Caught in the Act: Clash of giants
50m
Game rangers Giles Kelmanson and Mike Kirkman have taken hundreds of guests on safari, yet one never knows what to expect. When a pride of young male lions try their luck in hunting a herd of buffalo on the riverbank, Giles watches from across the river as Mike’s vehicle becomes trapped in amongst a raging mass of bovine panic!
It is close encounters like these that make for spectacular holiday videos and exciting fireside tales. Kirsten Edwards comes face to face with a grumpy teenage elephant, Dudley Korsten finds himself in the middle of a pack of wild dogs hunting a waterbuck, and Nico Hodgson and his cousin score terrifying front row seats to a vicious battle between a reigning king and his power-hungry challenger.
When animals clash, it is for food, for territory and for access to the ladies. Villiers Steyn and Hendri Bosman both witness fantastic displays of reptilian male chivalry, while Tim and Justin Griesel aren’t quite sure of what gender-based battle they’ve caught on film – all they know is that seeing two of the normally elusive brown hyaena in one spot, crashing loudly and violently is certainly a once in a lifetime experience!
Mortal enemies, lions and hyaenas have waged war for centuries, but the big cats are not always the persecuted monarchs they usually portray; they can just be as underhanded and thieving as their scavenging counterparts…
But life in the wild is not only about raging battles and bullies. One warthog in this episode makes one lucky escape from certain, while a vervet monkey endures and overcomes unbelievable difficulties and provides us with an incredible tale of survival.