Critically endangered tigers, considered to be ‘functionally extinct’ in China, are now offered by several South African hunting businesses. Since tigers are primarily defined as an exotic species in South Africa, the captive breeding, trading and hunting of this CITES Appendix I species is unregulated, with an estimated 60 mostly unlicensed tiger breeders, including several […]
Tag: Wildebeest
Sixteen Scenes from 2016
Hello my friends! Firstly – I want to wish you a very happy and blessed 2019! It’s that time of year, eh? If you follow a plethora of photographers you will no doubt see many of them put out some sort of “best of 2016” image collection. I’ve outlined in previous posts why I think […]
Death by hippo poop: Scientists solve a fish massacre in the Mara River
In the Mara River in Kenya, fish die in the thousands every now and then. And the hippopotamus is to blame, a new study has found. Hippos (Hippopotamus amphibius) spend a considerable amount of time in rivers to cool off their bodies. They also spend a lot of time defecating in the water, their tails […]
Mammals of Kruger Park
In my last post from South Africa, I will share some photos of mammals and reptiles we encountered in Kruger Park. Even though we did not find any surprising animals, it was exciting to see large numbers of common mammals. After the low densities we had experienced in Hluhluwe, Kruger Park felt like the Real […]
Birds Sleep in Giraffe Armpits, New Photos Reveal
The best way to guarantee breakfast in bed for some small African birds is falling asleep on your dinner plate—even if it’s a giraffe’s armpit. Scientists have long known that yellow-billed oxpeckers hang out on massive African mammals like giraffe, water buffalo, and eland during the day—an often beneficial relationship that provides hosts with cleaner, […]
Serengeti’s spring rhythms
This is the last post from my Serengeti trip in September with CNP Safaris travelling around the western corridor in their wonderful specialised photographic vehicle. The Grumeti Tented Camp was absolutely superb and the staff were friendly, attentive and the best. Rather than give you too many words, I thought I would rather show you […]
Serengeti hooves
The annual migration of wildebeest and other grazing herbivores across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is one of the greatest spectacles in the natural world. The Serengeti is well known for its vast herds of wildebeest and zebra which migrate in a clockwise route from Ndutu in the south around February and March up along the western […]
Serengeti’s bone crushers
This is another post from my trip to the Serengeti in September. The abundance of prey and predators is a perfect environment for Spotted Hyaenas, which are also known as ‘laughing hyaenas’. The hideous ‘laugh’ is really a signal of submission. Hyaena can also be spelt hyena, but I prefer the former because these are […]
