50|50 Episode 31 Season 7: 15 September 2016

Doodsbenoud: Hyena

With jaws known to crush the biggest of animal bones, no parent wants to face the idea of their small child’s hand in a hyena’s mouth. In this week’s instalment of Doodsbenoud, we meet a family who had to navigate their way through a very unexpected and scary turn of holiday events that saw their little boy placed in mortal danger.

Estuaries: Garden Route National Park

Estuaries form where rivers meet the ocean. These bodies of water are full of unique species specially adapted to the mixture of fresh water draining from the land and salty seawater. Not only do estuaries provide critical habitats to the wild creatures that live, feed and breed in them, but they also offer humans ecosystem goods and services, ranging from basic human needs to supporting multimillion rand commercial operations. Estuaries are in fact, among the most biologically rich ecosystems in the world and South Africa boasts some very special ones. Ashmund heads to the garden Route National Park to bring us the wonders of some of SA’s most productive estuaries.

VeldFokus:

This week’s episode is full of great animal behaviour, with both common and uncommon animals showing off their specific adaptations brilliantly for the camera. A water monitor shows us another way in which it uses its powerful tail, while a fiscal shrike shows us just how formidable its beak can be when facing a potentially deadly meal!