Readers’ wildlife photos

June 19, 2020 • 7:45 am

Send in your photos, please, as the tanking is running low. Today’s photos comprise the second installment from reader “sherfolder”, whose first bit appeared here with the following caption:

At the beginning of March, I was on a two-week round trip in South Africa and was lucky that the trip could be carried out as it was planned  (on the day of our departure the government imposed an entry ban due to the corona pandemic).

From Cape Town via the Garden Route and via Johannesburg we also visited the Kruger National Park and a few days later the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, the latter being the second oldest national park worldwide after Yellowstone.

In March the autumn season starts in South Africa but the vegetation is still very green and many plants are in bloom and of intense colours. The first animal that crossed the path early in the morning at 6:30 am was a spotted hyena. They were followed by giraffes, elephants, zebras, water buffaloes and hippos lying in waterholes, langurs, many many  impalas along the way, and, as a highlight, a young lioness.

And here are some photos of the animals described above (no captions were given):

 

22 thoughts on “Readers’ wildlife photos”

        1. Was there no concern by the elephants with you being wonder to one of their young? I noticed one sort of stood over the young, did they assume that was adequate protection? Or were you not so close.

          These are beautiful pictures. I especially enjoyed the one of the young lioness with her baby spots still showing.

          Thank you, I’ll not yet going off this continent in this in this lifetime won’t be pictures are enjoyed.

    2. This happens when you have so many photos to choose from, sometimes you don’t pay attention to the details: What you noticed (the shortened tail of the zebra) I didn’t notice at all or I didn’t even think about what the reason for that might be.
      Thanks for your exact observation, which allows me to look at my pictures with fresh eyes.

    1. Yes, this trip was amazing. And there are so many beautiful memories I can think back on, especially now in these corona dominated times.

  5. The monkey looks like the vervet (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). At a reserve in S.A. we watched these clever creatures watching the guests having the outdoor breakfast buffet. Very entertaining. The silly things would dart in and try to grab food from the tables. They knew when their chances were best. When a father went back for more from the buffet, the wife and small daughter remained. While there was no male guard, in swept a vervet, grabbed a Danish in one hand and a jar of jam in the other and streaked away and up into a tree. The wife and child simply eeeked! The vervet downed the Danish quickly and puzzled over how to open the jam jar. Finally he dropped it onto rocks below and went down to lick the jam off the rocks. The vervets had learned that men challenge their intrusions while women and children do not.

    2. ” The vervets had learned that men challenge their intrusions while women and children do not.”

      It’s all about adaptation, isn’t it?

        1. I guess they know we are from the same tribe… .And because they are sharp observers too they know how to trick us most effectively.

          Btw: You are right, these are vervet monkeys. I confused them with the Indian langurs that resemble them, as the latter also have black faces and white fur.

  6. Was there no concern by the elephants with you being wonder to one of their young? I noticed one sort of stood over the young, did they assume that was adequate protection? Or were you not so close.

    These are beautiful pictures. I especially enjoyed the one of the young lioness with her baby spots still showing.

    Thank you, I’ll not yet going off this continent in this in this lifetime won’t be pictures are enjoyed.

  8. A very fine series of photos. I particularly like the family groups of elephants.

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