GUIDES RESCUE WILDEBEEST STUCK IN MUD BY HORNS
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Safari guides rescued a wildebeest stuck in mud by its horns.
Lourens de Lange was doing his rounds in Limpopo, South Africa, on March 7 when he came across a stranded golden wildebeest.
Amazing footage – viewed more than 1.5million times – showed Lourens’ colleagues Gilbert and Petrus digging at the ground around the animal’s head.
The group then used a strap wrapped around the exhausted wildebeest’s horns to help lift it off the ground, allowing it to run away.
“The animal could not get up and must have been there for a while. I was surprised to see it move when we got closer.”
Lourens de Lange
Lourens said: “My guess is it could have slipped on the very wet mud, fell and in the process its horns got stuck in the mud.
“The animal could not get up and must have been there for a while. I was surprised to see it move when we got closer.
“We tried to get the animal out but realised we needed to dig to see if it was stuck unto something.
“I went to fetch a shovel and Gilbert started digging. Then Petrus used a straight crowbar to wedge the animal’s horn loose.
“Luckily I had a bottle of water in the pick-up and Petrus washed the animal’s eyes.
“When we tried again to pull the animal to its legs it got up and ran a bit before it steadied itself and galloped away.
“This is a wild animal and that is why we kept our distance every time it tried to get up. Those horns can kill a man.”
Learn More About: Wildebeest
🌍 Habitat: Grasslands and savannas
🌱 Diet: Grazing herbivore
⚖️ Weight: 120–270 kg
📏 Length: 1.7–2.4 m
⏳ Lifespan: 20 years
💨 Top speed: 80 km/h
👨👩👧👦 Social behaviour:
Massive herds that migrate seasonally.
🦁 Main predators:
Lions, hyenas, crocodiles
😠 Temperament:
Generally calm but alert during migration.
🛡️ Defence strategy:
Numbers, speed, and coordinated movement.
📉 Conservation status:
Least Concern (IUCN)
💡 Wild Sightings fact:
The Great Migration sees over a million wildebeest cross rivers filled with crocodiles.
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