This is what a safari must look like to a cheetah. The vehicle is actually ours, and I was on the ground behind the cheetah. I’ve posted photos of her before — she was saved by a Masai warrior when she was six weeks old and caught in a barbed wire fence. In this photo she was six months old and just beginning to venture out and hunt on her own. She was still very trusting of humans and we were able to actually play with her out in the field (see my bio pic here when she was up on our vehicle’s front hood).
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1600 of a second

This lioness had seen some action, with a deep horizontal scar across the top of her nose. She was relaxing down by a river in the Masai Mara with her cubs and the rest of the pride.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second

This little dwarf mongoose was lurking in the tall grass around a camp we were staying at in the Masai Mara of Kenya. As the name would suggest, it is a rather small mongoose, growing to only about 11 inches long. It also has the distinction of being Africa’s smallest carnivore.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/160th of a second

When giraffes fight, they use their long necks to slap massive blows at their opponents neck and body. The practice is called necking. These two were just finishing a bout, with one final smack coming from the giraffe on the right. Perhaps the guy on the left was distracted by the passing stork. We watched them going at it for quite awhile before they casually went back to eating grass.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/320th of a second

I decided to go tight on this one to highlight the skin on an elephant’s torso. Elephants are so big and you can get so close to them (when in a safari vehicle, of course) that it was easy to go edge to edge with the cropping. An elephant’s skin can be more than an inch thick. This particular elephant was in the Olare Orok Conservancy, a private concession just north of Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/6.3 at 1/320th of a second

This little cub wanted to play but mom was a bit too tired to oblige. They were nestled into a pile of fallen tree trunks along a river in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Another ten or so lions were also in the pride and resting and playing nearby.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/400th of a second

Always nice to photograph hippos when they are out of the water. Usually that means getting them first thing in the morning before the hot sun forces them back into rivers and other water bodies. This guy was grazing in an open field in the Masai Mara of Kenya just as the sun appeared on the horizon. In the background you can see a few resting cape buffalo. Fun fact of the day about hippos — their skin alone can weigh in excess of half a ton.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second

The galago, more commonly known as the bush baby, is a fast and agile little primate that lives throughout sub Sahara Africa. They are strictly nocturnal and hunt insects both on the ground and in trees. This one was photographed in Laikipia, Kenya. I’m off to Yellowstone with a few friends Saturday morning so this will be the last post until Thursday of next week.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units

Thanks for all the comments yesterday. It’s quite evident that people like the Minnesota dentist are an exception rather than the rule. I don’t want to belabor the point, but one of the things that disturbed me most about the story was a photo of the hunter with a rhino kill. Rhinos are critically endangered. They are in much more dire straits than lions and on the brink of extinction. Especially black rhinos. Karen and I had the pleasure of meeting quite a few white and black rhinos at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya a few years ago. This is a mother black rhinoceros with her calf. Here’s to places like Lewa that are doing their best to prolong the survival of these amazing animals.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/13th of a second

To anyone who was following the news yesterday, or tuned in to any social media platform, it’s pretty obvious why I’m posting this shot today. This is the most majestic male lion that I have ever seen. His name was Notch and he ruled the Masai Mara. This one goes out to his counterpart down in Zimbabwe. Lion numbers, as well as all big cats, continue to decline in the wild. The fact that trophy hunting is still allowed in many African countries boggles the mind. But what’s even more unfathomable to me is the fact that certain humans actually derive pleasure out of killing these beautiful creatures — for sport, no less. I post everyday to bring the awesomeness of the wild world to the subscribers of this blog, not to make any sort of political statement. But after yesterday’s firestorm over Cecil the lion, I thought it appropriate to speak out today. It’s time to ban trophy hunting of all endangered species in all countries.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second