When we mention Sudan, most people don’t react positively, either because they don’t know much about the country, or they recall negative news reports about it. Ten years ago, when we visited the “kingdom of the black pharaohs” for the first time, there were very few tourists. Nowadays, fortunately, some prejudices have disappeared, and more …
Author Archives: teamAG
Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 7 – Gallery 1
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now in full swing and open for submissions! There are two galleries showcasing this week’s Weekly Selection. To see the other gallery click here: Weekly Selection Gallery 2 ? Thirsty elephants arrive at a waterhole. Kruger National Park, South Africa © Hilda Le Roux ? A giraffe bull gets some …
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Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 7 – Gallery 2
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 competition, with a stunning safari prize provided by Djuma Private Game Reserve, is now in full swing and open for submissions! There are two galleries showcasing this week’s Weekly Selection. To see the other gallery click here: Weekly Selection Gallery 1 ? A special moment between a mother lion and her …
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Killifish – suspended animation & shortest lifespan of any animal with a backbone
The killifish is a survivor that scientists are desperate to learn from. Using suspended animation to survive being entombed in dry mud, combined with the shortest lifespan of any animal with a backbone, killifish could unlock secrets to human ageing.
Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 6 – Gallery 2
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now in full swing and open for submissions! There are two galleries showcasing this week’s Weekly Selection. To see the other gallery click here: Weekly Selection Gallery 1 ? Close-up of an elephant’s eyelashes. Kariega Private Game Reserve, South Africa © Peter Reitze ? A walia ibex. Simien Mountains National Park, …
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Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 6 – Gallery 1
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now in full swing and open for submissions! There are two galleries showcasing this week’s Weekly Selection. To see the other gallery click here: Weekly Selection Gallery 2 ? A large bull meets an elephant calf. Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa © Charmaine Joubert ? Springbok during a dusty sunrise. …
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Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 5 – Gallery 2
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now in full swing and open for submissions! There are two galleries showcasing this week’s Weekly Selection. To see the other gallery click here: Weekly Selection Gallery 1 ? A ring-tailed lemur suns herself while her baby keeps a firm hold on her back. Berenty Reserve, Madagascar © Beverly Houwing …
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Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 5 – Gallery 1
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now in full swing and open for submissions! There are two galleries showcasing this week’s Weekly Selection. To see the other gallery click here: Weekly Selection Gallery 2 ? A yellow mongoose passes through camp. Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, South Africa © Daniela Anger ? A young Mucubal boy herds his goats …
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Lion poaching: Escalating demand for claws and teeth
The escalating demand for lion teeth and claws in Asian markets is driving the increased poaching of wild lions, says report.
Elephant poaching decimates key Gabon reserve
Elephant population in Gabon’s Minkébé National Park have been decimated, with 25,000 being poached in 10 years (80% reduction), says research results.
Large herd of elephants seen in Nigeria’s war-torn northeast
In an exciting discovery, a previously-unknown herd of 250-300 elephants has been spotted in Nigeria’s far northeast corner, making it the first reported sighting of elephants in the region since the Boko Haram insurgency began a decade ago.
Leopard hunting: CITES quotas not sustainable, say researchers
CITES trophy hunting quotas for leopards are arbitrary and not sustainable, says research. Read here to find what the 3 researchers recommend.
Smoked baby chimpanzee on hotel menu, says NGO
Smoked baby chimpanzee on the menu at prominent DRC hotel, says NGO.
Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 4
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now in full swing and open for submissions! ? A red-billed oxpecker and buffalo take a drink together. Zimanga Private Game Reserve, South Africa © Alan Nixon ? Painted wolves (African wild dogs) with the remains of their meal. Selinda Concession, Botswana © Gerhard Thom ? A lion …
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Millipedes – 10 facts that we find interesting
Giant African millipedes often have unusually brightly coloured legs and bodies.
Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 3
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now in full swing and open for submissions! ? A sub-adult lion comes in to steal a kill made by spotted hyenas, only to find very little for himself. The hyenas did not bother getting their meal back because they had had their full. Maasai Mara National Reserve, …
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6 Swahili food dishes you won’t want to miss!
Swahili cuisine is tasty, filling and plentiful. Here are six Swahili dishes you won’t want to miss on your travels in Tanzania.
Swahili – a brief safari guide to key words and phrases
Language and everyday culture are intertwined, so it’s worth learning some polite phrases in Swahili, as making the effort to speak another’s language is welcome in any country.
Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 2
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now open for submissions! Here is the first gallery of entrants: ? A spotted hyena pops its head out of the carcass of a giraffe that had died while giving birth. Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya © Nitin Michael ? “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”. A bull elephant …
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The Return of Malawi’s Cheetahs
A total of 5,645 kilometres… That is 845 km more than the distance across the United States of America, 2,500 km further when travelling east to west across Australia, and 2,845 km more than the distance across South Africa. That distance does not even count all the little trips in between, including the time spent …
Uganda birding – 10 best spots
The 10 best birding spots in Uganda, which hosts 1065 species – the ideal place to improve your life bird species list
Photographer of the Year 2020 Weekly Selection: Week 1
Our Photographer of the Year 2020 is now open for submissions! Here is the first gallery of entrants: ? A juvenile leopard pops his head out of an excavated termite mound. Madikwe Game Reserve, South Africa © Jo Taylor ? A spotted hyena carries the remains of a kill. Etosha National Park, Namibia © Manuel Graf ? A …
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Spider Macro Magic
With a record-breaking, never-before-seen 29,887 entries received for our Photographer of the Year 2019 competition, our judges had an incredibly tough time deciding on our winner and runners-up. But at the end of the day, it was the pure macro-magic of Eraine van Schalkwyk’s jumping spider that caught the eye of our judges, and she …
Experience an art safari in the Big 5 Greater Kruger
Safari report-back: Art safari in Big 5 Greater Kruger with a professional wildlife artist. What my guests had to say. By Alison Nicholls
Wild Babies
It’s only one week until entries open for our Photographer of the Year 2020! We’re brimming with excitement about what gems will be unearthed this year, and to get in the mood, we’re showcasing another great gallery of adorably cute wild baby animals – from Photographer of the Year 2019. Our Photographer of the Year 2020 …
Klaserie Capers
He emerged silently from the gloom and ambled towards us with that gentle rocking gait that big bull elephants use to cover vast distances with minimal effort. His white tusks glowed in the moonshine, but otherwise, he was just a huge dark grey smudge that loomed larger by the second. The eight of us sat …
African grey parrots: How social media is facilitating both illegal trade and the fight against it
A recent study examines how social media marketplaces facilitate trafficking of endangered African grey parrots.
Declining Dynasties – Blacktip
It is a year since the BBC first screened Dynasties: Painted Wolves and nearly three since they stopped filming in Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. Since then, the dynasty has struggled. In part two of this trilogy (read part one here), Nicholas Dyer, who has followed these packs for the last seven years, continues the story with …
Ethiopia’s Omo Valley Tribes
Black-and-white portrait photography is a simple aesthetic that can speak volumes. The lack of colour introduces an authentic perspective, where the use of light adds mood and intensity. This is how German photographer Victoria Knobloch approaches her work. With her direct and straightforward photographic approach, she reveals the uniqueness and natural beauty of everyday life. …
Wild Art
Flowers and plants captivate me, skulls, skins and bones fascinate me. To me, they are potent symbols of life and death, inseparable and complementary. Living with my life partner Clive Stockil in the Lowveld wilderness of Zimbabwe, I am an artist and a naturalist, celebrating the indigenous plants and wildlife in the wilderness and in my …
Celebrating Africa’s Wild Babies with Families
We’re back with another dose of just what the doctor ordered: adorably cute wild baby animals of Africa! After the success of our last gallery, we’re turning our eyes to the incredibly close bonds that these babies share with their parents. This epic celebration gallery would not be possible if not for the stunning photographs entered in our Photographer …
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Elephants and trees
Does removing elephants save trees? This fascinating report delves into this important conservation issue.
Declining Dynasties
It is a year since the BBC first screened Dynasties: Painted Wolves and nearly three since they stopped filming in Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe. Since then, the dynasty has struggled. Nicholas Dyer, who has followed these packs for the last seven years, tells the story of Tammy and the Nyamatusi Pack. Six of …
Zimbabwe elephants: Report identifies existing conservation problems, calls for community involvement
Zimbabwe elephants: Report fingers ZimParks for incompetence and international NGOs for hoodwinking donors, concludes that surrounding communities have to be involved in conservation as beneficiaries.
Lions in Zambia are roaming across areas thought uninhabitable for them
Research: Lions are sneaking virtually undetected through dense human zones in Zambia, thereby ensuring genetic diversity throughout the entire Zambian lion population.
New report reveals the value of lions and their landscapes
The New Lion Economy is the first project of its kind to make the link between ecosystem services, economic development, cultural significance and the survival of lions.
Charlie’s Adventures – A celebration in wildlife photography
For some wildlife photographers out there, capturing the true essence of a photo is their primary goal – a photo where it goes beyond the physical image and portrays the raw emotion of another’s world, especially on a photographer-guided safari. For Charlie Lynam, this is precisely what drives his passion for wildlife photography and ignites …
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Trophy hunting in Zambia to be suspended due to non-payment of hunting fees to communities
Trophy hunting in Zambia has been halted because communities have not been paid their fees and share of revenue.
Incredible sighting: Rare spotted zebra foal sighted in Maasai Mara
A rare spotted zebra foal with what appears to be pseudo-melanistic colouring has been sighted in the Maasai Mara in Kenya.
Leopard takes down impala
The unpredictable nature of wildlife is what makes going on safari special and unique. Who knows what may be lurking around the next acacia bush or down a quiet dry riverbed? However, knowing what signs to watch for and adopting a deeper understanding of animal behaviour can give you that little boost in ‘reading’ this unpredictability. …
Vultures of the Old World
“When one thinks about vultures, one envisions a bald-headed, blood-thirsty scavenger waiting for something or someone to perish. We have been brought up to believe that evil surrounds vultures, and this has led to cinematography portraying the species in a negative and unloved light. This has most certainly contributed to the species being disliked and …
Lion pride kills more than 40 goats in Namibia, in two separate attacks
More than 40 livestock have been killed in a few days by a lion pride in two different locations in the Kunene region in Namibia.
Leopards in Namibia – latest population census results
The results of a recent leopard census in Namibia, providing a more accurate estimate of the distribution and number of leopards in the country.
Safari!
“AFRICA” – now tell me that you don’t hear Sir David Attenborough’s voice when you read that word. Home to an abundance of incredible wildlife and considered the birthplace of humankind, this continent beckoned wildlife enthusiast Olli Teirilä in a way that he could never have expected. With a passion for adventure and wildlife, Olli …
CITES CoP18 – most controversial one ever? Here are the results for African species
CITES CoP18 – all the results for African species, including rulings for elephant and rhino trade that have some African range states questioning their ongoing participation in CITES.
Rhinos: Trade in horn and increase trophy hunting, says Minister. Have your say, within 30 days
South African minister wants white rhinos downlisted on CITES so that horn can be traded internationally, and she wants more black rhino to be trophy hunted. Read this important post, and have your say.
The Wodaabe – Nomads of the North
The Wodaabe tribe are nomadic pastoralists of the Sahel region in Africa. Their migratory journeys cover the expanse of northern Africa, where they travel with their cattle and families across the arid areas of Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and the Central African Republic. They are a small, isolated branch of the Fulani ethnic group and …
Bushbabies – The Southern Lesser Galago
With their large saucepan eyes, big ears and bushy tails, galagos, also known as bushbabies, are one of Africa’s most endearing creatures of the night. Often referred to in South Africa as nagapies, meaning “little night monkeys” in Afrikaans, they are regarded as one of the smallest of the prosimian primate species. Although reasonably common throughout parts …
Maasai Mara – Beyond Imagination
Safari report-back: My journey in the Maasai Mara with professional photographer Arnfinn Johansen and Africa Geographic. By Ivan Glaser
The Brown Hyena
Steeped in myths and legends regarding magical powers, hermaphroditism and black magic, and more recently cast as villains by Disney, the hyena family undoubtedly suffers from a bad reputation. With their gentle, social interactions and strong kin bonds rarely witnessed, and their reputation amongst farmers as a livestock predator, the misunderstood and secretive brown hyena …
