Goliath Heron spears catfish and swallows whole...EVENTUALLY.

Описание: Goliath Heron catches massive catfish and swallows it whole, after a couple of attempts. See Part 2 for the after the swallow footage. #hungryformore

This was filmed at dusk on a Canon PowerShot SX60 HS with no tripod and fully zoomed while hiding amongst some reeds. After he walked off with the fish, I emerged from my hiding place and walked around the lake to the other side to capture the swallow. The entire event was almost 20 minutes from catch until swallow.

The Goliath Heron (Ardea Goliath) is the world's largest heron, nearly double the size of the Purple Heron. They are 140-150cm in height and weigh roughly 4.30kg. The sexes are alike. It is generally an uncommon resident. Feeds mostly on large fish but also reptiles, frogs, and small mammals. Once prey is spotted, it lunges with bill open and stabs the fish. It usually requires 2 to 3 large meals per day.

This footage was captured at an internal dam called Waterlily Lake. It is one of several lakes on a residential and golf estate, called Pecanwood Estate, located at Hartbeespoort Dam, North West Province, South Africa.

Many species of wildlife have been observed, including the Goliath Herons, Cape Clawless Otters, Marsh Mongoose, Little Bittern, and African Spoonbill.

Because the water from Hartbeespoort dam is abstracted and circulated within the internal lakes - it is vital to preserve reed-beds in the internal lakes, as Biological filtering systems. Hartbeespoort dam has historically suffered from toxic blue-green algae (Cyanobacteria); which could easily be transferred to the internal lakes. So having the nutrient filtering reed-beds is crucial. Secondly, the reed-beds provide Aquatic Habitat for many different Wildlife species, thereby promoting Biodiversity. Sadly many people do not appreciate the value of reed-beds (improving water quality and providing homes and nesting material to many creatures), and they continue to remove them for aesthetic purposes.

Charity Name: Berario Bunnies == Bunny Huggers SA == Bunny Tales Rescue == Little Bunny Sanctuary == Noordhoek Bunny Rescue == Southern Cape Bunny Haven == The Lonehill Bunnies == The Strawberry Foundation

All proceeds will be shared between these eight charities.

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