Tag: giraffe

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Calcium and Phosphorus please!

Herbivores sometimes consume bone material. This is called Osteophagy. Chewing bones allows animals to supplement phosphorus and calcium.

The body of the Giraffe needs this mineral and this metal to maintain the bone structure and help with many biological processes including energy metabolism, protein synthesis, and lactation.

So if you see a Giraffe chewing a bone it does not mean it has turned into a carnivore, it just takes supplements!

#GiraffeChewing #ThandaGiraffe ##thandasafari @thandasafari ##christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

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What a week!

Last weekend I was very busy in the office and teaching photography at Thanda. On Monday I went to Pongola to get my car serviced and for a short visit to Pakamisa. On Tuesday and Wednesday I ran errands in Durban where a met a very cute puppy dog. Yesterday and today I played again catch-up in the office.

But, I still got a bit of photography done. At Pakamisa I took some pictures of Isabella working with one of her horses and at the Thanda House Waterhole (next to my home) I got some good pictures of Elephants, of Giraffes and of a young Lioness. I also shot some good-bye pictures of our young male Lion, who will leave the reserve soon for a new home. And in between I posted one of my favorite Leopard shots (taken in 2006) on Facebook.

So, here is my week in pictures. Enjoy them and the weekend 🙂

PS: As a bonus I added a short Thanda Elephants video – four times the regular speed!

Watching Giraffes …
Watching out for Lions … (for the biders: there is a Wahlberg’s Eagle in the tree!)
Well hidden …
Leaving Thanda for a new home soon …
Having a bath …
… and a good scratch …
Isabella working with Joaquino …
An excited Pakamisa mare …
… and one of my favorite Leopard pictures taken in 2006 …
… and a cute little puppy I met in Umhlanga (Durban)!
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‘Hello, I am on my way home!’

A journey of Giraffe (8 in total) were crossing the road in front of my home, just as I was approaching. I waited patiently for these graceful giants to move on before I passed through the gate to Thanda House.

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Heads up – Just for fun!

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I usually do not manipulate my images except to ‘restore’ them to what I recall as the best representation of what I actually saw. This normally includes the adjustment of color, brightness, contrast, sharpness and some minor cloning and makeup work.

This picture is an exception. It is a merger of four images of a female Giraffe raising her head after she was finished drinking. An interesting study 🙂

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That’s it! – Fourteen for the Villa! (14)

I have selected fourteen images which are now hanging in two of the suites at Thanda’s Villa iZulu. These are some of my favorite images and I have prepared them in sepia to match the existing old-fashioned frames. This is the last of these images. I have also included a gallery with all fourteen pictures below. Enjoy them!

Number fourteen – The End :-): Thanda’s Dominant Male Lion

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PS: If you stay at Thanda’s Villa iZulu in the suites number 2 or 3 you can view them in the original print.

© CHRISTIAN SPERKA PHOTOGRAPHY

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Fourteen for the Villa! (11)

I have selected fourteen images which are now hanging in two of the suites at Thanda’s Villa iZulu. These are some of my favorite images and I have prepared them in sepia to match the existing old-fashioned frames. Over the next few days I would like to share these images with you.

Here is number eleven: Giraffe Beauty

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PS: If you stay at Thanda’s Villa iZulu in the suites number 2 or 3 you can view them in the original print.

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