World Rhino Day – 22 September 2016

Rhino poaching is one of the things that really upsets me. Well, poaching of any kind, but especially killing an animal for just one body part. Even though there has been raised awareness about the issue, and enormous efforts from various conservation agencies to stop the slaughter of rhinos, the carnage continues. Authorities in South Africa […]

My favourite Youtube video ever

A while back I came across an Instagram page I absolutely love.  A guy posting lots of photos of his cat, Millie. But this is no ordinary cat. Millie goes with him on a lot of adventures – including mountain climbing. You have to see it to believe it. View this post on Instagram And […]

Postcards from Kruger: Hippos

We recently visited the Kruger National Park in the north eastern region of South Africa. In the coming weeks I am going to be sharing photographs and stories of our travels there. We saw a lot of hippos in Kruger – solitary ones, small family groups, as well as very large groups in the bigger rivers. Almost every pool […]

World Rhino Day

For years rhinos have been relentlessly hunted and killed for their horns. World Rhino Day (celebrated on September 22 every year) provides an opportunity for all the organizations involved in rhino conservation, as well as members of the public, to celebrate these unique and special animals. [Visit the World Rhino Day site for more information.] […]

The Stalker

Interesting animals sightings in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park are a matter of luck and also timing. Earlier in the day a family of lions had strolled up onto a dune overlooking the Kij Kij waterhole (see Kgalagadi map here). Settling down on the top of the dune, between some shrubs they were just furry blobs which occasionally […]

Kalahari babies

We are on another pilgrimage to the Kalahari. Here are two of the cute babies we have come across on our travels. More photos to follow on our return home.

Not your everyday occupational hazard!

Hannah was first featured on this blog in a post called How Hannah got her Peanut “back”,  about her role in raising a baby rhino. Now she’s back to tell another personal story about the occupational hazards of working with wild animals in a game reserves, and the worries that she, as a Reserve Ecologist’s […]

Looking back – my favourite guest posts

I have been lucky to have several talented writers and photographers agree to write guest posts for Notes from Africa. As I had done a “looking back” post for my posts last year, I thought I’d do the same for my guest bloggers. Before beginning with my favourite guest posts though, I’d like to thank […]

Weekly Photo Challenge: Lost in the details

Can you guess who this eye belongs to? The distinct markings should give you a clue. Another clue: it’s not a zebra. The eye above belongs to this Gemsbok (Oryx grazella). It’s a  very large buck which is specifically adapted to desert life with very little water, and very high day-time temperatures. To join in […]

Weekly Photo Challenge: Forward

Early morning in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (in the Kalahari). Three lions striding purposefully forward, towards a herd of Wildebeest.  To select their next meal. As it turned out the Wildebeest were quickly on to the lions (they weren’t being very sneaky about it!), and made an escape. To join in the fun go to: […]