(adventure music)
- Alright, guys, well we have spotted four hippos.
The most dangerous animal in all of South Africa.
And we are safe inside of this vehicle,
but I'm going to get out of it.
(door slams)
Let's see if I can get up close with a hippo.
(hippo roars and grunts)
The hippos are coming! Go!
Go, go, go, go!
(adventure music)
- [Coyote] The grasslands of South Africa
seem to stretch on forever.
An infinite playground, where under the warmth of the sun,
the animals enjoy this wild place.
Yet, as the afternoon wears on,
and the sun slowly falls below the horizon,
darkness sets in and casts a much different feel.
As under the cover of nightfall,
the beast emerge from hiding.
What's going on, Coyote Pack?
Right now, we are on location in South Africa.
And tonight is a full moon,
which is the perfect opportunity for us to see animals.
However, we're going to employ some new technology.
Check this out.
Mario, dim that light down just a bit.
Alright, Mark, are you ready?
- [Mark] Infrared is on.
Ooh, cool, this camera technology
will help us see animals at night.
And because a rainstorm just moved through,
it's the perfect time for one of the largest land mammals,
the hippopotamus,
to move up from the river systems, and start feeding.
So, if you guys are ready,
let's see if we can get one of these giants
up close for the cameras.
- The Kriega Game Reserve spans 10 hectares
of Eastern Cape wilderness.
And this protected area, provides refuge for several
of South Africa's biggest animals,
including rhinoceros,
elephants,
and the unmistakable, hippopotamus.
Seeing elephants and rhinos
under the light of day is rather common
as these giant grazers, with their tough, leathery skin,
are quite resilient to the sun's scorching rays.
When it comes to hippos, their skin is much more sensitive,
and they spend the majority of their days
grazing in the cool confines of rivers and billabongs.
That is, until the sun disappears,
and the moon illuminates the savanna.
(suspenseful music)
Yeah, it's still warm.
Definitely fresh hippo droppings,
but the ground here is really dense.
Really rocky.
I'm not really seeing any tracks.
Actually, just off the side of the vehicle,
this is where they would have come up at.
Oh, yeah. Look at this.
There's a track.
That's actually track going back down into the water.
These are fresh; look at that.
You can see the distinct toe markings.
Wow!
I can smell em.
It smells like a hippo down here.
- [Mike] If you get eaten right now,
this will be the best video ever...
Just kidding.
- [Coyote] Yeah, I was just thinking that same thing.
You probably don't want to get right down next to the water
when you've had a hippo that's just moved through.
Actually, the tracks came from...
There's some here, too.
Alright, well, the hippos are up and on the move,
which means there's a good chance
that we're gonna find them.
Alright, let's keep truckin.
(engine starts)
- On a full moon,
once the human eye adjusts to the darkness,
it's surprising how well one can actually see.
When it comes to cameras, by using the combination
of infrared technology and night-vision settings,
they are able to see even more than the human eye,
which will provide a much-needed advantage
when it comes to spotting hungry hippos in the distance.
[Cameraman] So, Coyote, these hippos are going to come
right up out of the water?
- Yeah, at night, hippos come up out of the water
because they are very sensitive to sunlight.
Their bodies can get burnt really easily,
so they come out at night
to feed amongst all the moist grasses.
Now, they can travel as far as six miles away
from their main water source.
So, if we're lucky, we'll see them out grazing.
For an animal that can weigh nearly 4,000 pounds,
hippos can cover quite a bit of distance
in a rather short time.
And as they venture away from
the water and muddy embankments,
they become increasingly difficult to track.
So, as we slowly ventured across the park,
we knew that having an encounter,
meant being in exactly the right place
at exactly the right time.
(suspenseful music)
Alright, guys, well we have spotted four hippos.
The most dangerous animal in all of South Africa.
And we are safe inside of this vehicle,
but I'm going to get out of it.
(door slams)
Let's see if I can get up close with a hippo.
(hippo roars and grunts)
- [Cameraman] Coyote, you're back so soon.
- Yep, the hippos are coming.
Go! Go, go, go, go.
(engine starts)
Just kidding.
When it comes to dangerous animals,
hippos are without question
one of South Africa's most deadly.
And whether in the water or on land, they are fast,
reaching speeds of nearly 20 miles per hour.
So tempting fate by getting unsafely close on foot,
simply was not an option.
So the search continues.
(intense music)
Alright, ready. You rolling.
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
- There he is, right out there. You see it?
It doesn't quite realize that it's been spotted yet,
and what's really cool about hippos is that their eyes
glow red in the light. Almost like a crocodile.
Oh, I want to badly to get out of the vehicle
and try to get closer, but that is way too dangerous.
You look at an animal that size, and actually,
as compared to the elephant and the white rhino,
this is the third heaviest land animal in the world.
That mouth is massive,
and they can open up their jaws like this,
and they have those huge ivory tusks,
and that's what's going to do the damage.
And males, oftentimes, can be very territorial.
Not only battling with other males
but they will kill younger males, specifically babies,
if they are not their own.
Oh, he knows he's been spotted now.
Look at the nostrils. So cool the way they're positioned
up on top of the snout like that.
So cool to be this close to this animal.
- [Cameraman] It's pretty close.
You can't tell in the camera, but it's...
What would you say?
- It's close. It's about 30 yards from us right now.
And I do wish that I could get out of the vehicle
and get you guys up closer,
but hippos, despite the fact that they are large and plump,
can be quite speedy,
and if it gets startled and it runs in this direction,
we would be in some serious trouble.
- [Cameraman] Are we in any danger right now?
- [Coyote] No. Not right now at all
because we are inside this vehicle,
but if I were to get out and try to get us closer,
the cameras closer, you guys closer,
this may be the last episode of Breaking Trail
we ever make.
Let me try to call to it. Hold on.
(roars and grunts)
I've caught its attention.
Turned its head this way.
Here we go.
(Coyote roars and grunts)
(more grunts)
This is clearly working.
We've got the hippo's full attention right now.
One more time, here we go.
(roars and grunts)
It's a little bit closer to a baboon noise
than it is a hippo noise,
but it definitely has the animal's attention.
- [Cameraman] I don't think it's working.
- [Coyote] No. It's not coming any closer.
He's like, "I'm gonna go back
to munching on these moist grasses."
- [Cameraman] Whoa.
- [Coyote] Look at this.
Hippo in motion.
Look at those short, little stocky legs.
Like plump little sausages.
Slowly skirting the hippo through the underbrush.
Well, how cool was this?
Coming out with night vision technology and getting a hippo,
relatively close for the cameras.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave.
Stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
(roars and grunts)
I consider the hippopotamus, despite its popular place
in human culture, to be one of nature's
more bizarre mammals.
From intimidating size to grumpy attitude,
they are certainly an animal that is best admired
from a distance.
To safely observe them out of the water
and behaving naturally under the cover of night,
was a fascinating encounter.
And our distance leaves much opportunity for us to one day
return to Kariega Game Reserve
where we hope to get the cameras even closer.
Hey, Coyote Pack, I have some exciting news.
I am proud to announce that the crew and I
are headed back on tour with Brave Wilderness Live.
Our next shows take place in the Midwest.
Tickets can be purchased at the Brave Wilderness website,
and these shows are certain to sell out.
So make sure that you reserve your seats today,
and don't forget, subscribe, so you can join me and the crew
on our next big adventure.
I'm Coyote Peterson. Be brave.
- [Audience] Stay wild.