Animals can be funny. This little fellow was trying to go down a branch but facing the wrong way. Soon enough he lost his grip and went sliding down head first:

Remember that herd of buffalo? I am still not sure that this specimen was up to here:

As photographers, we never know when these moments will show up. Always be ready so as not to miss them. Here is what I do to make sure that I am ready:

1. Check the space available on my memory card from time to time. The last thing you want is to arrive on a magical scene or pivotal moment just to find out that your card is full.

2. Check all camera settings from time to time. In the mad rush at a scene you may have set your camera a certain way for that situation, but then forgot to return it to some baseline setting. This is not the moment to realize that you images are needlessly to noisy because the camera was still set that way because of the previous dark forest scenes. Or perhaps you just shot a landscape image leaving your camera on F11 or F16 which is not what you want when shooting action. In between sightings set your camera for current conditions and check if the settings are appropriate for where are you now, for what your are facing, and for the lighting conditions. I once lost a shot because my lens' focus limiter was set due to a previous shoot.

3. Check your battery level from time to time. Don't wait to fully run out of battery power before you switch out batteries. Using a battery until it is fully depleted is not healthy for the battery any way. But once again, you don't want to miss a once in a lifetime shot because your battery ran out just at the wrong moment.

4. Check the front element of your lens from time to time. If there is mist, spray, or rain, your shots will be ruined if you did not clean/dry your front lens element. Similarly, things get dusty on safari. Make sure your front element is clean every so often.

5. Be alert. Things can happen quickly. Try to anticipate things. It does not help for your gear to be ready when you are not.

Have fun out there, be safe, and capture some humor.