a terrible spot he’s
going up pop his head out a little bit
high of him yeah so they’re on that left
hand sort of there we go somewhere in
there baby
he’s gone down all this more than one
another one coming through seal that
Shack there yet
okay I saw and I oh we saw a moving
branch you guys haven’t open a little
bit done there no you got him right
there let’s say Center frame there we go
bush baby yeah little guy that’s number
there’s a couple of there’s a two or
three in that little weeping wattle off
oh this is another one just dropped off
to the right getting ready for a busy
night of hunting insects I have just
just woken up as it’s got dark off and
into the thickets it goes bye-bye little
one thank you for making an appearance
and getting us our tenth mammal species
of the of the of the drive okay yay okay
now we need Leopard 411 Rebecca runs 11
leopards geez not demanding it all
Rebecca I’ll take one method rather than
11 at the moment
now we we seem to be having quite a lot
of luck with our spotlight we found
darker and Bush baby and scrub hair
unfortunately it seems like James is not
having as much luck let’s go find out
what his plans are yes I’ve spotted some
fruits in a tree beautiful large fruited
Bush willow huh look at that Hey
complete entirely Wow are you amazed
Fergus saw amazed
beautiful they look like chameleons
that’s how I spotted them very good
Leah Smith is definitely flashing me on
the mammal front we did see a scrub pair
we didn’t show you we so we have had
hope we saw some skin walk as well so
even those that we didn’t even if we
count the ones we haven’t shown you we
still aren’t even close we’ve had Impala
and Walt Hogan water buck we did see a
darker it ran away
Stian walk that ran away bunny the drown
away six
oh right okay get it now right so yeah
this is the time of the night when I
need to tell you and encourage you and
beg with you and plead with you to
please vote for us on the web ‘yes if
you don’t know what the web these are
the web e’s apparently or the equivalent
of the Oscars or Emmys but full of the
web and so you can vote for us on the
web ease we’ve been nominated for three
categories apparently some basset hound
is beating us and one of those
categories I’m not sure what this basset
hound achieved during the day to make
him so successful and the way these but
he is beating us in one category so
please go along all you do is go to our
Facebook page you’ll find the post on
the web ‘yes and then you just click on
webbie’s and then you vote for us please
if you win the webbie’s maybe you win a
computer or an iPod they make iPods
anymore I don’t know what happens anyway
be very nice it would be prestigious
maybe we’ll stick a sticker on our
vehicle that says we beat the Basset
Victoria you asked a very salient
question you say why are there no
headlights on the vehicle the answer is
that I turned them off I’m not sure why
turn the more I think there was
something on the road anyway they’re
back on now thank you thank you very
much for pointing up to me I hadn’t even
noticed I drove into a police roadblock
once yeah in the evening is in
Johannesburg they have set up roadblocks
to stop drunk drivers I was most pleased
with myself because I hadn’t had
anything to drink and I was looking
forward to blowing into a breathalyzer
and the chap said I’m writing you a
ticket for 500 Rand and I said but I
haven’t drunk anything he said no but
you didn’t have your lights on so I’ve
been driving around in the darkness of
Johannesburg without my lights on anyway
then I don’t think I’ve paid the fine
I did pay the fine in case anyone from
the traffic departments watching I paid
all right let’s go back across the Brent
leer Smith he’s had his lights on all
night well he has told us that he is a
much better driver than me and everyone
else and so did the evidence would show
that he is watched nonsenses James
talked you know I just said I could see
over the steering wheel more easily oh
not subscribe haze around but we are
trying to find some more species now we
just had that wonderful sighting of the
bush baby hello little scrub here nope
sorry I’ll wait for them to find it you
gotta front you can see how a bug flew
into me you just let straight up in the
air silly thing I’ve even I were just
discussing we think I’m trying to work
out on average how many scrub has did
eat in a day I think a lot there’s at
least one per leopard per day is a good
one on average and wild dog pack
probably four or five per day and not
I’m not forgetting everything else the
birds of prey that owls I’d say I reckon
throughout the sabi sands I’d say close
on more than a hundred scrub hairs get
eaten a day what do you think’s in and
there’s a lot I mean we’ve seen seven or
Wow
it’s got a split yeah I didn’t even
notice that turn around definitely has a
split in its left ear here we go
it probably is sketched some bird of
prey or something Oh stopping for a
off you go little scrub here watch out
for the leopards now we did see a bush
baby a little bit earlier no run they
are not related to koalas at all koalas
are marsupials we don’t have any
marsupials in Africa so no they’re not
there are small primates they’re related
to slow lorises and well other
now you will notice that we did switch
our lights off quite often and that’s to
not blind certain animals and that and
so when we turn the lights off they tend
to move out of the red now
the bush babies have a very varied diet
gizmo so they are insectivores they are
also fruit they also eat fruits and but
mostly insects they’ll even eat certain
flowers but mostly the little bush
babies are insectivores and so there
it’s a very wide variety of of nocturnal
and insects they have quite set
territories and they urinate on their
hands and feet and so as they move along
their territory they are able to scent
mark on the go so to speak by using
their hands as they go so they’re
constantly our scent marking they live
in little family groups so you can in in
a little hole you can sometimes have up
to six or seven Bush babies all cuddled
up together there’s a few spots I
haven’t checked the bush baby nests for
a while and then I’ll do that tomorrow
night I’m down in the in the in the west
of Jummah there’s a one that they used
to frequent now a lot of those little
holes are used by quite a few different
animals over a period are birds Janet’s
bush babies rock monitors will all
utilize the same hole and just depends
who’s in in residence at the moment now
one of the the biggest predators of Bush
babies is actually rock monitors and
they’ll try seek out the babies in those
holes and eat them we had a house and
Hut sprites Jamie and I had a lovely
family of about and I spend about six of
them little Bush babies a mom dad and
all the little offspring it needs to
come out of the roof every evening and
then the big rock monitor was constantly
trying to get at them now strange enough
sir we have tenants in in our in our
house at the moment and there are not
bush people
and they do work for the the military in
the area there’s a big military base
outside let’s break they’re contractors
so companies ranging the house from us
and we just Jamie had just arrived in
Kenya and we got an email from our
estate agent I was quite a funny email
because she was letting us know that the
tenants were obviously not bush people
because they had sent a complaint that
there was a crocodile in the roof now of
course was just a very big rock monitor
lizard he is a bit of a pain I mean just
before I moved to Kenya I thought I’d
stopped his his route into the Ruth so
the Tristan was actually helping me out
we had got chainsaws and we climbed up
the trees and cut down the branches and
Jamie shouting has been nearly broke one
of the windows and I was up sitting on a
tree bunch catching it with a chainsaw
and the branch started breaking while I
was on it that was quite scary but but
yeah so lots of different creatures
utilized what was that these holes and
I’m hoping that was going to be elected
new tracks I’m hoping tomorrow morning
when we’ve got a nice blank canvas of
tracks from from the night we’ll have a
bit more lack of another scrap here as I
say that’s probably if I start counting
that’s probably number 20 no baby not
quite – ain’t yet but least number 15
that I’ve seen in that innocence we saw
now remember or not only do we want to
take you on explorations through the
African bush and day and night will
someone to take you underwater
hopefully day and night as well so
remember to go check out our dive alive
Kickstarter campaign and be one of the
lucky people who can enjoy the private
drive a private dives when we launch
make sure you don’t miss out and you’re
one of the first to enjoy that amazing
now I love the oceans and well I’ll go
visit the dive live camps but I’m gonna
I’m not a big diver I will I can dive
but I’ve always chosen to go fishing
instead of diving
I do love my fishing I want to go catch
some big gt’s this year I think that’s
on the cards Justin I also talking about
trying to plant a tiger fishing trip
because Justin’s never been Tiger
fishing and it is one of my favorite
types of fishing and I used to be a
fishing guide up on the Zambezi reverser
and I know that part of the world very
well when it comes to catching the
striped water dog what is that film it
was a too far in yalla ya in yalla and
just see the horns dönitz I thought
maybe there was a leopard walking down
the maratti wouldn’t that have been
now there’s an interesting one from the
Lorax
I have person whales related probably as
much as whales and human beings are
related and the fact that they’re both
mammals I’m just trying to think not
that I know of them of course
everything’s related if you go far
enough back but I don’t think there’s a
close relation between hippo and whales
well sorry Jim I hit that a bit fast
image Shh here now what I’m trying to do
is I’m trying to get to 11 species and
I’ve only got 7 minutes and I’m hoping
that those wildebeest are still on
quarantine to get to us
one more species and of course the more
ground we cover the more chance we have
to have species we haven’t given up on
the leopard front yet we’re still sort
of on the peripheries of where that
leopard might have got to and one of the
reasons I like night drive so much and
my spotlight so much is that yes
sometimes they are very very quiet the
night drives and you don’t see much you
know see me flashing about my spot live
but you’ve got a chance to see some
really interesting little mammals and
particularly little carnivorous mammals
and about 75 of your more interesting
mammal species only come out at night
and I’m talking about your little things
like Janet’s any badges art farc
Pangolin what else am I missing there VM
caracal serval sorry gerbils bushwell
the bushveld gerbil nest or hole so
maybe we might even catch a bush veldt
gerbil before the end of Safari I’m
gonna I’m gonna head there it’s on the
way to quarantine now let’s go see what
James and joy is about the African night
I enjoy the silence of the African night
when I saw that silent but it’s a
difference of sound it’s a it’s just a
very peaceful sound and this of course
you happen to have a lion and savaging a
buffalo outside your room in which case
it isn’t a very peaceful sound at all
but I like the sounds of the night and
they’re sort of quiet peace
contemplative peace and if we do get
lucky and find interesting things out
here at night time and really is great
Bush babies for example there’s a
chameleon is it yes it is all chameleons
for example hurrah
hey can you believe it Ferguson there we
go I’ve spotted 7,000 chameleons today
all of them turned out to be the fruit
of the large fruit bush willow but there
we have an actual flat necked chameleon
just near home and I guess as the winter
continues so they will retreat further
and further into the middle of the
bushes where they will east of 8 and
wait for warmer times you do still see
them in winter but not obviously as
commonly as you do in summer somebody
told me once that the chameleons hanging
out from the edges of the branches of
the females and the males hang out in
the middle they couldn’t tell me why
that was the case and so I dismissed it
anyway there we go nice little flap make
chameleons that’s one’s about three
inches long
pretty good really good the other thing
I like about the night of course the
Stars I find the stars deeply
fascinating and well it’s great to give
a sort of perspective of our
insignificance in the universe when you
consider the distances sizes numbers it
really is quite astonishing when you
stare up at the Milky Way which is
billions of stars knowing that those
billions of stars form a galaxy that is
just one of many billions of other
galaxies which is really just quite
astonishing those numbers that we can’t
honestly contemplate anybody who says
they understand what a billion looks
like I don’t think it has any clue and a
billion billion well that’s just
ridiculous right we’re going across the
damn wall slowly making our way towards
home maybe there will be something
Amil you ought to know if all mammals
now Emil vampires don’t see shadows and
they’re mammals they are unable to see
shadows but other than vampires I’m
pretty sure that all mammals would be
able to see shadows yes I can’t see a
reason why they wouldn’t any animal that
is able to distinguish light from dark
wood will be able to see a shadow a
shadow is off after all just a blocking
of the light so I’m gonna say yes all
animal mammals can see shadows all right
let’s go across the rent Leah mammal
hunter he is on the trail of number 11
we’ve got looks actually like a shrew
rather than a gerbil what do you think
forward with him
[Music]
it actually looks more like a little
shoe guys well we don’t is behind the
he’s trying to sneak away from us a tiny
little shoe he’s gonna pop out there and
that law there is it a shoe I can’t see
no it’s not a she it is a little gerbil
it’s just a juvenile chair ball oh there
we go that’s 11 and number 11 so we got
there and we didn’t have to do it with
the Valda Beast
unfortunately sorry Valle the Beast we
didn’t get to the Valda Beast
but thanks everyone for joining us it
has been a bit quiet but hopefully
tomorrow we’re gonna be able to bring
out the big cats and force I’ve had a
thoroughly good time on Drive with you
and I’m sure James and Taylor have as
well can’t wait to do it all again
tomorrow morning so from all of us it’s
fired I’ve doodle-ooh by bond we cow and all the rest
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