Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Photos taken while in Africa - because of poaching I am not stating where they were seen, we travelled to many places.

Maximum temperature in the Charente today 14C, minimum 0C. Dry. 13km/h North-Easterly winds with gusts up to 25 km/h!!

Impala, (Aepyceros melampus). An interesting fact about the Impala is that mothers can delay giving birth for a month if the weather conditions are harsh. 

Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) facing the camera and Hartebeest, (Alcelaphus buselaphus), with its back to the camera.

African buffalo or Cape buffalo (Syncerus caffer).

Young South African giraffe (Giraffa giraffa).

As above.

White rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum).  This animal is a hand-reared orphan returned to the wild after its mother was killed by poachers!!  Hopefully, it will have a better life than its mother

The rare occasion of elephant twins. African elephant (Loxodonta), they were only a couple of weeks old...

As above...

As above.

Male lion (Panthera leo). The female was hiding behind a bush. They were both fat and lazy ofter a meal of zebra...

As above.

Yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), sometimes referred to as the red meerkat.



See also my Bird blog, I have many photos of birds and I will put most of them on this blog.

44 comments:

  1. Incredible shots Diane, glad I don't have to pick a favourite! Interesting fact about the impalas, can you imagine a woman delaying the birth for ANYTHING 😉

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    1. Impala is I think the only animal that can do that! So easy taking shots of many animals, but it was so noticeable how few rhinos are left and the ones that are were extremely nervous, not easy to photograph. Keep well Diane

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  2. Hello Diane: Wonderful photographs. Poaching is a huge issue and I am not sure that in most areas where it occurs most seriously whether there are the resources or the will to tackle it. How many extinctions will it take?

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    1. David sadly a number of Game Rangers have been killed trying to protect the wild life and mostly the parks have rangers out all the time. But the size of the parks makes it impossible to watch everywhere. In Botswana all the rangers carried guns, but the law has changed I believe, and they are now not allowed to shoot to kill. What chance do they have against a poacher who will shoot regardless. I have never seen so few rhinos, they used to be around every corner. It is a very sad state of affairs. Diane

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  3. Amazing that an animal can choose to delay giving birth to its young. The white rhino looks so big!

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    1. Nancy the rhinos are big and are such lovely animals but the horn makes them a very valuable creature it is sad to say. They will soon be extinct the way it is going. Keep well Diane

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    1. Thanks Sandi for the visit and the comment, much appreciated. Have a good day Diane

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  5. Taking action on environmental causes is a world wide problem. I never liked teaching environmental science in that so little was done. Beautiful photographs. I hope the world does better to save what we have left.

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    1. Ann I could not agree more, sadly I think it is too late for some things. It is a sad world we live in. Keep well Diane

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  6. I'm glad you are trying to protect the animals from poachers by not disclosing the location! Wonderful photos of such beautiful animals.

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    1. Thanks Pam, every little helps but sadly it looks like extinction for many animals in the near future. Keep well Diane

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  7. Wow, those pics are simply amazing!

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    1. Thnaks Natalia, many more to come, watch this spot 😊 Take care Diane

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  8. Beautiful collection of photos, the giraffes are looking so majestic.

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    1. Thanks so much for the visit and the comment, so much appreciated. Have a good day, Diane

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  9. Wonderful set of photos. Again, I feel homesick.

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    1. It makes me feel homesick going through the photos 🐘 Hope you are doing well with those wrists now. Diane

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  10. Poachers! How could they?

    Incredible photos.

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    1. The answer to that question is no heart and a want for money! So so sad. Thanks Marie, have a good day, Diane

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  11. So sad that you even have to keep the location secret. What have we come to? Beautiful photos.

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    1. Yes what have we come to? It is a sad world and homo sapiens has made it that way, the worst predator of all.
      Cheers Diane

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  12. I LOVE all African wildlife but the impala and the lion you captured are particularly fabulous. I sure hope efforts to conserve wildlife and catch poachers will bear good effect. There has been so much decimation over the years.

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    1. Penny it is so sad, animals that were in large numbers are now hard to find and the ones you do see are extremely nervous. It is heart breaking to see what is happening. Hope you are well, take care Diane

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  13. Fabulous pictures. I like all of them.

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    1. Thanks for the visit Shiju and the comment, much appreciated. Have a good day Diane

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  14. Fabulous photos of the African animals. I love the mother elephant caring for her twins.

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    1. She was exceptionally good natured, generally when they have very young at foot they are very touchy!!! She walked between the cars after I took this (and other) photos without looking at all concerned. Hope you are well, t'other Diane

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  15. Lucky you, Diane! The pics are perfect of all the great animals and I wish I could see it all in person. It's not only a crime with poaching, but a sad shame! Zoos protect so many, but that doesn't seem fair either...

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    1. Pam there has been rhino poaching at zoos as well so even that is not protection. I would though, far rather they could live in the wild where they belong. You will have to plan a holiday 😊 Keep well Diane

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  16. What a privilege to see such fabulous creatures in the wild, Diane! I don't suppose I'll ever see such sights. Even if you did have camera problems, you got some great results.

    It's always sad to hear of poaching endangering a species' future on the planet. Those that use the end products are just as much to blame as those that kill the animals. Without the demand there'd be less killing, although there still those sick people who kill animals for fun.

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    1. Richard the lens behaved much better focusing on large animals for some unknown reason, birds were the biggest problem. Yes the people who use the poached products are equally to blame. If everyone stopped using them then there would be no reason to try and sell them. The Rhinos seem to be the worst effected, but when it comes to animals being poisoned which is happening, then it effects the whole chain including the jackals, hyaenas, vultures etc. It is a very sad world we live in.

      Keep well and take care. Best wishes to you both and I hope you have a good Christmas. Diane and Nigel

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  17. Wow, so cool, great photos Diane. They are all such amazing creatures.

    My Poetic Path

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    1. Thanks Geraldine, they are amazing creatures and I find it very hard to understand why people want to kill them!! Both poaching and hunting. Have a good day Diane

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  18. Very wise not mentioning where these gorgeous animals can be found due to poaching. Incredible photos Diane! I have always wanted to go on a photographic safari and still living in home :)

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    1. What is stopping you. There are several reasonable tours though we are lucky as we have many friends over there who are as keen on the wildlife as we are. Do not leave it too long or there will be no animals left!!!! Keep well Diane

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  19. So beautiful, thank you for sharing. I hate it when humans turn inhuman and poach.

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    1. So very sad that the human race can be so inhumane!!! Thanks for the visit. Have a great weekend Diane

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  20. What a wonderful experience to see such creatures! Amazing photos!

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    1. Thanks Marie, it is one thing I so miss not living in RSA. Weekends in the game reserves are such a pleasure to see the wildlife in their natural habitat. Take care Diane

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  21. Stunning photos Diane - congratulations ... love seeing them - thank you!! Happy New Year - cheers Hilary

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