Posts in Category: Kruger National Park
World Rhinoceros Day
Rhinoceros, Kruger National Park
Yesterday, September 22, was World Rhinoceros Day, and I missed it đ So, here, a day late, are my two best shots of Rhinoceros in the wild, taken at Kruger National Park last week. Both are White Rhino. It turns out that “white” is a mistake, an accident based on the fact that the Dutch name was “wide-lipped” which sounded a bit like “white”, and the name for the other South African Rhino was “hooked lipped” which sounded a bit like “black”. So this is, in reality, the Wide-lipped Rhinoceros, so named because its wide lips are adapted for eating grasses at ground level. The Black, or Hook-lipped, Rhinoceros has narrow lips adapted for plucking leaves from standing trees and brush. Grazer vs. Browser. But it is too late for that. They are forever Black and White. Besides these two “wild” Rhinos, I saw lots of Rhinos at Tshukudu Game Reserve, where they specialize in Rhino (Tshakudu means Rhinoceros in the local language). Unfortunately, due to heavy poaching, all the Rhinos at Tshakudu have to be dehorned for their own protection. Poaching is huge problem. Kruger National Park has enough Rhino horn in stock to flood the market for 20 years to come, but each year proposals to release it for sale, and so drive down the prices to levels where poaching will not be so attractive, are defeated. The logic is that they do not want to “expand” the existing market to the point where poaching is the only way to meet the demand after their stocks run out. Others argue that Rhino horn could be “farmed” in a way that would meet the demand and save most wild Rhinos. I am glad it is not a decision I have to make…but it is one that needs making. I can certainly see the logic of putting the poachers out of business. There are signs along the road to Kruger in South Africa, posed on the property of private game reserves, that say “Poachers will be Poached!” and the people at Tshakudu will tell you about running gun battles between their rangers and poachers as recently as the past few months. It is a serious problem, and, when added to habitat loss, is keeping the Rhino at the edge of disaster.
Rhinoceros, Kruger National Park
Sony RX10iii at 1200mm equivalent field of view (2x Clear Image Zoom). Neither Rhino was nearly as close as they look in the images. Program. ISO 100 and ISO 1000. Processed in Lightroom.
Crocodile, Hippo, and three Terripins
Crocodile, Hippopotamus, and three Hinged Terripins, Kruger National Park, South Africa
The few remaining watering holes at Kruger National Park in South Africa make for strange associations: in this case a Crocodile, a Hippopotamus, and three Hinged Terripins. None of these animals are much threat to the others. The Crocodile might be tempted by a Hippo calf, but it would be very unlikely to get by the fiercely protective mother, and no Croc messes with a full grown Hippo. I suppose the Croc might also try for the Terripins but I am sure their heavy shell is a deterrent. The Croc is sunning itself, using the membranes in its mouth to regulate its body temperature. The Hippo is resting in hopes (probably misplaced during this drought) of finding grass to feed on during the cool hours of the night. Hippo hide is very sensitive to the sun and they have to keep pretty much submerged all day. The Terripins appear to be both sunning and resting, taking advantage of the elevation and relative safety of the Hippo’s broad back.
Sony RX10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. 1/800th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed and cropped to about 1200mm apparent field of view in Lightroom.
Thirst. Elephant.
Elephant, Kruger National Park, South Africa
You can not visit Kruger National Park in South Africa right now without quickly realizing that Kruger is in trouble. 2 years of intense drought has brought water levels in the dams and natural watering holes to record lows. Many once reliable sources of water have dried up entirely. Large sections of Kruger look more like desert than savannah or scrub woodland. And the park is overpopulated with large herbivores…elephants and hippos in particular. The elephants are surviving so far by pushing over trees to get at the edible bark of the roots. In some sections of Kruger there are very few standing trees left, which, of course, further alters the environment: reduces shade, accelerates desertification, and reduces habitat for birds, reptiles, and mammals that depend on the trees. The hippos, who rely only on standing grasses, are simply dying. 30 died the week I was there. The day I left, the park took the unprecedented step of culling 300 hippos and distributing the meat to surrounding villages. Sad as that is, having been there I know that the choice for those hippos was between a quick death and slow lingering death by starvation. And unless the rains come this South African summer, beginning this month and next, the elephants will begin to die too. Elephants need 200-600 pounds of fodder per day to survive…and up to 50 gallons of water. The park does still operate several bore holes with windmills and tanks and pools, and we saw big male elephants standing on the buttresses of the water tanks, tanks as tall as a two story house, and putting their trunks up over the tank walls to drink. The debate is on as to whether in the long run it is a kindness (or ecologically sound practice) to provide supplemental water to a population of elephants that is already considerably over what the land will bear. There are no good solutions, and even if the rains come this season, the park will take generations to recover.
Because water is scarce, the wildlife is concentrated. Herds of elephants come to the dams, off and on all day, to drink and cover their hides in mud. This is a large female, drinking her bathtub full of water for the day.
Sony RX10iii at 247mm equivalent field of view. 1/800th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Lightroom.
The long range forecast models for South Africa are producing mixed results. Some models predict lower than normal precipitation this summer, some predict higher than normal…some predict a dry spring and a wet fall, and some the reverse. If you are a praying person, and the animals of Kruger matter to you, you might spare a prayer for a wet summer for South Africa…this year and for several years to come.
Lion cub
Lion cub, Kruger National Park, South Africa
We found a medium sized pride of lions basking in the shade near a waterhole in Kruger National Park in South Africa. There were a dozen of what looked like adult females (a few of those might have been young males), and cubs of at least 4 different ages. This was the smallest, seen here having a rub along its mother’s flank as it moved to find a new spot among it’s larger cousins.
Sony RX10iii at 1200mm equivalent field of view (2x Clear Image Zoom). 1/320th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed and cropped from the top for effect in Lightroom.
Zebra classic
Zebras, Kruger National Park, South Africa
This is a classic Zebra pose from Kruger National Park in South Africa. Though it might look like a tender moment, the Zebras are actually resting. The posture allows each to relax, while still keeping watch in both directions for potential danger.
Sony RX10iii at 500mm equivalent field of view. 1/500th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Lightroom.
Red-billed HornbillÂ
Red-billed Hornbill, Trimisana Lodge, Balule Game Reserve, South Africa
Hornbills are by far the most numerous and visible birds in the South African bush at the end of a dry winter. The most see is the Yellow-billed Hornbill…familiar to most as a main character in the Lion King. Thus is a Red-billed Hornbill. I was two days in Africa before seeing one.
Sony RX10iii at 600mm equivalent field of view. Program Mode. Processed in PhotoShop Express on my Android tablet.
Hippos in early light
Hippopotamus. Olifant River, Balule Gamer Reserve, Greater Kruger NP, South Africa
One of the things that attracted me to Viva Safaris was the inclusion of a 4 hour bush walk at Balule Game Reserve, part of the greater Kruger National Park in South Africa. Experiencing the African bush from a Game Viewer (a converted Land Cruiser or Land Rover with high seats and open sides) and experiencing it on foot are two very different things. The Olifant River, a perennial river that flows across Kruger, is not far from Viva’s Tremisana Lodge were we stayed, and we were driven out to walking distance and then walked up over a ridge and down to the river. There were, as promised, Hippopotamus. (Hippopotami?) A fairly large group, already back in the water after a night of feeding on the sparse grasses of late winter in a drought. Just as we got to the river, the hippos had a crocodile scare and all burst up out of the water at the same time…too fast for a pic, but I took plenty as they settled back down. These animals are the most dangerous in Africa…and kill more people every year than Lions and Rinos and Cape Buffalo combined…largely because it only takes one bite when you get between a Hippo and the water, and that is evidently not all that hard to do. The guides at Tremisana are cautious and respectful and do not approach the river if the Hippos are still out of the water. Once in the water, you are safe, if you maintain a reasonable distance, and offer no threat. Though they might appear to be swimming, the hippos are actually kneeling on the bottom in shallow water, and can, as we saw when we got there, burst up pretty quickly. We saw other game and lots of birds on our bush walk, and learned a lot about the environment of the South African bush, but the highlight is certainly the Hippos of the Olifant River.
Sony RX10iii at 591mm equivalent field of view. 1/250th @ f4 @ ISO 125. Processed and cropped for effect in Lightroom.
Hansom Fellow. Giraffe at Kruger
Giraffe, Kruger National Park, South Africa.
As I suspected, the wifi at the lodges and camps in greater Kruger National Park in South Africa was somewhat chancy, so I have some posts to make up from my 11 days there. I will be doing it over the next several days. This hansom male Giraffe could not have been better posed, and the light could not have been better. You can tell it is a male because of the smooth round knobs on the end of its bony extrusions (horns). Females have tufts of hair there. I had many opportunities to photograph Giraffes and you will undoubtedly see several over the next few days. đ
Sony RX10iii at 390mm equivalent field of view. I found that full zoom was only occasionally needed when photographing the larger animals at Kruger. Program mode. 1/640th @ ISO 100 @ f4. Processed in Lightroom.