LOCK DOWN PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI XXVII

I live in a magical place. These are four images I took today today:

5:48 (am) at Thanda House just before I left in the morning

6:22 (am) in the western part of the reserve as the sun started burning away the morning mist

17:09 (5:09pm) am Elephant walking west just as the sun was setting

17:57 (5:57pm) after the sun had set three Giraffe bulls were fighting on the savanna as I was on my way home

Have a good weekend, stay home and stay safe!

My YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/christiansperkaphotography

Wildlife4Kids http://www.wildlife4kids.com

Thanda Tales

http://www.thandatales.co.za

My Online Gallery

http://www.sperka.biz

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

STAY-AT-HOME THURSDAY

Elephants are most impressive. A fully grown adult male will weight around 6,000kg (13,000lbs). The largest recorded specimen (in Angola 1956) was about 11,000kg (24,000lbs).

But for me the most impressive side is their intelligence. Whenever I meet them on Safari their behavior in such encounters sets them apart from all other mammals (with the exception of Primates). They are far less predictable than any other species and therefore have to be treated with a lot of respect and caution.

I met this beautiful specimen a few years ago in Namibia. And I will probably not surprise you when I tell you that I respectfully withdrew from his path 😊

Enjoy your day, stay home and stay safe!

PS: Check out my lock-down site for kiddies – with a new animal pictures every day! http://www.wildlife4kids.com

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

LOCK DOWN PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI XV

On day 15 of our lock-down I was able to participate in a very special operation. One of our Elephants was limping badly and our Wildlife department together with our veterinarian decided that we had to remove whatever caused the problem.

Once the Elephant bull was darted from a helicopter a large sharp piece of wood was removed from the his food and he was treated with antibiotics to fend of any possible infection.

It was a very quick operation to ensure the well-being of one of our priority species animals.

Good night, stay home and stay safe 😊

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

STAY-AT-HOME SUNDAY

Having fun after a mud bath!

Fun fact: Young elephant calves sometimes suck their trunks to help them relaxing when they are not feeding.

Many of us have to stay home in this worldwide crisis. So I thought you might enjoy to receive a wildlife image every day of the week until things are back to normal.

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

MAMMAL FRIDAY – ELEPHANT BABY

This little Elephant enjoyed its mud bath at the Thanda Tented Camp waterhole 😊 Have a good weekend!

PS: The picture was taken with an iPhone XS Max and a set of Nikon Monarch Binoculars.

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

PICTURES OF THE WEEK – LITTLE TRUNK

This small Elephant calf is in the process of learning how to ‘operate’ its trunk.

For the first six to nine month of their life the Ellie babies do not know what to do with this incredible versatile tool which functions as a hand, a nose, and a drinking cup (not as a straw because they do not drink through their trunk. They just use it to suck water into it and the deposit the water into their mouth).

Enjoy your upcoming week!

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

PICTURE OF THE WEEK – BIG SOON

“I will be big soon and then you will be afraid of me, just wait …”

This little African Elephant calf displayed all the signs of intimidation to scare me away and got very frustrated when I would not move.

At the encounter on Friday evening the baby’s mum was very calm and looked rather amused on her offsprings behavior 😊

Have a good week!

Check out the video from this sighting at https://youtu.be/hivicSRuHEk

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

PICTURE OF THE WEEK – ELEPHANT BULL

This impressive African Elephant bull followed a breeding herd away from a local waterhole.

In the background is the Intibane Lodge, the home of Ulwazi Research, which is Thanda Safari’s Volunteer Program.

In case you are interested in volunteering: https://www.ulwaziresearch.com

Enjoy your week!

… and as a bonus picture the family group he followed …

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari