THE MORNING POST – ALL ALONE

I had not seen Lions for quite a while but last night I found a single male in the western part of the reserve. It was be quite unusual that he was by himself.

He is part of a male coalition, but I assume his brother is attending to some Lionesses in estrous and inflicted some temporary social distancing rules on his brother 😊

Have a good day.

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#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography

THE EVENING POST – EYES

I love the look in the eyes of this Thanda Safari Lioness – Have a good weekend!

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THE EVENING POST – WELCOME BACK

Everyone! at Thanda Safari is getting ready to welcoming our guests back as soon as the lockdown is over 😊 I took this picture of one of our Lionesses inspecting our entrance gate!

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THE MORNING POST – BATTLE SCARS

Who inflicted all these scars on the face of this male Lion? Most likely his brother. The two males form what is called a coalition. Which means they control their territory together, hunt together, sleep next to one another and very seldom separate.

But they also fight with one another as soon as a Lioness in estrous enters the scene. The stronger and more dominant one gets to mate with the lady. The submissive one has to keep his distance if he does not want a beating. This one obviously got in a bit of a fight a few times 😊

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THE EVENING POST – TRUMPETS AND GROWLS

I had an excellent evening drive. First I spent an hour in between a breeding herd of Elephants feeding all around me and then I experienced some Lion tension between two brothers. One of them was attending to a female in estrous while keeping her away from his submissive rival. A lot of growling and paw-fighting. A not so quiet Sunday 😊!

Have a good week.

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari #lockdownsafari

THE EVENING POST – Thanda Cats Book

Now available for delivery world-wide!

Recently I had quite a few questions regarding my Thanda Cats coffee table book. Besides being available for purchase at Thanda Safari’s curio shops I can also send it to you wherever you are in the world.

Click here to have a look at some sample spreads from the large, 108 page, high quality, soft cover, 30x30cm, 12×12″ book. Also for price/shipping information and/or to order the book:

THANDA CATS by Christian Sperka

It is all about Thanda Safari’s Lions, Leopards and Cheetahs.

PS: I took the title page picture, the ‘Bird Watching Lioness’, in April 2013.

THE MORNING POST – WET LEO

Walking through wet grass left one of Thanda Safari’s male Lion’s mane looking much darker than it really is.

But whatever the color, he is a handsome animal and he knows it 😊

Enjoy the day!

#Thandasafari @thandasafari #Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #lockdownsafari #lion #lions

THE MORNING POST – BABY LIONS

When I was archiving pictures I came across this image of two little Lions, which I took many years ago.

But I think baby Lion pictures never get old 😊

I am back from my off time and I hope you will continue to enjoy my two daily posts.

Have a good week!

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #lockdownsafari #babylions #lion #lions #lioncubs

TOMORROW, SUNDAY: LIVE FROM THE WATERHOLE AT THE THANDA SAFARI LODGE

Tomorrow, Sunday, 25 May, I will be spending all day at the small waterhole in front of the Thanda Safari Lodge.

From time to time – when something interesting is happening at the waterhole – I will go Live on Instagram Stories at http://www.instagram.com/thandasafari and http://www.instagram.com/christiansperkaphotography.

I am looking forward to chatting with many of you then.

As soon as the Covid-19 crisis is over, all of us at Thanda are looking forward to welcoming you for your own relaxing Sunday at the waterhole!

Christian Sperka, Resident Wildlife Photographer at Thanda Safari

STAY-AT-HOME FRIDAY

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!

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