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Kruger is the premiere wildlife park in South Africa. I was lucky enough to spend five days there, staying at the Skukuza Camp and the Lower Sabie Camp. I was also fortunate enough to see all of the Big Five of Africa--lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo, as well as many other species.
Seeing elephants or giraffe in a zoo is one thing--seeing a herd crossing the African veldt at sunset is an entirely different thing. I may be spoiled for zoos forever. :)
I was taught two simple rules for wildlife photography, many years ago by a photography teacher who was also a sometime pro wildlife photographer. Those rules are:
1. Get as close as you possibly can--then get closer.
and
2. Always include your subject's eyes--they are what brings the photo to life.
Some of my Kruger photos are below:
Kruger Park, Crocodile Gate entrance
Two hippos grazing on the banks of the Crocodile River
Wildebeest
Male impala grazing
Leopard tortoise
Giraffe browsing
Giraffe
Impala
Male impala
Warthogs
African starlings nesting in tree. Skukuza camp
Enormous moth on tree trunk. Skukuza
Giant African millipedes, about eight inches long
Guinea fowl
Giraffes and warthogs
Tick birds on a giraffe
South African veldt landscape
River. Although it was the beginning of the rainy season, the water levels were still low
Ostrich
White rhino
Baboon troop crossing road
Elephant
Zebra. Kruger zebras have a genetic mutation which produces "extra" brown stripes between the black ones
Wildebeest and impala
Large Nile monitor lizard sunning himself on the roadway. Skukuza camp
Elephant herd
Elephant calf and mom
Giraffe
Hippos. Limpopo River
Young Nile crocodile. Limpopo River
Kudu
White rhinos
Bateleur eagle in a tree
Male lion
Weaver bird nests. Lower Sabie camp
Baboon troop
Black-throated monitor lizard
Waterbuck
Baboon sentry
Cape Buffalo herd
Vervet monkey drinking rainwater. Lower Sabie camp
Hornbill bird in tree
Skink lizard watching me from behind a rock
Kudu in the distance
Saddle-bill stork
Blacksmith lapwing bird
Nile crocodile in water
White-crowned plover
It's hard to see, but there is a leopard sleeping on the lowermost branch in this tree
Vervet monkeys at play. Lower Sabie camp
Chameleon lizard crossing the road
Kudu
Kudu
A leopard killed this impala and dragged it up a tree to store it safely away from scavengers
Blue-headed agama lizard. Lower Sabie camp
Elephant herd
Cheetah
Fish eagle in a tree
Zebra
Lioness in a tree. There were vultures circling nearby, so I suspect the pride had made a kill and this lioness, fat from feeding, was sleeping off a big meal.