I recently returned from a photo safari to the Okavango and Linyanti wilderness of northwest Botswana. These photos are a result of that amazing trip. I offer this diary as a brief respite from the struggles of the day and a reminder that, holy sh*t, it's a leopard! There is still some wilderness left on earth. Not much and it is threatened, but there is a little. A big chunk of it is in Botswana.
Burchell's zebra (Equus burchellii)
Funny little striped horse
Vervet Monkey
A friend said this looked like the centerfold to PlayMonkey Magazine.
Red-Billed Hornbill
Mock Charge by Matriarch Elephant
African Elephant
Spotted Hyena Cub
Haenids are neither cat nor dog but occupy their own group under feliform carnivores. Their closest relatives are the civets and mongooses. Speaking of which...
African Civet
I was incredibly lucky (and fast on the trigger so there was some skill involved) to capture an image of this noctournal and reclusive critter.
Slender Mongoose
Slender is its common name, not a description of its lithe figure.
Spotted Hyena
Cute huh?
The gawdy Lilac-Breasted Roller
African Wild Dog puppy
M-I-C...K-E-Y...
African Wild Dogs, or Cape Hunting Dogs are highly endangered, with only 3,000 to 5,000 remaining in the wild. Botswana contains the highest population. They have been devastated in Kenya and Tanzania (and the rest of Africa) by conflict with cattle ranchers (sound familiar) and by contracting canine diseases such as distemper and rabies from domestic dogs.
Male Leopard
Making some eye contact. This was the first male leopard I had seen. They are much bigger and stockier than the females.
Effortless leap
Leopard (Panthera pardis)
There are four cats in the genus Panthera, the tiger, lion, leopard and jaguar. One characteristic they have in common is the ability to roar.
Thanks for joining me on this brief journey to Africa. Feel free to treat this as a community photo diary and please be good humans. If you have any problems with this diary I refer you to the Complaint Department's Saturday Stand In...
Aloha