christian sperka – Page 153 – Christian Sperka Photography

2014-07-13

Aggression and Family Life!

What a sighting!

This afternoon the Thanda guests got a great display of Lion family life combined with signs of aggression!

When Thanda’s dominant male and his family (two adult females and six cubs) walked out onto a savanna area they were greeted by the presence of another adult male Lion.

The older female showed immediate signs of aggression towards the second male. A growling match followed. Thanda’s dominant male just observed the situation and placed himself between the second male and his pride.

They all settled on the side of a road and they remained there for a long time. While the adults had their shouting match the little ones grouped around one of the females, played a bit and had a little snooze 🙂

An exciting day for Thanda’s young Lions and for our guests!

2014-07-10

Fine Dining – Rough Dining!

Tonight the guests at Thanda’s Villa iZulu had just finished a delicious dinner and we were still sitting around the dinner table when a high screeching sound cut into the conversation. After a few seconds of stunned silence we rushed outside onto the observation deck to see what happened.

At the small waterhole in front of Villa iZulu a pack of Hyenas had just killed an Nyala antelope bull. Illuminated by a floodlight more than ten of these strong carnivores where fighting over the kill and started having their rough dinner!

We all agreed that this was certainly one of the most fascinating and memorable dinner of our lives!

The picture shows a few of the Hyenas on the kill in front of the illuminated Villa iZulu.

2014-07-05

One of those days!

It was a windy winter’s day with a lot of the animals hiding in the thick bush. We drove and tracked for over two hours before we found the breeding herd of Elephants. They also had decided to feed in a very dense area and we only caught occasional glimpses. When we were about to leave the sighting, to find a nice location for our drinks stop at sunset, a dozen Elephants crossed the road right in front of us. What a sighting!

It was one of those days, which needed patience for a long time and which ended with a big reward for not giving up!

The picture above shows one of the youngsters waving his trunk before it disappeared after his mum into the bush. The picture below shows the group walking past the vehicle.

2014-07-03

Lion Family Life – A short video :-)

2014-07-032014-07-03

Lion Family Life!

During this morning’s drive we spotted a Lioness with her small cubs along the road. She was leading us directly to a Wildebeest kill. The Lions had taken down the antelope only a few minutes before we arrived.

We observed the two Lionesses and their six cubs (three cubs approx 1.5 month old and three cubs approx 2.5 month old) while they had their relaxed meal. The little ones were eating and playing at the same time.

The cubs’ dad, Thanda’s dominant male, had obviously eaten before. He had a full belly and just watched his family having their feast. After a while he joined them without feeding, just to play with the kids 🙂

Warren Beets – Thanda’s Reserve Manager – was with me on the vehicle and as he had the better view from his position he operated the camera from time to time – Great job!

Lion Family Life – Enjoy the pictures!

Mum and her three cubs

An anxious look

The signs of a good meal

Resting on the kill

It is all mine 🙂

Cubs (2.5 month old and 1.5 month old)

Dad watching the scene

A bloody affair

2014-06-30

Should we move?

It is a very thrilling experience for many guests when a breeding herd of Elephants walks towards the vehicle.

And as a guide one sometimes hears a timid voice from the back asking “Should we move now?”

And the answer is …

… it depends. Thanda’s experienced guides and trackers know when to move and when to stay. In this case there was plenty space for the Elephants and all of them were very relaxed as they moved past the vehicle. So the guests were able to enjoy a close encounter with these gentle giants.

2014-06-29

I am back!

This morning I left before sunrise to drive from Pretoria to Thanda. As the mist lifted the African sun appeared and I knew I was back home 🙂

I enjoyed my trip to Europe and the USA very much, meeting with family and friends, gaining a few kilos :-), visiting many “new” and many “old” places. And now it is great to be back in the wild!

PS: Over the next few weeks I will still mix in some “Europe/USA” blog messages as I had no time yet to work on all the images I took!

2014-06-29

Twelve days old!

Imagine you are a twelve-days old Baby Elephant at the new Kaeng Krachan Elephant Park at the Zurich Zoo …

“I have on idea what the fuss is all about? …

… I live in this cool place at the Zurich Zoo …

… and they all treat me like I am royalty or something …

… check out all these people, and just for me! …

… that trunk thing is already working 🙂 – took me a few days to figure it out …

… my mum and my aunties are looking after me very well …

… and that is my daddy in front of our house, big and beautiful, what do you think? …

… and just to let you know, it is our job at the zoo to teach all you guys about my cousins in the wild, even via smart phones 🙂 …

… so, see you at the zoo!”

A few moments in the life of a small zoo Elephant.

Story and pictures by Christian Sperka

2014-06-23

Snowballs in June

I spent two days in the Swiss alps. A former colleague and good friend invited me to stay with him and his family in Innertkirchen, Kanton Berne. And he took time off work to show me around.

We had great fun taking very scenic tours. This picture was taken on the Grimsel pass where the last snow of the season was battling with the sun 🙂

Wolfgang took the picture above – me throwing a snowball in June!

The picture below shows Swiss alps “wild”life – cows in the mountains 🙂

Pictures by Wolfgang Sutter and Christian Sperka

2014-06-19

Something different!

I recently visited the aquarium in Gatlinburg and took this image of a Pacific Sea Nettle, a most impressive creature.

More about Chrysaora fuscescens:

The Pacific Sea Nettle in the East Pacific Ocean from Canada to Mexico. They have a distinctive golden-brown bell with a reddish tint. The bell can grow to be larger than one meter (three feet) in diameter in the wild. The long, spiraling, white oral arms and the 24 undulating maroon tentacles may trail behind as far as 10 feet. For humans, its sting is often irritating, but rarely dangerous.