Bradley Ballantyne filmed this unusual footage on Olifants Street in Martloth Park, just outside Kruger National Park. He said he was on his way home from “having lunch” at a waterhole when he said “noticed a wildebeest displaying unusual behavior”.
Watch Now:
A closer look revealed that it was actually two wildebeest, but one of them wasn’t looking too healthy, and for unknown reasons, it had collapsed by the side of the road.
Bradley began filming, unaware that he was about to capture footage of an amazing moment between wildebeests that would show the capacity for survival that some animals have.
A Hopeless Effort
At first, it seemed that the collapsed wildebeest would never move again. Bradley told Latest Sightings that it “certainly looked dead” and that “it was showing no signs of life”.
Nevertheless, one of the wildebeest was putting considerable effort into using its head to push its collapsed friend up and onto its feet.
It didn’t seem to matter what the healthy wildebeest tried; the other lay almost completely limp on the ground and didn’t respond at all to the ministrations of the first.
Unorthodox Tactics
The healthy wildebeest became increasingly desperate. Maybe it was slightly nervous about the presence of nearby cars, or perhaps it just wanted its friend to stop playing around.
Its attempt to get its friend up and moving looked like it was going to cause more harm than good, as it repeatedly hooked its horn around, and seemingly into its friend’s body in a desperate attempt to pull it up.
Bradley’s first impression was that the healthy wildebeest was “goring away at something on the ground”, and for a few moments, it wasn’t clear if it was trying to help or harm its fallen fellow.
The Touch Of Life
While it seemed that the healthy wildebeest’s behavior was counterintuitive, repeatedly goring its injured or unwell friend did start having the desired effect.
Being gored over and over by a friend is going to rouse any animal to activity, but the unhealthy wildebeest took its time before eventually moving and showing signs of life.
This may have been completely unintentional on its part, as the healthy wildebeest was so vigorously trying to throw it to its feet that it had no choice but to stand.
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
The Lazarus Effect
To Bradley’s amazement, the unhealthy wildebeest rallied extremely quickly. When its friend forced it up to its feet, it went from being completely limp and lifeless to running away.
The two wildebeest took off together, with Bradley saying the two of them “bolted past [his] car”, and he “drove after them for a few seconds but they ran into thick bush” where he couldn’t follow.
Although it’s unknown why the unhealthy wildebeest had collapsed, Bradley did say a reliable source told him that “the animal that was being gored had to be euthanized by the game rangers” because its injuries were too severe for it to walk properly. Its second wind was only a short one.