Tag: rhino

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THE MORNING POST – A TENSE MEETING

A picture from my archives: What an exciting sighting when a Black Rhino met a Lioness.

Rhinos do not like Lions. Lions are wary of Rhinos. So usually they stay away from one another but sometimes the Lions’ hunting instinct gets the better of them and they try to edge close to the Rhinos, or the two species just meet by accident. As soon as the Rhinos realize the proximity of cats they get very upset and start chasing their foe. That is usually the end of the encounter because at this stage the Lions move away. Due to the bad eyesight of all adult Rhinos the Lions sometimes get quite close.

In this particular case the Black Rhino bull appeared over the dam wall when it almost bumped into the Lioness. The large herbivore immediately went for the cat which made a hurried retreat.

The reason why Lions are interested in Rhinos is because on occasion they get to kill a young Rhino calf. And therefore Rhinos instinctively dislikes all cats and want to get rid of them!

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THE MORNING POST – VERY WET

This is one of the cutest pictures I have been taking in a long time. This small Baby Rhino was walking with its mum through high grass in the early morning hours. From all the dew on the grass it got very wet and was a bit irritated with the world … and with me 😊

Have a good Saturday.

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THE EVENING POST – UNICORNS AND SLYTHERIN

The evening’s game drive was all about Rhinos, Black and White. A little White Rhino was suckling as the patient mum stood very still for quite a long time. As we came around a corner in the road a Black Rhino listened very carefully before running off. And on the way home I could just stop the car in time, not to injure this beautiful African Rock Python as it crossed the road.

Have a good night!

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LOCK DOWN PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI 53

A Cheepard!

Well, there is no such animal, but
I think this would be a good term for a Cheetah which behave more like a Leopard. One of Thanda Safari’s male Cheetahs is very shy and elusive, likes the thick bush and has no problem to disappear for days on end. Even with telemetry (all Thanda’s Cheetahs are part of a conservation program and wear radio collars) this specimen is behaving like Houdini.

But this morning, with the help of Thanda Safari’s wildlife coordinator Mariana Venter, I was able to take some good pictures of this beautiful cat. On the same game drive we saw another Cheetah female, a Black Rhino, a Black-headed Heron and a magnificent Kudu bull in the morning mist.

What a drive!

Enjoy your weekend and stay safe!

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

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STAY-AT-HOME MONDAY

Have you ever seen a Zebra photobombing?! 😊

Have a good week, stay safe!

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LOCK DOWN PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI XXXXVIII

Today we had an incredible lock down safari. There were animals everywhere.

We saw White Rhino, Southern Giraffe, Greater Kudu, Nyala, Impala, Blue Wildebeest, Burchell’s Zebra, Warthog, Glossy Starling, Grey Heron, Woolly-necked Stork, Wattled Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Terrapin, Fork-tailed Drongo, Red-billed Oxpeckers and Egyptian Goose.

But the absolut highlight, after the sun had already set, were two Black Rhinos getting curious and strolling towards our vehicle. They came all the way up to about five meters before they moved off.

What an evening! Enjoy this video footage of the Rhinos which I took with a very long lens. Listen for the snort!

Have a good evening and stay safe!

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STAY-AT-HOME MONDAY

A White Rhino bull was posing on the Thanda Safari savanna in front of the Lebombo Mountains.

This mountain chain stretches from South of Thanda for 800 km (500 miles) all the way to the Limpopo province in the North. The famous Ghost Mountain near Mkuze is part of the Lebombos.

Have a good week, stay safe!

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

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LOCK DOWN PHOTOGRAPHIC SAFARI XXXIV

The Pink Tail Operation 😊

One of Thanda Safari’s White Rhinos had an injured tail (probably from a Hyena attack) which needed medical attention, so a darting operation was scheduled for today to deal with the problem.

After the Rhino had been tranquilized, Veterinarian Dr. Trevor Viljoen had to shorten the remaining tail slightly.

We all had a good laugh at the pink bandage which was used to cover the repaired tail.

After the anesthesia reversal drug was administered it took only a few minutes before the huge creature was back to grazing.

A skilled pilot is needed to keep the Rhino in an open area after it had been darted …
… really close ..,
Dr.Viljoen and Wildlife Coordinator Mariana Venter rushing from the Helicopter to the Rhino …
The team preparing the Rhino and the site for surgery ..,
The surgery begins ….
… and bandaging the wound …
Dr.Viljoen administering the reversal drug to wake up the pink-tailed Rhino 😊

Enjoy your evening, stay home and stay safe!

#Christiansperkaphotography @christiansperkaphotography #thandasafari @thandasafari

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