At the start of today’s morning game drive we found ourselves in the middle of Thanda’s herd of Cape Buffalo …
… Then we watched a herd of Elephants drinking at a waterhole and …
… at the end tracked down the North Pride of Lions (the images shows a young male at his morning cleaning routine).
Three out of five – a good morning!
Our two Cheetah boys were lying in a recently burned area when we spotted them from the road. Driving off-road is not allowed on freshly burned ground so Bheki and I walked our guest a few meters to get a good view of those two magnificent creatures. Our guest enjoyed the experience very much. The two brothers kept us in view for a few minutes and then lost interest in the six humans nearby. What a sighting!
On today’s evening game drive we followed the Thanda Elephant herd for almost three hours. We saw them moving over a hill, drinking at a waterhole, racing away from the water, crossing one of Thanda’s major roads and then feeding in a beautiful fever tree area.
It was difficult to choose one image for today’s post, but my favorite shots are of the two youngest Elephants in the group. The Thanda guests on my vehicle agreed on the high “cuteness factor” for these two!
Thanda guests enjoyed watching the herd of Elephants taking a mud bath at a waterhole. After an enjoyable swim and the mud bath they were dusting themselves before they disappeared back into the bush.
Elephant use mud and sand as a sunscreen, protecting their skin from ultraviolet light. Although tough, elephant’s skin is very sensitive. Without regular mud baths and dust baths to protect it from burning, insect bites and moisture loss, elephant’s skin may suffer serious damage.
Over 1,000 additional antelopes and zebra arrived over the last few month at Thanda Private Game Reserve. These Impala, Wildebeest, Nyala, Zebra and Kudu will enhance the excellent Thanda Game Drive Experience even further. Besides seeing the Big Five on daily drives it is very exciting to see large groups of these herbivores roaming on the reserve.
The images show the release of a young Nyala bull and a group of Zebra.
The most important task for the Thanda Guiding Team is to show guests the many aspects of the Thanda ecosystem on game drives.
Another important responsibility is the bush-clearing of roads. During the summer many plants grow into the roadways and can turn a game drive into a “thorny” ride.
This collage shows the “before” and “after” of the road maintenance work of the guiding team, which ensures that the guests have a comfortable drive on the major routes through the reserve.
… but I had to post it 🙂
My first night back at Thanda and what do you think woke me up?
… Thanda’s dominant male Lion was roaring this morning and it sounded as if he was in front of my door. The sun had not risen yet, it was still quite dark. I got up and opened my front door to see the large male crossing the road outside the gate.
I had no camera in my room so I grabbed my iPad and took this (very marginal) image of the male disappearing into the grass. See if you can spot him.
A bad image, but what a wake-up call!
It was great to be in the USA for a few days. I enjoyed meeting many friends in Nashville, especially at the zoo. Thanks for all the great hospitality. I will try to be back next year 🙂
During the visit I got to visit the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga for the first time. I took this picture (above) of a West Coast Sea Nettle. The Jellyfish exhibit was my favorite part of the aquarium.
PS: I am a lucky man with three homes – one in Europe where my family lives – one in America with all my friends in Nashville – and one in Africa with good friends and all the wilderness which I love!
About Jellyfish:
Jellyfish are typified as free-swimming marine animals consisting of a gelatinous umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles. The bell can pulsate for locomotion, while stinging tentacles can be used to capture prey.
Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. A few jellyfish inhabit freshwater. Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 500 million making them the oldest multi-organ animal.
Yesterday I gave a presentation about my first year in Africa to the Nashville Zoo staff and docents. It went well. The audience enjoyed the sights from Thanda and my comments :-).
Earlier in the day I had a look at the Clouded Leopard cubs at the zoo. This youngster played with me for a while, somewhat roughly 🙂
My visit to Nashville is almost over and I enjoyed meeting with friends and visiting the zoo. Next week I will travel back to South Africa.
… and thanks to Heather I got a picture with me and the cub!
To all my friends in and around Nashville – It would be great to see you at the Art Crawl!
See Amiee Stubbs’ Facebook message:
Looks like we’re going to have a rainy holiday, so have some fun this weekend at the Art Crawl on Saturday night! Very special guest Christian Sperka Photography will be stopping by from around 4pm-7pm to talk about his work in Africa over the last year!
Plus, while you’re here, vote for UltraViolet Gallery & Amiee Stubbs Photography in the Toast of Music City Awards, and for Amiee Stubbs in the Nashville Paw Magazine Readers’ Choice Awards, and you’ll be entered to win one of three 11×14 prints!
I’ll have new animal photography on exhibit and light refreshments will be served. Extended summer hours from 4pm-9pm. Upstairs in Nashville’s historic Arcade, suite # 59. Hope to see you there!
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 