Portrait of a giraffe

A black and white portrait of a giraffe that was checking us out. Giraffes are quite curious animals. If they see something strange – like a car, but I’ve also seen them do this with lions – they will watch it intently before ambling away.
Photo taken in Dinokeng Game Reserve

Young cheetah

Rain is one of two female cheetahs in Pilanesberg National Park. Last year she had a litter of four young, of which three still survive. It’s so great to see these youngsters grow and thrive when only 30% of cheetahs born in the wild survive into adulthood!

Elephant on black

In the Netherlands, ‘blackfoto’ is a huge trend, especially in horse photography, but in zoo photography as well. I love the moodiness of the black background and the way in which it brings forward the few lights on the subject.

Elephant photographed in Madikwe Game Reserve.

Giraffe

Giraffes are so tall they are actually quite hard to photograph with a telelens. Glad to have gotten some landscape in there with this one!
Photo taken in Pilanesberg National Park

Baby zebra grazing

A small baby zebra is gingerly tasting the green shoots between the rocks on the ground. Zebras are born after thirteen months of gestation. They start nibbling on grass within a few weeks from birth. The coat of a baby zebra is more brownish than the clean black and white of the adult. It is also adorably fluffy!
Photo taken in Pilanesberg National Park

Don’t look back in anger

As he walked away from our attention, the leopard threw one last look at us over his shoulder. These sightings are always too short!
Photo taken in Pilanesberg National Park.

Snack on the go

A big bull elephant having a snack on the go. Elephants are vegetarians; they eat leaves, bark, grass, roots, and even fruits. Although they eat a massive amount of food each day – up to 150 kg! – their digestive system doesn’t break it down very effectively. Elephant dung therefore still contains a lot of nutrients, which other animals make use of!
Photo taken in Pilanesberg National Park

Baby rhino

An adorable baby rhino resting in the shade. Rhinos spend their days and nights grazing, only resting during the hottest hours of the day. After birth, a baby rhino can walk within an hour. A rhino is born without a horn, but the front horn becomes visible within one or two months. The back horn starts growing when the calf is about a year old. The calf will stay with its mother for about three years before setting off on its own.