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Van Schalkwyk, who works as a GP in Rundu, a small town in the north east of Namibia, on the Angolan border, was spending a long weekend at the reserve with wife Bonnie and a host of other family members.
The spectacular scene unfolded on Sunday after lunch when all of the other guests had gone back to their rooms to sleep.
Ouch: Despite the force of the attack the mother hippo emerged relatively unscathed suffering just a cut on the side of her body
Take that: An elephant bull charges a female hippopotamus as her calf scampers to safety, in Erindi Private Game Reserve in Windhoek, Namibia
Don't cross him: The hippo rolls after she is flipped into the air by the angry elephant
From the vantage point of a restaurant viewing deck overlooking a water hole, the photographer and his loved ones got a private view of this incredible animal interaction.
'I was taking photographs of the hippos in the water but because of the ongoing drought the staff came and put some grass out for hippos, because they have nothing else to eat,' Van Schalkwyk said.
'Immediately about twenty hippos came out of the water and started grazing.
'The next moment a large elephant bull came charging out of the bush in a rush, it was going for the grass as well.'
The elephant was initially happily grazing alongside the hippos but became agitated and flapped its ears frantically when they began to venture closer.
Charge: The hippos got to close for comfort for the elephant who was grazing alongside them happily at first
The baby hippos run for safety as the mother takes the full brunt of the force by the elephant
The scene was captured by wildlife photographer Rian van Schalkwyk, 40, at the Erindi Private Game Reserve in Windhoek, Namibia
When the hippo mother in the pictures strayed just that little bit too close the elephant decided to take drastic action.
Although adult female hippos can weigh upwards of 1.5 tonnes the cow was dwarfed by the male elephant - which was able to flip her with his trunk with ease.
'She landed on her back and rolled 360 degrees down the embankment towards the water,' Rian said.
'Afterwards, the elephant just stood there and shook his head. The hippo retreated into the water.
'The calf ran away towards the other hippos and the mother stayed in the water for about five minutes before eventually coming out.
'It was incredible. It happened so quickly, elephants are incredibly fast over short distances.
'I felt very sorry for the mother trying to protect her young. It was quite emotional to see her go to those lengths, to stand her ground against a much bigger animal.
'You could see in her whole demeanor that she was quite taken aback, even the elephant seemed like he was thinking about what he did.'
The mother and the calf were quickly reunited but far from being lavished with sympathy, the herd acted aggressively towards her and she was forced to retreat with her calf and stand apart from the group.
The elephant's mood did not improve much, as he carried out a handful of mock charges on other hippos before venturing into the waterhole to chase away a few sunbathing crocodiles.
The grumpy giant then treated himself to a dust bath before departing, leaving the hippos to finish grazing in peace.
'For me, it was the experience of a lifetime,' Van Schalkwyk said.
'I felt privileged to see animal behaviour like that, but I also felt for the mother. All of us just stood there for a while afterwards not talking, just taking in the scene.'
Having my photo taken is a pain in the neck! Bemused giraffe looking up at a drone features among aerial images of Africa
Stunning images of Africa captured using a drone show the beautiful vast savanna and a rather curious giraffe Wildlife photographer Chris du Plessis photographs giraffes, wildebeest, elephants and hippos from above He said using a drone he can get as close as one metre from the animals and they don't even notice
Stunning images of Africa from above - including the beautiful vast savanna and a rather curious giraffe - have been captured by one high-flying wildlife photographer using drones.
One of the photographs captures a bemused giraffe in its natural habitat looking straight up at a drone. The drone cannot be further than a few metres away, yet the giraffe seems completely at ease.
The drone image was captured by wildlife photographer Chris du Plessis who flies drones throughout Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana.
He photographs the beautiful landscape and captures unique aerial shots of giraffes, wildebeest, elephants and hippos along the way.
Chris spends his time between Germany and Africa and also uses drone photography to promote lodges and tourist destinations.
He said: 'The animals are so relaxed. I don't fly too close to them because I don't want to disturb them but sometimes I can get as close as one metre from an animal and they don't even notice the drone.
'They must think it's just bees or something.'
A lone elephant is photographed looking at the camera in a close-up shot. 'They must think it's just bees or something,' said Chris
WASHINGTON BANS WILDLIFE KILLING CONTESTS, JOINING ONLY SIX OTHER STATES
Posted by Colleen Jaskot | September 21, 2020
Image via Jitze Couperus/Wikimedia Commons‘Wildlife killing contests,’ in which hunters earn prizes for shooting innocent animals, are now banned in Washington, protecting coyotes, foxes, and other animals.
This ban makes Washington the seventh state to outlaw these contests, in what is hopefully the beginning of a trend to end such violent events in the United States.
In these brutal contests, wild animals are killed en masse, as participants set out to accumulate as many dead animals as they can. Prizes are awarded for killing the most animals, the largest animals, or even the smallest animals, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
“I’m so grateful the commission has finally banned these cruel, unsportsmanlike competitions,” said Sophia Ressler, a staff attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. “These wasteful contests don’t reflect the values of most Washington residents or proper, science-based wildlife management.”
From 2013 to 2018 in Washington, more than 1,400 coyotes were killed in these cruel contests, including the Washington Predator Coyote Classic and the Lind Gun Club Coyote Hunt, reported the Center for Biological Diversity.
These contests celebrate cruelty and violence. Participants brag about their kills on social media, with photos of them next to piles of dead animals. At one event, someone boasted about cutting open a pregnant coyote after killing her, according to the Humane Society of the United States.
Proponents of these contests say they manage wild animal populations and protect livestock, but science and state wildlife agencies have repeatedly refuted these claims, explaining how they’re not in line with wildlife management practices and destroy healthy ecosystems.
Even hunters have supported bans to end these contests because they’re unethical.
In the past two years, Arizona, Colorado and Massachusetts have outlawed the gruesome contests; California, New Mexico and Vermont also prohibit them. New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, Maryland and Oregon are currently considering bans.
Poor little mite. [Captain Cal is enough to frighten anyone]
Orphaned mountain lion cub named Captain Cal is rescued from California wildfires after suffering severe burns to his paws - but will now have to remain in zoo because he is too young to ever be released back into the wild
Captain Cal, an orphaned cub believed to be four to six weeks old, was found on September 30 in an area where the Zogg Wildfire blazed throughThe orphaned cub is too young to ever return properly back to the wild, as he is too young to learn survival skills California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) took the cub to the Oakland Zoo Veterinary Hospital where Captain Cal was assessed and received treatmentThe cub weighed only 3.75lbs and his whiskers were completely singed offCaptain Cal also had severe irritation to his eyesHe was given antibiotics, supportive fluids, pain medication and was fed milk formula through a syringe
Firefighters in California rescued an orphaned mountain lion cub last month that was burned as a result of the Zogg Wildfire and required medical attention at a local zoo.
Captain Cal, named after Cal Fire's mascot, was discovered on September 30 in an area that the fire had blazed through.
He is believed to only be four to six weeks old, the Oakland Zoo revealed.
The young cub weighed only 3.75lbs and was badly burned on his paws. His whiskers were completely singed off and he had severe irritation to his eyes,
Cal Fire captured the cub and contacted the Shasta County Sheriff's Department, who then contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
Captain Cal, an orphaned cub believed to be four to six weeks old, was found on September 30 in an area where the Zogg Wildfire blazed through
Vets with the CDFW sought help from veterinarians from the Oakland Zoo, who received the cub on the night of October 1. The CDFW has been working tirelessly to save animals impacted by the wildfires devastating the state.
'We are so grateful for the Oakland Zoo's expertise, world-class facilities and willingness to step up – on extremely short notice – to help wildlife in need,' said CDFW's senior wildlife veterinarian Dr. Deana Clifford.
'Partnerships like this are absolutely critical to our state's efforts to provide emergency care. California's wildfires are erupting on a scale that we've never seen before, and we expect that we'll have more burn patients than we have the capacity to treat in our own veterinary facility.'
'Unfortunately, a lion this size is too small to be released back into the wild, but we are hopeful that under the Zoo's care, it will get a second chance as an ambassador for its species.'
Cal Fire captured the cub and contacted the Shasta County Sheriff's Department, who then contacted the California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Flame are visible from the Zogg Fire on Clear Creek Road near Igo, California
Vets with the CDFW sought help from veterinarians from the Oakland Zoo, who received the cub on the night of October 1
Dr Lynette Waugh of the Oakland Zoo, along with staff, examined and began treatment for Captain Cal.
The cub was given antibiotics, supportive fluids, pain medication and was fed milk formula through a syringe.
X-rays conducted by the zoo found that the young cub did not have damage to his lungs from smoke inhalation and bone damage to his paws. As of October 2, the cub was eating on his own.
Oakland Zoo's Dr. Lynette Waugh, Oakland Zoo's VP of Animal Care, Colleen Kinzley and Oakland Zoo's Zoological Manager, Ann-Marie Bisagno treat Captain Cal's paws at the hospital
The young cub weighed only 3.75lbs and his whiskers were completely singed off. Captain Cal also had severe irritation to his eyes,
Captain Cal was given antibiotics, supportive fluids, pain medication and was fed milk formula through a syringe
'We're grateful to be part of this amazing little cub's rescue and rehabilitation. It's an amazing effort between Cal Fire, the Shasta County Sheriff's Department, and of course our partners at the California Department of Fish & Wildlife,' said Dr. Alex Herman, Director of Oakland Zoo's Veterinary Hospital.
Captain Cal is named after Cal Fire's mascot
Dr Herman added: 'In the past two years, this marks our thirteenth mountain lion cub rescue for Oakland Zoo in partnership with CDFW. We're cautiously optimistic that this cub will now survive and thrive, our dedicated team at Oakland Zoo is fully committed to do everything we can for him and for his beautiful species.'
Mountain lions in California face a number of threats beyond wildfires. The predators are often struck by cars and illegal poached, putting them in conflict with humans living in urban areas and development.
In the wilds, cubs stay with their mothers until they are around two years of age to learn skills in order to survive.
Captain Cal will be housed in a forever home once he leaves the zoo's veterinary hospital, as he is too young to learn survival skills needed for the wild.
