This picture says it all – protect the world’s Rhinos – before it is too late!
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.
Winter Colors!
Flowering Mountain Aloes on the rolling hills of Zululand are a beautiful sign for the winter time. As all the brown tones replace the vivid greens of summer these stunning plants provide color to the dry season landscape. Looking over one of the many Thanda valleys with Mountain Aloes – while enjoying a hot chocolate at sunrise or a gin&tonic at sunset – is one of the lasting memories for many of our guests.
About …
Aloe marlothii (Mountain Aloes) are large, single-stemmed Southern African aloes of rocky places and open flat country. In full flower they present a magnificent spectacle. The flower colour ranges from yellow through orange to bright red. Flowering takes place through the winter months, as is the case with most aloes.
Lion Family Life – A short video :-)
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
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.
BOOK and PRINTS
After this week’s presentations quite a few people have asked me if my images are for sale. They certainly are 🙂 … in a new BOOK 
I have just finished a new book about Thanda Cats. It is a 90 page portfolio with interesting nature/conservation related quotes. It is 12″x12″ (30cmx30cm) and it can be ordered on amazon.com. Just search for THANDA CATS and you will find the book.
In case you prefer an iBook version it is available on store.blurb.com (for iPad/iPhone only). Again, just search for THANDA CATS and you find the download page.
… as PRINTS or CANVASES Most of my images are for sale. You can review a large part of my portfolio (thousands of images) on www.sperka.biz. Just let me know which image you are interested in and I will send you a quote for the requested size to be printed on high quality photo paper or canvas. Most images can also be purchased as a digital high-res download for personal use. info@sperka.com.
I am looking forward to seeing many of my Nashville friends during tonight’s exhibition at the Nashville Art Crawl (https://sperka.info/2014/05/18/back-at-the-first-saturday-nashville-art-crawl)
Ten years for Thanda and two years for me :-)
Lots to celebrate: Thanda its ten year anniversary (see http://wp.me/p43t9J-10s) and me living for the last two years in South Africa!
But the next five weeks I will be back in Europe (28 May to 1 June / 16 June to 26 June) and the USA (3 June to 14 June).
So there will be no messages from the African wild, but I hope to blog a few nice travel pictures/stories. Stay tuned ……
PS: During my stay in Tennessee I will give a few presentation about South Africa. For more information go to http://wp.me/p1rzfb-16r and http://wp.me/p1rzfb-16C
Clean-up Crew!
Hyena are one of the most fascinating mammal species to observe . They are an important part of the bush clean-up crew and play a vital role in the circle of life.
With their grinning smiles and their awkward walking style (their very strong front legs are longer than the back legs) they are often disliked by many people.
But in this picture one of Thanda’s Spotted Hyenas shows itself from its “cute side” 🙂
28mm
Sometimes pictures tell an exciting story. So do these!
They were taken with a 28mm (wide-angle) lens and not cropped.
Our oldest North Pride Lioness had decided to walk up to our vehicle and she had first a good look at me (picture below) and then at the guests behind me (picture above). My instruction to hold still and not move was followed without any discussion :-).
As she was in touching distance I took the picture above without moving the camera and without looking through the viewfinder (hence the funny composition). Nevertheless I thought many of you might enjoy this awesome predator’s look.
If you are interested why we were not in danger during the encounter with this dangerous cat go to https://sperka.info/why/.
Christian Sperka Photography | Custom Luxury Tours 