The beautiful leopard at Pretoria Zoo has just finished its meal of a whole chicken – but I feel he’s asking me for more!
Category: wildlife
For Valentine’s Day
“Just living is not enough…
one must have sunshine,
freedom, and a little flower.”
Hans Christian Andersen
Ostrich in a field with purple flowers
A male ostrich is foraging between the purple flowers of the pompom weed. Pompom weed has been called an ‘evil beauty’. It makes the fields look beautiful, but in fact it is an invasive plant that threatens indigenous grasslands. It makes me wonder how we define beauty… Now that I now that this plant is a threat, I look at it in a different way. Somehow, beauty seems to be informed by knowledge as well as aesthetical value!
Photo taken in Rietvlei Nature Reserve
Nikon d750, 420mm, f4, 1/1000, ISO 100.
Young zebra
Rietvlei at the moment is so amazingly beautiful! The fields are green and purple and yellow… all the colours of an enchanting summer. This young zebra obliged for a portrait in front of a field of purple flowers. The animals don’t really seem to like the flowers, though, they prefer their grass to be green!
Tiger
I’m coming to get you!
Tiger in the National Zoological Garden in Pretoria.
Leopard
Photographing a leopard in the zoo is a different challenge than finding a leopard in the wild. No adrenaline rush here! But the lightning conditions can be challenging – for this image I set an ISO of 1600, so there is quite a bit of noise when you zoom in. I love it though!
Kudu bull
A beautiful male kudu appearing from the bush. Look at those horns! This male is one of a bachelor group of six big bulls in Pilanesberg National Park.
