Endearing Interactions

Recently I snapped the following series of monkey-photos because I always find their interactions so endearing and as often is the case amongst primates, very human-like. It appears as if according to an unwritten script, the mother-monkey is trying to restrain her quite boisterous young baby . . .

. . . who seems to have a will of its own, which includes teasing another, but somewhat older, monkey youngster . . .

. . . who doesn't seem to mind and instead embraces the baby monkey.

Instead of calming down, the baby monkey continues to experiment . . .

. . . and because it's part of monkey behaviour, nibbles or even bites its otherwise caring play-friend.

More endearingly and human-like, the monkey youngster appears to kiss the monkey baby in return . . .

. . . and then tries to constrain the wriggling monkey baby, who continues to reveal a strong will of its own . . .

. . . but eventually returns to the safe closeness of its mother's side . . .

. . . whereas the monkey youngster appears exhausted after the interplay and on the spot falls asleep :)


[That's my "story" (& accompanying photos) for now until I return from yet another tour - and hopefully with more similar photos in just over 2 weeks time].

BIG 5 Double

A few weeks ago I bragged about seeing the Big 5 twice in 2 days - this time we saw the Big 5 "double" but in various southern African game reserves during a 2-week tour, like this elephant in the Etosha Game Reserve in Namibia . . .

. . . and these two at the Zambezi River close to the Victoria Falls . . .

. . . or this White rhino in the Mt Etjo Private Game Reserve (Namibia) . . .

. . . whereas these two in the Kruger National Park.

I can't remember ever seeing such a large herd of buffalo (ALL the black "dots") on an island in the Chobe River (Botswana) . . .

. . . whereas this "close up" was "shot" in the Kruger National Park.

This leopard is also at home in the Kruger National Park . . .

. . . whereas this one was on the prowl in the Chobe Game Reserve.

To "complete" the Big 5 - a lioness walking nonchalantly along as if blissfully unaware of being surrounded by gawking tourist in open safari vehicles in the Chobe Game Reserve.

Lastly a magnificent lion, which I snapped in the Kruger National Park - BUT look closer: it's a "copy"!! Yes, I cheated, because I snapped a large photo on exhibition next to the shop in the Skukuza Camp :)

Lining Up

Whilst sorting the photos I took during the last tour, I came across what I'm aware every wildlife-photographer hankers to snap: a group of zebra lining up symmetrical at the water, simply because it "looks so good" . . .

. . . yet I think that other animals lining up similarly also represent an attractive composition - like these male waterbuck . . .

. . . or these impala, although they lined up more haphazardly . . .

. . . whereas these 3 young warthog show what lining up really entails, if also in a "frontal" position . . .

. . . whilst these 3 adult warthog could even "teach" the zebra (above) a lesson in: how to line up sideways (instead of representing a frontal view).

I also noticed how these 3 Whitefronted bee-eaters had lined up on a branch . . .

. . . whereas these giraffes more flocked together than lining up . . .

. . . and these springbok just formed an attractive formation.

[Most of the photos above were snapped in either the Etosha game Reserve in Namibia OR the Chobe Park in north-eastern Botswana - in contrast to the Kruger or Hluhluwe parks in South Africa, where most of my wildlife photos "originate"]