Just another day’s work in the remarkable wilderness of Botswana where the couple have made their home in recent weeks
Essentials
Richard and Sarah Madden are spending a year looking at life in the bush and behind the scenes in safari camps across southern Africa owned byWilderness Safaris (wilderness-safaris.com).
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
As well this striking reflection of an elephant at the last light of day
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
There were also several larger specimens around (watch the video from Richard and Sarah’s first update to see near miss with a local hippo)
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
On one occasion, a baby hippo emerged from the water for a perfect photo opportunity
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
As are their occasional nemesis
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
These vivid Carmine bee-eater are another colourful member of the local winged population
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
This leopard looks at ease here, but Richard and Sarah were able to witness it in more dramatic circumstances…
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
Large predators are regularly seen, including this adult male lion tending to some important matters of hygiene
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
Another bird found in the area is this beautifully coloured lilac-breasted roller
The remarkable wildlife of Botswana
Animal portraits award Winner: Warning night light by Larry Lynch (USA) One evening, while walking along the riverbed of the Myakka River State Park in Sarasota, Florida, USA, Larry came across a group of alligators. It was the dry season, and they had been gorging on fish trapped in the pools left behind as the water receded from the river. One big alligator had clearly eaten its fill. So I set my tripod and camera up about seven metres and focused on his eyes. Just after sunset, Larry set his flash on the lowest setting, enough to catch the eyeshine in the alligator’s eyes. Like cats, an alligator has a tapetum lucidum at the back of each eye a structure that reflects light back into the photoreceptor cells to make the most of low light. The colour of eyeshine differs from species to species. In alligators, it glows red one good way to locate alligators on a dark night. The greater the distance between its eyes, the longer the reptile, in this case, very long
Photograph: Larry Lynch /2012 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year – in pictures
The winners of the Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year 2012 competition have been announced. The overall winner is the Canadian Paul Nicklen, with his underwater shot of emperor penguins. Here is a selection of some of the winning images
Behaviour: mammals Winner: Practice run by Grégoire Bouguereau (France) When a female cheetah caught but didn’t kill a Thomson’s gazelle calf and waited for her cubs to join her, Gregoire guessed what was about to happen. He’d spent nearly a decade studying and photographing cheetahs in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and he knew that the female s behaviour meant one thing: a hunting lesson was due to begin. The female moved away, leaving the calf lying on the ground near her cubs. At first, the cubs took no notice of it. But when it struggled jerkily to its feet the cubs natural predatory instincts were triggered, says Gregoire. Each cub gaze locked on to the calf as it made a break for freedom. The lesson repeated itself several times, with the cubs ignoring the calf when it was on the ground and catching it whenever it tried to escape an exercise that affords the cubs the chance to practise chases in preparation for when they will have to do so for real
Photograph: Gregoire Bouguereau/2012 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year – in pictures
The winners of the Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year 2012 competition have been announced. The overall winner is the Canadian Paul Nicklen, with his underwater shot of emperor penguins. Here is a selection of some of the winning images
Behaviour: cold-blooded animals Winner: Into the mouth of the caiman by Luciano Candisani (Brazil) Motionless but alert, a yacare caiman waits, like a small tyrannosaurus for fish to come within snapping reach, says Luciano. Caimans are usually seen floating passively on the surface. Under the water, it’s another story. It is this secret life that has fascinated Luciano ever since he first came face to face with a caiman while snorkelling. Once he had recovered from the shock, he realised that the reptile was neither aggressive nor fearful and that he could approach it. Luciano now regularly documents the underwater life of caimans in the shallow, murky waters of Brazil’s Pantanal (the biggest wetland in the world), which contains the largest single crocodilian population on Earth. Most aren’t aggressive, but some individuals can be. The safest way to get close is when they are concentrating on a shoal of fish, says Luciano
Photograph: Luciano Candisani/2012 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year – in pictures
The winners of the Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year 2012 competition have been announced. The overall winner is the Canadian Paul Nicklen, with his underwater shot of emperor penguins. Here is a selection of some of the winning images
rThe wildlife photojournalist of the year award (six-picture story) Winner: The Tiger’s Tale by Steve Winter (USA) This is a very special tiger. He is one of fewer than 500 wild, critically endangered Sumatran tigers. It was a huge challenge for Steve to photograph one, as those that have escaped poaching and forest clearance are mostly confined to patches of forests or the mountains and are extremely shy. A former tiger hunter, now employed as a park ranger, advised Steve where to set up his camera trap. But the challenge remained to position the remote-control camera and the lights in exactly the right position so the tiger would be lit centre-stage in front of a backdrop of forest habitat. The seemingly unstoppable growth of oil-palm plantations in Sumatra and continuing poaching for body parts for use in traditional Chinese medicine indicate that this subspecies of tiger is destined to become extinct in the wild, as have its Javan and Balinese relatives Photograph: Steve Winter/2012 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year – in pictures
The winners of the Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year 2012 competition have been announced. The overall winner is the Canadian Paul Nicklen, with his underwater shot of emperor penguins. Here is a selection of some of the winning images
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The Gerald Durrell award for endangered wildlife Winner: Dog days by Kim Wolhuter (South Africa) Kim has been filming African wild dogs at Zimbabwe s Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve for more than four years. He knows one pack intimately. ‘I have travelled with them, on foot, in the pack itself, running with them as they hunt. It’s a privilege, and it’s given me a true insight into their life.’ Kim has also witnessed firsthand the many threats that have made African wild dogs endangered, including increased conflict with humans and domestic animals (poachers snares, habitat loss, traffic and disease). At times, it is heart-wrenching, he says. ‘My mission is to dispel the myth that they are a threat and help raise awareness of their plight.’ African wild dogs require huge territories, and so protecting them can protect entire ecosystems. When this picture was taken, the pack had travelled four kilometres to the Sosigi Pan, only to find it totally dried up
Photograph: Kim Wolhuter/2012 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year – in pictures
The winners of the Veolia Environnement wildlife photographer of the year 2012 competition have been announced. The overall winner is the Canadian Paul Nicklen, with his underwater shot of emperor penguins. Here is a selection of some of the winning images
