Watch the Sighting:
Gabriela Benavides and her family visit Kruger National Park every August for the Skukuza half marathon, and this year, they were particularly lucky with their sightings. On both Friday and Saturday of their trip, they managed to spot the ‘big five’!
After lucking out on their first couple of drives, the family decided they would rather sleep in on Sunday morning. As a wildlife vet however, Gabriela explained that she can never get enough of the bush, so she and her husband set out as soon as the gates opened.
An Unexpected Encounter in the Mud
The morning drive started on a high note, with Gabriela and her husband having seen two honey badgers! Just as they were considering returning to the lodge, they decided to take one final loop to see what they could find.
When they turned a corner on the road, Gabriela’s husband pointed at something moving on the side of the road. It was a snake seemingly stuck in a mud hole — a sighting quite unusual during the heart of the winter months in South Africa.
The vehicle stopped so they could take some photos and figure out what species of snake it was, but then the sighting took an unusual turn…
The Struggle for Survival
A Grey-Headed bush shrike landed in the mud, returning after initially flying away when the vehicle got too close. It immediately started tugging on something that caused the snake to be pulled backwards.
Upon closer inspection, Gabriela realized this bird was attacking the snake! Its eyes had been gouged out, and the bird was now pulling out its intestines!
As the heaviness of the scene sunk in, the sighting quickly became gruesome and sad. In its weakened state, all the snake could do was open and close its mouth, unable to fight back.
Gabriela recounted how difficult it was to watch the scene unfold — “It was obvious the bird was winning so we just hoped it ended quickly for the snake. We knew it was nature, but took all our strength to stay on and be witnesses of how cruel sometimes the circle of life is.”
A Final Blow
After about twenty minutes of watching the snake suffer, the bird grabbed a large chunk out of the gaping hole in the snake’s body and flew away. At this point, the snake’s head hung limp and it had stopped moving, so Gabriela and her husband presumed it dead.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
Thankful that the snake’s suffering had finally ended, Gabriela and her husband decided to head back to the lodge. They were both amazed by the extraordinary sighting they had witnessed and recounted that they never would have thought this small bird would target a snake!
Not every incredible sighting in the wild involves the Big Five—sometimes, the most unforgettable moments come from the smallest creatures. Witnessing nature’s harsh reality firsthand is a powerful reminder that every encounter in the bush is a privilege, offering lessons in survival, resilience, and the delicate balance of life.