Christian Sperka is a wildlife photographer based at Thanda Private Game Reserve, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa.
Over the last 11 years, Christian has traveled the world photographing animals in wild game reserves of South Africa and Namibia, the jungles of Costa Rica, in Yellowstone National Park in the USA, as well as zoos in Europe and the United States. His work has been featured in wildlife magazines, in books and in many zoo publications.
He actively supports wild cat conservation, working as a partner photographer for Panthera, the world's leading organization devoted to the conservation of all wild cat species (panthera.org).
From 2009 to 2012 he has worked as the official photographer and photography teacher at Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, Tennessee, USA (nashvillezoo.org).
Christian is also a qualified South African field guide. He now works as specialist photography guide on Thanda Private Game Reserve in Kwazulu Natal, South Africa (thanda.com).
The evening’s game drive was all about Rhinos, Black and White. A little White Rhino was suckling as the patient mum stood very still for quite a long time. As we came around a corner in the road a Black Rhino listened very carefully before running off. And on the way home I could just stop the car in time, not to injure this beautiful African Rock Python as it crossed the road.
Since the Covid-19 crisis started I have been on game drives almost every day to create content for two social media post daily (64 consecutive days of posting with 130 messages).
Now it is time for a little break.
From Monday, 25 May to Sunday, 31 May I will put away my iPhones and iPad, my cameras and my drone and stay away from my computers for a while.
The Stay-at-Home picture posts and the Lock-Down-Safari posts will resume on Monday, 1June. Thanks for your understanding.
This morning I had the perfect sighting to explain the members of the ‘bush cleanup crew’.
This important team is lead by Spotted Hyena and includes White-backed Vultures, Hooded Vultures, Black-Backes Jackals, Woolly-necked Storks and Pied Crows. I found all of them together in one sighting on the Thanda Safari savanna.
The Hyena was feeding on an Impala carcass and all the others tried to get bits and pieces as the Hyena dragged the animal remains around.
All of the creatures play a major role in keeping the bush tidy and clean.
On 22 May 2004, exactly 16 years ago, His Majesty King Zwelithini Goodwill kaBhekuzulu officially opened Thanda Safari Lodge.
Right now the only visitors at this most beautiful place are our animals, but we are looking forward to welcoming guests again soon, from all over the world!
Well, there is no such animal, but I think this would be a good term for a Cheetah which behave more like a Leopard. One of Thanda Safari’s male Cheetahs is very shy and elusive, likes the thick bush and has no problem to disappear for days on end. Even with telemetry (all Thanda’s Cheetahs are part of a conservation program and wear radio collars) this specimen is behaving like Houdini.
But this morning, with the help of Thanda Safari’s wildlife coordinator Mariana Venter, I was able to take some good pictures of this beautiful cat. On the same game drive we saw another Cheetah female, a Black Rhino, a Black-headed Heron and a magnificent Kudu bull in the morning mist.
Humans go jogging to keep fit but animals only move fast if they if they really have to.
What do you think is the reason for those two large male Lions to jogg for the good part of a kilometer (half a mile)?
I can tell you that it has nothing to do with keeping fit. It was all about getting close to the two males on the neighboring property who were having their morning roar. Eventually they stopped jogging and started roaring in return.
But that will be another short video coming soon 😊 Stay tuned and stay safe!
PS: All of this was recorded with an iPhone XS Max!