I didn’t take many photos of hartebeests when I was in Etosha National Park. I always kept my camera waiting for the flashier types like elephants and zebras. But I really love this photo of a lone hartebeest next to the Etosha pan. It shows somewhat the vastness of the place. And the white heat …
Many Native American cultures believe that birds are the messengers between the heavens and earth. This seems about right to me too. And when I see these birds in Etosha National Park, it seems to me that they are the true kings of the savannah, soaring over and seeing all there is to see.
Magic 156/365, The Messengers, Etosha National Park, Namibia, December 2017
I took this photo from the porch of our tent high atop the hill where Dolomite camp is placed overlooking these vast plains in Etosha National Park. It was Christmas eve and we were watching the sunset and enjoying this beautiful view when suddenly we saw these two lumbering across the savannah on their way to the watering hole on the other side of the camp. We were blown away. We were told that these were some of the rarest animals to see in the park. And we didn’t even have to drive around in the bush for hours to see them. We saw them from our amazing little tent at Dolomite. And the fact that it was a mother and her baby made it even more special for me because I was seven months pregnant.
As much as I enjoyed this moment it brought a feeling of melancholy over me, knowing that this species was hunted to near extinction in the mid 20th century. According to WWF, the population dropped by 98% to just 2500. Poaching is still a huge problem because some Chinese believe that the horns are an all natural viagra. It is a shame that some are willing to delete an entire species just for a hard-on. So it made me sad seeing this mother and her little one all alone in this huge place, trying to make it to the watering hole before the sunset, the fate of their species resting on a few vigilant conservation organizations doing their best to protect them (see below).
Thankfully these organizations have made progress. The population has made a comeback and has doubled to over 5,000 since its low 20 years ago. I hope they keep up the good work so that I can one day bring my son to this very mountaintop and see this cub all grown up and healthy, perhaps with its own little one following it into the sunset.
Magic 155/365, Black Rhino – Mother and Cub, Dolomite Camp, Etosha National Park, Namibia, Christmas Eve, 2017
Just a few of the awesome organizations working to protect this amazing species:
Rhinos without Borders (see video below)
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (breeding conservation in Texas!)
Save the Rhino Trust (Namibia)
To learn more check out this fascinating documentary on the work being done to protect rhinos.
Giraffes are HILARIOUS. And they are another favorite of mine. They are the shyest of all the animals we encountered in Etosha National Park. They are even shy around other animals. When they approach a watering hole they will wait for all of the other animals that are currently partaking to leave the watering hole before making their final approach. They just sit there, thirsty and prancing, looking longingly at the water that is so close yet so far away.
Magic 152/365, The Goofy Sort, Etosha National Park, Namibia, December 2017
Animal Speak 2/10
When I first booked our trip to Etosha National Park, I thought five days might be too many. I was wrong. I could have spent months driving around this park photographing wildlife. In fact, I daydream regularly about returning to Namibia and also exploring the many other wildlife parks in Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya, etc. There …
Those sunsets at Playa Guiones. Drama. Always drama. Like this one. I photographed this drama queen during a quick trip we made for New Year’s Eve 2016-2017. I think Playa Guiones is my favorite place to bring in the new year. Everyone spends the day on the 31st collecting driftwood and making bonfires that are …
I am getting close to the half way mark of this year of daily posts and I must say, it’s getting REALLY difficult to maintain this posting schedule. Why? RAIN! ALL DAY. EVERY DAY. It seriously hasn’t let up for the past week. So I am digging through old photos looking for new ones to …
I was walking through a village in Bosobolo, Nord Ubangi, near the northern border of DRC and CAR. I was looking for a new mother that had received one of our safe birth kits. As I was stomping through the small path led past the small parcels with their token mud huts I looked to …
This is a photo I took while sitting at the Opera Bar, you guessed it, at the Sydney Opera House. This was a magical afternoon. We had a lay over in Sydney that lasted less than 48 hours and we made the most of it. And we mostly made the most of it here, at …
The Cape of Good Hope is a dry place with many days of cloudless skies. In fact, Cape Town is now experiencing a water crisis. The expect to run out of water in 2019. In order to make it that far, householders are only allowed 50 liters of water per day. And across the pond …