Cape Town - Tourist in the Kruger National Park were treated to a once-in-a-lifetime sighting when a Cape Buffalo - one of the iconic Big 5 - gave birth right in front of them!
Morné Hamlyn, a field guide and lodge manager in the Kruger National Park shared a rare sighting with wildlife game-viewing and tracking app, Latest Sightings.
According to Hamlyn, it was "fantastic to experience this out in the wild. Sharing it with guests made it even better," he says.
The incident played out as his group tracked down a large herd of Cape Buffalo close to a thicket next to a dry riverbed.
"When we approached we noticed one female standing to the side with back legs slightly apart. We noticed the feet of the baby and decided to wait it out."
"Emotions were high... from excitement to nervous tension," Hamlyn recalls. The sun was setting fast, and the group was worried that hyenas might get the scent of the newborn.
Describing it as the most rare moment of his career he says, "I have been guiding for nearly 14 years and it was the first and only birth in nature I witnessed.
"We waited until the calf stood and drank for the first time, then we left as it was getting dark..."
Source: Traveller24
