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The Lion's Roar Photo Safari Newsletter October 2016

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Page 1: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

The Lion's Roar

Photo Safari Newsletter October 2016

Page 2: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

The Lion's Roar Photo Safari Newsletter

Copyright: http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/

In This Issue...

Etosha – The Last Hunt

Kruger - 5 leopards in 1 day

Safari Operator Survey

Kgalagadi – What are the Chances?!

Kruger – Deciding Self-drive Routes

Pilanesberg – Paradise, it’s not a place

Kruger – Buffelshoek & Ndzhaka Camps

Nikon D500 & Accidents & Illness while on Safari ____________________________________________________________________________

Editorial What a busy year so far! In addition to working on our new Photographer’s Guide to the Kruger National Park eBook I got malaria when I returned from the Kruger Park in January this year, then I got measles while at Buffelshoek and Ndzhaka camps in Manyeleti and then I had an accident while on a game viewing vehicle at Jaci’s Safari Lodge in Madikwe – hence the delay with the newsletter! In this issue we have articles on all the main southern African national parks and we are grateful to Lucy Beveridge, Mohammed Hayat, Garry Mills, Frik Erasmus, Trevor Barnett and Dominic Duval for their superb contributions of stories and/or images. In addition to our guest articles we have a short article with the key findings from a survey where safari operators and field guides were interviewed to find out their views on their clients. It makes for interesting reading! We also feature the newly renovated Buffelshoek and Ndzhaka tented camps in Manyeleti. We then look at getting sick and being involved in an accident while on safari. This is not something that most visitors plan for so it’s important to know what to do in such cases. Then there is a short article on using spotlights that was published in Wild Magazine and our Parting Shot is of Thor, one of the resident male leopards that are seen at Sable Dam in the Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s Guide to the Greater Kruger Park eBook, which we are hoping to publish in the first half of 2017. There will be two eBooks; one on the Southern Kruger and one on the Northern Kruger as there is so much information to share on this huge park! You can follow us on Instagram to see our live posts in December plus our existing gallery of images. We hope you enjoy this issue! Mario & Jenny Fazekas Kruger-2-Kalahari

Page 3: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

The Lion's Roar Photo Safari Newsletter

Copyright: http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/

The last hunt by Lucy Beveridge

It was our second day in Etosha and we were crossing the park, driving from Okaukuejo to the

Von Lindequist gate to get to our next camp.

We took the long drive leisurely, constantly checking "The Photographer's Guide to Etosha" eBook to know where to find the best areas and waterholes for wildlife and stopping many times

to photograph the animals we encountered on our route, such as zebras on their way to the waterhole, impalas standing in groups under the Camel thorn trees that dotted the landscape and gemsbok stoically walking by the road in the scorching mid-day heat which made the dry

Etosha salt pan look like a mirage of shimmering water in the distance.

As we drove along the dusty track, we noticed the vague shape of a big cat emerging from some sparsely leafed bushes. We stopped the car; got the cameras ready, excited at the

prospect of seeing a leopard or lion at such an unusual and hot time of the day for them to be on the prowl, but what we saw made our hearts drop.

It was an old and lone lioness trying to stalk a wildebeest that was lying down resting under a

tree. It was such a sad sight to see how this magnificent cat was reduced to nothing but a mere skeleton of skin and bones, the ribs and vertebrae jutting out through her dirty and matted coat.

As I zoomed in with the lens, I noticed she was dribbling viscous looking saliva stained red with blood, a sure sign she was very ill.

The lioness continued her stalk, trying to get closer to the wildebeest but still too far away to

make the final attack. The wildebeest must have smelt her for he suddenly stood up and bolted away while the starving lioness stared after him, knowing she didn't have the strength to chase

him or try another hunt.

Page 4: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

The Lion's Roar Photo Safari Newsletter

Copyright: http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/

At one point, she looked straight at me and I don't think I will ever forget it, as it wasn't the lion’s usual piercing look that sends chills down your spine; instead her eyes had a soft and gentle

look, as if she was already resigned to her fate.

She slowly walked back to the bushes and lay down, perhaps for the last time.

Lucy Beveridge

Page 5: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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5 Leopards in 1-day or 1 Leopard in 5-days? So, which would you prefer - no brainer isn’t it? As wildlife photographers we would love to see 5 leopards in one day and that’s exactly what we got in January 2016. I know what you may be thinking “of course you can see 5 leopards in a day when staying at the expensive Sabi Sands lodges”. Well we were staying outside the Kruger Park, in Phalaborwa, doing self-drive safaris each day. Many people think you need to pay a fortune and go on guided game drives to get these kinds of sightings but from our experience, many safari guides leave much to be desired. The average Kruger, Kgalagadi, Madikwe, Pilanesberg and Etosha guide may provide you with 1 leopard sighting in 5 days, if you’re lucky. We stayed in Phalaborwa for 12 days and had 9 leopard, 5 lion and 3 wild dog sightings. But back to the 5-in-1-day story! We met some of the very friendly locals who made many of these sighting possible, people like Garry Mills, Frik Erasmus and Leo Bargiacchi.

On that particular day we met the three guys at the gate and while drinking our coffees and waiting for the gates to open, we discuss our strategies for the day. Leopards are obviously number-1 on our list and we decided to start off at Sable Dam. Sable Dam had been producing many good leopard sightings the past few days but that morning we saw nothing. We then decided to head up to Ngobeni loop and Frik said he would follow us. We left first and, because we had seen nothing at Nandzana waterhole the past few days, decided to give it a miss and head straight to Ngobeni. We got to Ngobeni and drove both loops but saw no cats. Frik had not joined us so we suspected he had found something. We left Ngobeni and headed back to find Frik on the main road with a leopard walking away from us into the bushes. The leopard had been drinking at Nandzana and Frik spent 20 minutes with him! That was the waterhole we decided to skip that morning! Frik captured some amazing images of the large male known as Cyrus.

He is usually seen around Ngobeni but the drought was forcing animals out of their comfort zones.

Page 6: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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By then Leo had also joined us and we decided to head back to Sable Dam. Leo got there first and found Thor, the young male leopard in the Mopani bushes and bit later that morning he found the female, Amali, in a tree!

By then it was lunchtime and we left the park to have a siesta and some lunch.

We returned in the afternoon and went back to Sable Dam. Garry was there and we sat chatting for an hour or so and then he said he was going to take a drive along the loop road past the Dam. Garry has created a sighting group for the Phalaborwa area on Whatsapp and he sent through a message that he had found a leopard. We drove around to where he was parked and he had found Imani, another female leopard!

Page 7: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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As a third car arrived, she got spooked and left so we went back to Sable Dam. We had been there not even 5 minutes when we received a message from Leo on the Whatsapp group that there was a leopard on the loop road past Sable Dam in a tree. We drove out Sable Dam and saw a vehicle stopped on the left of the road but turned right and headed to the tree and found Amali back in a tree with a kill! It was very bushy so Leo and Garry decided to go and see what the other vehicle had stopped to look at – it was Thor who had crossed the road! That’s six leopard sightings in one day in the Phalaborwa Gate area! We decided to stay with Amali, and we ended up with a few keepers that Jenny got through the leaves. Five leopards spotted in one day – we’re very happy! If you would like to follow the sightings of the Phalaborwa area Leopards, Garry has created a Facebook page Central Kruger Leopards where you can check what others have seen and post your own sightings. Alternatively you can email your images to: [email protected]. These sightings groups cover the central Kruger area, which is from Phalaborwa gate to Letaba and north to Mopani. If you’re in the area and would like to join the Whatsapp group you can send a message via Garry’s Facebook page, Garry Mills Wildlife Photography, or you can send him a message on Whatsapp and request to be added on the following number: 076 432 6604. NOTE: There has been some negative publicity about sightings apps as s few people can abuse them. Racing in a vehicle from Mopani or Letaba camps to Sable Dam (a distance of over 50 kilometers) is not what the app is for – from the above story you can see how it was designed to work – visitors in the immediate Phalaborwa Gate area can get instant notification of a sighting and then a few seconds later they can be there. Visitors also get an idea of where the subjects are and then plan their days accordingly. The day after the above story we stayed in the Sable Dam area as we knew there were at least 3 leopards there and got three more leopard sightings around the dam – Thor twice more (see ‘Parting Shot’ on the last page for one of the images) and another female leopard.

Page 8: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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Over 400 African safari operators participated in the largest

survey of its kind to reveal the most & least loved safari tourists…

We don’t like stereotypes and have been on many game drives with people of all nationalities – yes, a few were late for each drive while one was obnoxious but the vast majority were nice people. The majority of field guides, however, were the main problems that we experienced while on safaris!

Here are some of the key findings from the recent survey with our comments:

Dutch, French and Brazilians are the least likely to tip while Americans, Canadians and British were the best tippers. We went on over 60 game drives in a 12 month period in Madikwe game reserve and rated our satisfaction with our field guides – the results were not good. Just 28% of field guides were good, meaning they were humble and went out of their way to please all guests on the vehicle while 33% were average, meaning they did the bare minimum – they were neither arrogant nor did they go the extra mile. 39% were terrible – arrogant, surly and self-engrossed, meaning you have just a 1-in-3 chance of getting a good guide on safari! Did we tip the terrible guides – no we didn’t, and the average guides got an average tip while the good guides earned their good gratuities. Some guests feel obligated to give tips even when they have had a bad experience – please remember, a tip is for ‘over-and-above’ service. If you tip people for average service they will think they are great and will not try to improve themselves.

Italians, Germans and French are rude while Americans, Canadians and British are the friendliest. Surely having English as their native language makes it easier to communicate with the tour guide so non-English speakers may seem rude and unfriendly? Some guides make no effort to learn even a few words of their foreign guests so that they can communicate better with them. While at Madikwe River Lodge we had Germans and Italians on our vehicle and Charles, our field guide, made the effort to learn what some of the animal’s names were in Italian and German and the guests really appreciated it. Not many field guides are like Charles – many sit on their radio for most of the 3-hour game drive and do not interact with their guests – until its check-out time and they are swarming around the guests looking for a tip of course.

South Africans were rated as the most unpleasant with Italians and Germans coming up close behind. I think for Italians and Germans it’s because of the language and/or they may be more demanding for sightings while for South Africans, it could be because we live here and have done many safaris so we could be expecting a lot more than we tend to get on the drives? Some field guides are arrogant and want to do what they want so don’t like special requests. At the start of each game drive guests are asked what they would like to see and obviously leopard tends to be top of the list and generally the answer is “we don’t find leopards, they find us”! Why are guests then paying an average of $250.00 per person per night if the field guide isn’t capable or willing to do the basics?!

You can read the rest of the survey results on the Safari Bookings website.

Page 9: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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What are the Chances…?!

What are the chances that subjects will be in the exact place that we describe them in one of our eBooks? Well that exactly what happened to Mohammed Hayat after

he purchased The Photographer’s Guide to the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park eBook.

We describe in the book our experience while staying at Nossob Camp when we saw

cheetahs at the camp waterhole in the late afternoon and then wondered where they would be the next day. We know cheetahs like to head for high ground so that

they can survey the surrounding area for prey and there is a high view-point 10 kms from camp where we found them the following morning.

Mohammed was also staying at Nossob and he decided to head for the view-point

and when he got to the top he found… cheetahs!

Page 10: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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Deciding routes when doing a Self-drive Safari

We spent over 4 weeks in the Kruger Park over December 2015 and January 2016, staying only outside the park. We travelled from the south to the far north and back down to the south and had some good sightings. We used social media to see what else visitors were seeing and there were three outstanding sightings that we could have seen but missed. Coincidently, Trevor Barnett who was staying inside the park saw all three!

Sighting # 1 On our last day in Phalaborwa, we were deciding which route to take, as the next day we were staying in the south so we had three options:

1. Drive all the way outside the park to Hazyview 2. Enter Phalaborwa Gate and drive all the way inside the park, past Letaba, Olifants and

Satara then exiting at Numbi or Phabeni gates 3. Drive outside the park but only as far as Orpen Gate and then drive inside the park from

Orpen and exit at one of the southern gates. We don’t enjoy driving outside the park and wanted to go past Olifants Camp but thought driving all the way inside the park would be too far so we decided on the option 3. We saw a lion on a buffalo kill on the Orpen-Satara Road…

And then a leopard in a tree just before Tshokwane…

Page 11: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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But what did we miss had we chosen option 2? Well, one of the most unusual sightings just south of Olifants Camp – a leopard on a baby elephant carcass!

Trevor explains: “I had been photographing the wild dogs south of Olifants Camp the day before and I went back the next day on the chance that they may still be in the same area. So the following day I was first out the gate from Letaba Camp and headed back down to Olifants to see if I could see the dogs. When I arrived I didn't see any dogs but instead saw a dead baby elephant lying on the side of the road! I was wondering what happened to it when I noticed a leopard lying under a bush near the elephant! It then came out and started feeding on the elephant”.

Page 12: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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Sighting # 2 After staying three nights at The Stoep in Komatipoort we were heading back up to Phalaborwa for our second lot of 6 nights and we decided to take a slow drive through the park, entering at Crocodile Bridge Gate and driving past Lower Sabie, Satara, Olifants and Letaba then exiting at Phalaborwa Gate.

We decided to not have breakfast at Lower Sabie but to eat on the road as we had far to travel. We, however, were delayed on the low-level bridge at Lower Sabie. There was a leopard under a tree with a kill so we sat for 20 minutes hoping she would show herself but she didn’t. While waiting for the leopard we noticed two male lions on the sand opposite the camp! While we were watching the lions a fish eagle caught a fish in front of us. We then left and just past Tshokwane Picnic spot we saw 3 cheetahs just sitting.

Page 13: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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We then saw on Facebook that there had been a territorial fight between two of the cheetahs and this cheetah was the ‘Victor’

This one then got up and we could see he was injured as he hobbled over to a bush – the ‘Vanquished’!

We missed some amazing images of the cheetahs fighting but Trevor just happened to be there again to capture the action! Some people have suggested we took too long to get to the cheetahs and should not have stopped on the bridge but we have two answers; We could not have made it in time for the fight, even though we were one of the first cars through the gate at 04h30, it took an hour to reach Lower Sabie and would have taken at least another hour to get past Tshokwane and the cheetahs fought at around 06h00. Secondly, we did not know this was taking place and chasing sightings can spoil a day! Here’s the story from Trevor…

Page 14: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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Trevor left Lower Sabie at 04h30 and headed north. “The drive was uneventful until just past Tshokwane when I saw a vehicle stopped up ahead. The driver said the cheetahs had been fighting but they were now just sitting.

I decided to stick around, which was a good decision because 20 minutes later they were again fighting...!”

The moral of the story is, be patient, make the most of the sighting you have and the earlier you leave the more chance you have of getting good sightings in good light.

Page 15: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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Sighting # 3 We passed by Sweni hide three times on our travels on this trip and we spent about 60-90 minutes in the hide each time watching the animals come to drink and hoping the crocs would try and catch one but there was no action. The crocs were right at the water’s edge and the impala would be forced to drink and one baby impala even walked into the water, right next to a croc but - nothing! Yet look at the pics Trevor got:

Trevor sat in the hide for hours, sometimes 8 hours in one day waiting for the action and his patience certainly paid off!

You can follow Trevor on

Facebook and read our interview with

him.

Page 16: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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Paradise is not a place, it’s a Feeling - Dominic Duval

Nkandla, that’s where my journey with photography and nature began. It’s tucked away high in the rugged, undulating, and remote mountainous valleys of the northern Drakensberg. That was eight years ago.

Working for an NGO, the Sizanani Outreach Programme, which was committed to the lives of the orphaned, the poor, the frail, and the unwell. Latest RSA census statistics had ranked this district as the worst in terms of HIV/AIDS prevalence, poverty (90% living off social grants), and a host of other socio-economic factors. Run by the dedicated Nardini Sisters of the Franciscans Order, many of whom were qualified health practitioners – doctors, nurses, social workers – it was a story far more relevant than the grand excesses of Jacob Zuma’s homestead being covered by the media.

Some 100km to the south-east of Nkandla lay the magnificence of the proclaimed wilderness area of the iMfolozi Game Reserve. Armed with a Canon Powershot instamatic, and occasionally some volunteers and orphans to accompany me, I’d set off on the weekends to find sanctuary from reality. Over the course of four years the wilderness revealed generously its secrets and powers of healing. I read a lot about Dr. Ian Player - his philosophies, dreams, ethos, and experiences – which are enshrined in the wonderful work carried out by the Wilderness Leadership School (WLS). It’s here that I learned a valuable lesson; Paradise is not a place, it’s a feeling. Its contribution to my wellness whilst exposed to the tragedies of Nkandla is thankfully the memory that stood firm.

Moving to Johannesburg rekindled my acquaintance with the Pilanesberg National Park (PNP). Now armed with an upgraded Canon 500D and later a Canon 7D MkII, I set out to capture the Four Seasons of the Pilanesberg, knowing that the ethos of the WLS ran through the veins of this remarkably varied biome.

Page 17: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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This “project” only intended to encourage me to spend as much time away from the city as possible. Four years later (400+ actual days) and I’m still no clearer as to when it’s to be completed. But it matters little really, because the destructive time we live in has also served to encourage me - I’m more passionate, educated, and determined to play a small part in bringing awareness to the life-saving/giving importance of nature’s role in humanity’s wellness.

The images I share with you are made up of a series of collages which, I believe, would keep the focus on the whole as a way of representing a protracted and constantly changing canvas, rather than individual encounters.

Our journey through time is punctuated by four identified seasons; each unique in its ability to engage with our particular senses of sight, sound, smell, etc. ... and at the heart of the process lies the joy of photography. The study of light (during all hours of the day and night) being the glue to piecing together this narrative. I’ve chosen to only represent in some small part the Winter Season, for it’s during this time that autumn canvases present themselves in many areas of the PNP.

Page 18: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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It’s cold between dusk and dawn, but resourced with an electric blanket and fan heater I’ve found a way to camp comfortably in winter. It’s my favored time. I hope you’ll also enjoy receiving some Postcards from the Pilanesberg.

Finally, I’m grateful to Mario and Jenny Fazekas for giving me the opportunity to share this narrative with you. I can also encourage you to get a copy of their comprehensive Photographer’s Guide to the Pilanesberg e-Book as an invaluable aide to your photographic experience. Happy snapping everybody!

My contact details are Email: [email protected] or Cell: 082 575 4039. I’d be only too happy to engage with any enquiry you may have.

Page 19: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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Buffelshoek and Ndzhaka tented camps are situated in the Manyeleti Game Reserve, which is located on the Kruger Park’s western border – between Orpen Gate and the Sabi Sands. Both camps have been renovated but most importantly, waterholes have been built in front of each camp. This means a steady procession of animals and birds visiting throughout the day and night. We stayed at both camps last month and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Buffelshoek is fully catered while Ndzhaka is self-catering. You can read more about Buffelshoek and Ndzhaka camps on our website (including contact details) but here are some of the images we captured while there:

Page 20: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

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Out with the Old – In with the New Our Nikon D3S served us well – 6 years and no problems but it is now time for change. The D4 and even D5 did not appeal to me but the D500 looked awesome for wildlife photography so we traded in our old workhorse and got the D500.

We were intending to do a review of the D500 but then it was damaged while on a game drive (story below) so hopefully it will be repaired by December and we can then do the review, which will be up on our website.

Accidents & Illness while on Safari Vehicle Accident – we were on a game viewing vehicle and had gone off-road when the front right tyre went into a hole. We were not travelling fast, maybe 20 kms per hour but the vehicle came to an abrupt stop while our bodies were still moving at 20 kms! Jenny was at the back so she had the seats in front of her to break her forward motion – she ended up with a bruised leg and a lump on her head. I was sitting in the front row, which has much more leg room then the middle and rear seats so I had nothing to stop my forward momentum and I ended up flying from the seat into the vehicle ledge & onto the floor. My arm & knee were injured but my camera also went flying - the impact shattered the screen & obviously damaged parts inside. The bill from Nikon is R11 000,00. The GM at Jaci’s Safari Lodge asked us to email her the repair bill so we assumed they were going to pay at least part of the bill as the accident was caused by their driver’s negligence. The field guide told us that he was not watching in front of the vehicle while driving, instead he was looking at another safari vehicle to our left. (I guess that’s why some lodges have a tracker up front). Turns out we should not assume – after Jenny emailed the bill to the lodge GM she said that their

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The Lion's Roar Photo Safari Newsletter

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company policy is to not pay for damages and when asked why she requested the bill, the answer was “I was just curious to see how much it was”…?! There are a few learnings from this incident: Body imjuries heal but camera gear doesn’t, so make sure you have insured your photo gear! We have never insured our gear as we look after it – wildlife photography is our livilihood - but this incident was not caused by us so insurance would have been appropriate here. All lodges ask guests to sign indemnity forms – this is standard practice and the wording goes along these lines: ”the lodge accepts no responsibility for any illness, fatalities, injury, accident or loss occurring while on safari/staying at the lodge, or any expense arising from such illness, fatalities, accident or loss”. I understand the need for the indemnity as some guests could be unreasonable and try to sue the lodge for a spider bite for example. But just keep in mind these indemnities do not apply if there was gross negligence on the part of their staff members. Malaria – After getting back from 4 weeks in the Kruger Park in January I was experiencing fever, chills, and flu-like illness, which are also signs of potential malaria. I was in bed for 3 days with a fever so I went to my doctor to have my blood tested. It was negative for malaria but I was told “it’s not conclusive so you need to come back every 5 days for more blood tests”. By then I could be dead, so I went to my homeopath (iridologist). He told me straight away that I had malaria and gave me drops to take – within a day my fever had broken and I was on the road to recovery. We don’t take anti-malaria medication as it makes us ill – we just monitor ourselves for flu-like symptoms but we suggest you get medical advice as malaria can be serious. Measels – The day we left for Buffelhoek & Ndzhaka I started to feel poorly with flu-like symptoms – I knew it couldn’t be malaria as we had not been away to the lowveld and it was winter. On the way to the Kruger (04h00 so no shops are open!) we stopped at the Shell petrol station between Johannesburg and Nelspruit in the hope that they may have some cough syrup or headache tablets – turns out they have vending machine with all sorts of medications! When we returnd home I went to my doctor who said I have bronchitis – I went to the Homeopath to confirm this and he asked me if I had any spots on my body. I said, yes I’ve got a rash on my chest and he said “you’ve got measels”! (GPs leave much to be desired nowadays).

Page 22: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

The Lion's Roar Photo Safari Newsletter

Copyright: http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/

On the Spot…

If you have a Wildcard, for free entry to SANParks, then you automatically receive the free members only Wild Card Magazine. Check out our article in the Spring 2016 edition called 'On the Spot' - it's about photographing at night in the parks. It's a 4-page spread starting on page 76. We could not imagine staying in the parks and not photographing after the sun goes down! We have photographed lions, leopards, cheetah, caracal, porcupine, African wild cat, genets, bush babies, civit, owls and more, mostly from the camps, what we call the ‘Sofa Safari’. You can see more of our Sofa Safari images on our Pinterest board. The issue of using spotlights and/or flashes can be a a hotly debated one but I think it’s like anything else, some people will abuse the item while others will use it responsibly. I think these comments from Brendon Cremer sum up the situation nicely… “In recent months we have once again seen photographers come into the firing line on social media platforms regarding what some people see as unethical / conservation issues which are completely unfounded statements or are rather based personal opinion rather than based on fact. Some of these being the on going bashing of photographers for the use of spotlights and flashes on nocturnal animals, which is said to blind and disable them, a statement that is complete nonsense… Please people, lets rather look at all the good that photographers do for conservation through various efforts around the world… the point is, lets focus on real issues rather than seeking attention with biased and personal opinions”.

Page 23: The Lion's Roar - Kruger2Kalahari · 2016-10-09 · Kruger National Park. We’ll be back in the Kruger Park in December getting the last images and stories for our Photographer’s

The Lion's Roar Photo Safari Newsletter

Copyright: http://www.kruger-2-kalahari.com/

Parting Shot...

Thor with friend at Sable Dam

Nikon D3S with 150-600mm Sigma Sport lens @ 600mm resting on beanbag. ISO 4500, 1/1250 sec at f/6.3

Copyright: Mario Fazekas

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