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In
November 2004 I was leading a couple from New Zealand on a canoeing
and
walking safari through
Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe. After a night in our tented camp
characterised by the serenade of hippo grunts and the chorus of various
species of nocturnal bird calls, we woke up to a beautiful African
dawn.
We were at the table having a light breakfast when we heard
what sounded like a buffalo death bellow. Leaving the table I collected
my rifle and the guests their photographic equipment and we all ran
in the direction of the sound closely watched by the camp staff.
About 300 yards from the camp we started to see the shapes and colours
of a pack of wild dog and could just make out the horns of a buffalo
in the centre of the confusion. “Seeing a pack of wild dog
killing a buffalo is not a usual sight” I told my guests in
and effort to help them realize how rare the occasion would be, as
we dashed for a closer view of the action. Jaws dropped in disbelief
when we realised what was taking place. A pride of five lionesses
and one male lion where in the final stages of killing an old buffalo
bull, and the pack of 13 wild dogs was trying to save the buffalo.
Having managed to sneak in unnoticed because of the commotion we
found a sausage tree to break our outline and sat at the base to
observe this amazing interaction. The buffalo gave its last kicks
and was still and moments later the lions stopped to catch their
breath for a few minutes before proceeding to feed on this well deserved
meal. The dogs then concluded their effort and decided to watch the
feeding in apparent disappointment at not saving the buffalo.
As
the sun rose higher, and the temperature started to climb it was
inevitable that the dogs had to find a shady spot to rest. Our sausage
tree was the only spot for 50 yards and one by one the pack came
and joined us under the tree. Not only had we witnessed this remarkable
interaction but we also found ourselves sharing the shade of a not
so large tree with 13 African wild dogs.
It is then that it dawned
on me that having been able to capture this interaction on camera
would have changed my life at the time. Needless to say I asked myself
a question that I could not answer. Why did I not have a camera?
From this day on I made it my goal to get a camera and learn how
to capture the interaction of wildlife in Africa. The result of that
was the purchase of my first SLR camera a month later. After numerous
challenging moments in Wild Africa I am proud to present a small
gallery of some of my photos. I am by no means a professional photographer
but the excitement I get out of sharing moments and ideas with guests,
other photographers, their cameras and the African wildlife have
helped me in my new interest. Guests on safari have similar opportunities
and are able to capture the same if not better images. |
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