During an afternoon safari in the Kruger National Park we came across a male hippo outside the water busy grazing on a riverbank. It was cold and raining that afternoon and these conditions were ideal for the hippo to come out during the daytime to feed. We suddenly noticed that this hippo was very popular among a group of different water birds eagerly following him. We realized that we were watching one of the many wonderful interactions and relationships that exists between different species living in the eco systems of the Kruger Park. While the hippo was grazing, he slowly made his way through the muddy shallows. In the process many insects and aquatic invertebrates were flushed out from their hiding places. The birds would then surround and follow the hippo to take advantage of an easy meal. This behaviour is known as commensalism and exists where there is a positive interaction or relationship between two different species in which only one benefits and the other one does not, without a negative outcome or being harmed. These water birds all managed to use the hippo successfully to get easy food while the grazing hippo just carried on grazing with no benefit in return from the birds. The birds also did not bother the hippo and therefor he totally ignored them. To see one of Africa’s most aggressive and dangerous animals peacefully grazing along with a gathering of birds was odd looking at first but a fascinating natural spectacle to witness a the same time.