wildlife – Page 148 – Christian Sperka Photography

2013-07-30

One more way to fight …

Fight Rhino Poaching from the Air!

ZAP-Wing is a partnership between the provincial conservation agency Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and Project Rhino KZN. 24 game reserves (300,000ha) in northern KwaZulu-Natal currently benefit from daily aerial surveillance and reaction support; over 3,000 rhino are under the ZAP-Wing watch.

Thanda supports the organization and the reserve is covered by the ZAP-Wing.

Watch the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YY883N2d-Og),
check out the website (www.zapwing.org),
and support the fight for Rhinos!

2013-07-262013-07-26

A quiet evening drive!

Today’s evening game drive on Ithala was rather quiet. Besides the usual suspects (Zebra, Wildebeest, Kudu and Warthog) I got some funny images of a female Ostrich and when I got back to my room at the camp a Bushbuck was eyeing me for a while before disappearing into the bush.

Now I am off to dinner after a lot of driving 🙂

2013-07-26

New, funny, harassed, well light and rocky!

A good morning drive on Ithala. I encountered …

… a new species (for me :-)): An antelope named Tsessebe, which I have never seen before.

… two Secretary birds with their funny walk across a burned area.

… a Tawny Eagle who was harassed by a Black-shouldered Kite.

… a well light scene at sunrise with Zebra and Wildebeest.

… and an exciting drive on a very rocky 4×4 trail.

Let’s see what the afternoon will bring!

2013-07-25

Ithala

Today I have spent my first day at Ithala Game Reserve in the North of Kwazulu Natal. Ithala is a beautiful mountainous reserve with many interesting tracks. I will spend three days of my off-time here.

Next to regular roads Ithala has some interesting 4×4 trails. Some of them are rather rocky and very challenging (Inclines for first gear low with center and back diff set). My Toyota Fortuner mastered the steepest one very well.

This image was taken after the ascent from top of the mountain …

… Once back in the plains I took this image of a male Giraffe at sunset …

… and just after sunset I encountered this male Ostrich along the road.

I also saw White Rhino, Zebra, Wildebeest, Kudu and many different bird species.

A good first day!

2013-07-24

My favorite Elephant …

I like all the wild animals on Thanda but if I had to name my favorite Elephant this is the one. His name is Thulani.

Normally I do not use individual names for wildlife, but for our two largest bulls (40-45 years old / approx 6 tons in weight) I make an exception. Thulani can be identified by his calm nature and the “slightly out of line” tusks.

The Thanda guests on my vehicle really enjoyed the recent sighting of this gentle giant.

2013-07-23

Exciting encounter!

Thanda’s two Cheetah brothers had an exciting encounter today. When walking along Thanda’s fence line they walked into two Lionesses which gave immediate chase.

The Cheetah out-ran the Lions to the open Savanna and then were very alert for a while to make sure that the “ladies” were no longer around.

2013-07-14

Arrived!

Over 1,000 additional antelopes and zebra arrived over the last few month at Thanda Private Game Reserve. These Impala, Wildebeest, Nyala, Zebra and Kudu will enhance the excellent Thanda Game Drive Experience even further. Besides seeing the Big Five on daily drives it is very exciting to see large groups of these herbivores roaming on the reserve.

The images show the release of a young Nyala bull and a group of Zebra.

2013-07-102013-07-10

Jellyfish

It was great to be in the USA for a few days. I enjoyed meeting many friends in Nashville, especially at the zoo. Thanks for all the great hospitality. I will try to be back next year 🙂

During the visit I got to visit the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga for the first time. I took this picture (above) of a West Coast Sea Nettle. The Jellyfish exhibit was my favorite part of the aquarium.

Now I am back at Thanda.

PS: I am a lucky man with three homes – one in Europe where my family lives – one in America with all my friends in Nashville – and one in Africa with good friends and all the wilderness which I love!

About Jellyfish:

Jellyfish are typified as free-swimming marine animals consisting of a gelatinous umbrella-shaped bell and trailing tentacles. The bell can pulsate for locomotion, while stinging tentacles can be used to capture prey.

Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. A few jellyfish inhabit freshwater. Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. Jellyfish have roamed the seas for at least 500 million making them the oldest multi-organ animal.

2013-06-26

Small cat on the way home

Today Bheki and I saw this Serval on the way back from the Lodge. A very special sighting!

2013-06-24

Morning Walk with Mum!

Thanda’s three month old Cheetah cubs were on a early morning walk down the road with their mum and the Thanda guests had a good look at them.

When the cubs are this young we do not view them “off-road” so this was a very special treat not only for the guests, but also for all trackers and guides who got to see them that morning.