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Making a splash: orcas in False Bay
By David Hurwitz The dolphins were leaping, splashing and rapidly changing direction, I knew that this panic could only mean one thing – the orcas have arrived! Photo © David Hurwitz Orca sightings in...
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Gecko TV – night time entertainment in the Kgalagadi
The African bush comes alive at night time. The heat seeps away, the crickets crank up their violins and those further down in the food pyramid stare wide-eyed into the blackness and ready themselves...
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Encounters of the spotted kind
The sun at this time of the year in the Waterberg is irresistible and the warmth of it on our backs, coupled with the glass of wine over lunch, kept us all lingering on the deck well after our meal was...
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Top 10 favourite sounds of the African bushveld
Whilst watching a wildlife documentary on the TV the other night I was struck by just how I missed the sounds of the African bushveld. Living in a city, miles away from my beloved Africa it struck me...
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Springbok: The Kgalagadi’s kangaroos
Antidorcas marsupialis stands about 80 cm high and is able to run up to 90 km/hour. It is also able to leap 3.5 m high and stot, pronk or jump 15 m. Hell, I wish I could do that. But I am not a...
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A love of leopards
I have just finished another shortened work stint in the Lowveld, and I realised two things: firstly, winter is almost over and I am still wearing my short shorts (okay, it’s only a third of the way...
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Africa’s greatest animal dads
Having recently celebrated a first Father’s Day with our baby son it got me thinking that fathers in the animal kingdom often get a bad rap but surely there must be some good dads? So, here are the...
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Southern African hedgehogs: life in a prickly skin!
Cute … kind of ugly … spiny… delightful … adorable – I find it hard not to love hedgehogs! So here’s a bit more about these too oft-ignored little creatures… © Tikki Hywood Trust Stranger Danger! The...
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The gauntlet of the Manyeleti game reserve
The lodge I worked at in the Manyeleti had no fence around the entire lodge and staff village which allowed EVERY kind of animal to wander through, and oh boy how they liked to walk through… At least...
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African animal Olympians: smashing records!
Okay, so Olympic athletes are awesome. Throughout history, Olympians have striven to push their physical limits, compete and break records. © Getty Images But what about creatures in the animal...
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Fish out of Water
Some years ago, I encountered my first many-spined climbing perch at Jacana camp in the Okavango. The perch was out of the water and making its way along the edge of a road. I was completely taken...
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Respect those old bulls
Whilst on a recent visit to Seba Camp in the Okavango, I spent some time with Kate Evans and Simon Buckingham. Together they run the charity Elephants for Africa, which supports the research project...
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Cat eat Cat
Leopards are resourceful animals. Whilst on a game drive out of Chitabe Camp, in the Okavango, we spent time following a hungry male leopard. During the course of one morning he tried hunting a...
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Little lion cubs survive big water
It is the end of August as I write this, and all over the Okavango water levels are now receding. A few months back, during the peak of the highest flood levels in many years, I posted a submission...
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Second Time Lucky
In July 2008 I was guiding a group out of Tubu Tree camp, in the Okavango. On a morning game drive, we saw a hyena crossing a deep channel. The hyena was carrying an impala carcass. Seconds after it...
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When Is A Big Cat Long In the Tooth?
One of the benefits of spending more time in any particular wildlife area is that you get to recognize individual animals. It is human nature to try to learn as much as possible about these animals....
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Working Mothers
Leopards are solitary cats by nature. They are comfortable on their own. Female leopards lead less solitary lives than males, as they bear young and spend much time with their cubs. Male leopards have...
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A Meal for One
Summertime in the north of Botswana is the time when impala females give birth to their young. The arrival of these delicate creatures, weighing only 5kg, is obviously of great importance to the...
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The New Year Starts with a Bang
It’s happened – today we are thrilled to confirm 2 matings for our northern white rhinos. The first mating was between Fatu and Suni (northern white on northern white). The second mating was Sudan –...
View ArticleLeopard behaviour – Information technology
It is quite fascinating to follow a big cat when they are on a territorial patrol. Last month I was able to watch the Dumatau male leopard as he went about on an early morning patrol. He is one of…...
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