Page 18 – Africa Geographic

Gallery – The Meaning in the Masks

WEIRD AND WONDERFUL CHARACTERS IN ONE OF AFRICA’S GREAT MASQUERADES Images by Andrew Brukman 7 November, 2014 In the gule wamkulu, or great dance, hundreds of different characters guide society in the moral code of the Chewa people. Some are in the shape of animals, some are roughly humanoid, and some are completely outlandish. Here …

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Gule Wamkulu – when the ancestors dance

In various parts of Malawi, Zambia and Mozambique, the spirits of the ancestors take on corporeal form and dance for their living descendants. Not just to entertain but also to inform, chastise and guide. The forms they take are varied and spectacular, and the occasion of their portrayal is called the gule wamkulu – the …

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Ebola: Is safari travel safe during outbreaks?

Here’s why you shouldn’t cancel your African safari because of Ebola.

The bloodhounds of Virunga in DR Congo

In the DRC’s Virunga National Park conservationists have taken a different approach in the fight against poaching – they got themselves some good old-fashioned bloodhounds.

Africanis

In the dusty rural villages of South Africa, one can expect to see dogs of all shapes and sizes roaming freely, seemingly uncared for and feral. To those who are used to the regulated pedigree world of dogs, these ‘village dogs’ are widely thought of as un-domesticated and most likely carriers of the rabies virus. …

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The dog: conservation’s best friend

One of Aesop’s fables tells of a vixen taking her numerous pups out for an airing. She comes across a lioness proudly carrying a single cub. ‘Why such airs, haughty dame, over one solitary cub?’ sneers the vixen. ‘Look at my healthy and numerous litter here, and imagine, if you are able, how a proud …

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How to draw lions – the stages of a field sketch

Alison Nicholls’ recreates her lion watercolour painting in studio in order to show us the stages of a field sketch.

Cry Wolf

The Ethiopian wolf is Africa’s most endangered carnivore. Learn what is being done to protect them in the Ethiopian highlands

A good sign for the buffalo at Liuwa Plain National Park

The return of the buffalo to Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia

Meet the Wolfpack

Gallery of fantastic images documenting the journey of an Ethiopian wolf pack from den to fully fledged members of the pack

One Month with the Himba

Documentary photographer Alegra Ally tells us about her month with the Himba people, Namibia’s most enigmatic tribe.

Himba – Wild Born

The ritual journey of a Himba girl into womanhood. The Himba are an indigenous tribe from the arid region of north-western Namibia.

Gallery – down by the Zakouma waterside

In Chad’s dry season the waters of Zakouma attract a veritable Noah’s Ark of animals.

Zakouma – beyond the infinity pool

A visit to Zakouma, central Africa’s last wildlife stronghold, means going back to old-school, authentic safari values

Extinct snail rediscovered in Seychelles

The Aldabra banded snail, thought to be a casualty of climate change, has been rediscovered in the Seychelles.

The Rise of the Huntress

A commentary on the rising popularity of hunting among young women.

Redfin minnow – swimming under the radar

Grahamstown researchers discover a new species of redfin minnow

Walking with a myriad of wildlife in Tsavo

Join us on a great walk through Tsavo as we come across elephants, lions, hyenas, crocodiles and much more…

The story of Seymour the shoebill

The Bangweulu Wetlands Project’s latest member, Seymour, the little chick who survived.

Kalahari: photographing life in the desert

Wildlife photographer Hannes Lochner shares his experiences from living and working in the Kalahari

The dark side of the kalahari

The Kalahari’s resident photographer, Hannes Lochner, gives us a glimpse of his latest work

Fascinating Pangolin Facts

Get to know more about the pangolin, one of Africa’s most elusive creatures

Elephants, communities and conservation

Gail Potgieter talks about making your footprint count for conservation when touring Africa.

Pangolins: chinks in the armour

How pangolins end up in medicine, on menus and electric fences.

The Luckiest Pangolin Alive

The story of a little pangolin who’s making a big difference.

Get To Know The Gorillas

CLEARING UP THE MIST AROUND THE GREAT APES

Things You Find in the Forest

A photographic tour of the dense rainforests of Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Republic of Congo – from gorillas to parrots & monkeys

Meerkat pups and a puff adder

A meerkat story worthy of a ‘Meerkat Manor’ episode and an award for bravery.

Congo: the living forest

DEVELOPING A CULTURE OF CONSERVATION IN THE CONGO

Meet Barkie, the baby aardvark

Meet Barkie, a rescued aardvark baby at the N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary in Namibia.

Lion King or Commodity?

AN ANALYSIS OF
THE LION BREEDING INDUSTRY
IN SOUTH AFRICA

Kenya’s magical forest – the Arabuko Sokoke

Jeremy sets out birding in Arabuko Sokoke forest, a fragile green jewel of Kenya’s coastline.

Three years in the wild

Sometimes, I feel like I’m the luckiest person in the world. For the past three years, I have lived almost exclusively in South Africa’s national parks and nature reserves. On a typical day, while some people sit in city traffic, I could photograph lions in the Kalahari, tracking rhinos with rangers or swimming with turtles. …

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Tips for sketching in the field

African wildlife rarely stays still for one to even get a good photograph let alone sketch it. Alison Nicholls has some tips for artists inspired by Africa

Ivory – the burning question

AMERICA’S ONGOING DEBATE OVER THE TRADE IN IVORY

The painted ape

The mandrill is the most colourful of all monkeys & occurs in the dense rainforests of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo & Gabon

Shades of Grey

A JOURNEY FROM A BUSTLING FOREST COMMUNITY TO SOLITARY LIFE IN YOUR LIVING ROOM

Get to know the grey parrot

There are 25 species of parrot native to Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius, according to the IUCN – with preferred habitats ranging from closed forests to arid zones. Parrots are not as diverse or abundant in Africa as in Australasia and the Neotropics. The grey parrot is found in the primary and secondary rainforests of West …

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Ruaha – a walk on the wild side

Ranger training in Ruaha (Tanzania) evokes the peril and beauty of walking safaris – the best way to really feel Africa’s pulse

Ruaha – wild inspiration

WE ASKED RUAHA’S RESIDENT ARTIST OF 11 YEARS ABOUT LIFE AND INSPIRATION IN TANZANIA’S WILDEST FRONTIER

A friend of the enemy

A CONSERVATIONIST INTERVENES IN THE CONFLICT BETWEEN PEOPLE AND PREDATORS

Hadza: a short history of an ancient tribe

Tanzania’s Hadza people – the last of the true hunter-gatherers – an ancient tribe that still hangs onto a traditional way of life

Giving life to Cape vultures

Maggie explains how the endangered Cape vultures are hatched at VulPro.

In Flight

A celebration of soaring.

Hunting with the hadza

A journey back in time with one of the world’s oldest tribes on Earth. Greg Lederle spends time hunting with the Hadza people in Tanzania

Shelley’s crimsonwing – no photos in natural habitat

A rare photograph of an elusive Shelley’s crimsonwing. There is only one other known photographed of this threatened bird.

A Namibian’s view on hunting in his home country

Namibian John K Kasaona gives a local’s view on the Namibian hunting debate.

Satao – the Giant Who Will Never Die

HOW SATAO, KENYA’S LEGENDARY TUSKER, IS A SYMBOL OF HOPE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST POACHING

How Charcoal Fuels al-Shabaab’s Terror Campaign

A POTENTIALLY GREATER THREAT TO WILDLIFE THAN POACHING

How to count elephants from a plane

THE METHOD BEHIND AERIAL SURVEYS OF AFRICAN WILDLIFE

Where the giant elephants still roam

THE GREATEST AFRICAN ELEPHANT CENSUS IN HISTORY TAKES TO THE SKIES

Just hatched! One of South Africa’s rarest birds

Rare footage of the South Africa’s rarest bird, the blue swallow, hatching from an egg.

5 things to do in Coffee Bay

Here are five activities you’ll definitely want to try when travelling to Coffee Bay on the Transkei coast.

Proteas threatened by climate change

It is an uphill battle for South Africa’s national flowers as proteas face the threats of climate change.

Drongo mimics alarm calls to steal food

Drongo mimics alarm calls to keep stealing food from other species, finds UCT biologist.

A baby black zebra

A baby black zebra is been seen in the northwestern area of the Okavango Delta – a very rare sighting, that has tourists keen to have a look

Looking after orphan elephants

Andrew White takes us through a day in the life of the elephant orphans and their keepers at the Elephant Nursery Facility at Lilayi Game Reserve in Lusaka.

Water lilies of the Delta

During a walking safari in the Delta we stop to appreciate the magnificent water lilies that litter the Okavango’s waterways.

First photos of Liuwa’s lion cubs

Liuwa’s Park Manager has captured the first clear images of the three lion cubs, born four months ago in Liuwa National Park.

To bee or not to bee

Farmers along the perimeter of Serengeti National Park have tried various elephant-deterring techniques, from beating tin cans to lighting fires, most of which haven’t appeared to work. But now there are beehive fences which appear to be doing the job!

Biggest tusker elephant in Southern Africa dies

It is with deep sadness and regret that Tembe Elephant Park has announced the death of Isilo the elephant. Isilo was the king of the elephants and wildlife in the Tembe Transfrontier Park on the South Africa/Mozambique Border and was known as the biggest “tusker” in Southern Africa.

Rhino horn – To trade or not to trade: Does it really matter?

The rhino horn trade is being punted as an option with ‘if it pays it stays’ philosophy. The counter argument being that we don’t understand the market, making it difficult to play with. Each a compelling argument in its own right, however are we are dividing our forces, our efforts and the rhino population while we debate the issue?

Diving with dinosaurs

We go diving with cow sharks; a shark with very few modern adaptations that makes them one of the closest links we have to dinosaurs.

Rhino horn – Will supporters of trade make their case?

Organisers of a key conference about rhino conservation and introducing a legal trade in rhino horn claim that advocates of trade are threatening to boycott the conference because their point of view will not be represented.

Satellite tag could reveal more about mysterious coelacanths

For the very first time detailed data about iSimangaliso’s coelacanths has been collected via a satellite tag.

The Lower Zambezi beneath a copper sky

An Australian company’s scheme to mine copper in one of Zambia’s most pristine national parks.

Fight for the fynbos fish

Learn about the redfin minnow, the most widespread group of freshwater fishes in the Cape Floristic Region, and find out why these fish face a serious risk of extinction.

Rhinos: It’s time for Plan B

We do not get a second chance if we get the economics of rhino trading wrong; all the rhino in the wild will be gone. It is time for a Plan B.

Parrots and people

The lives of parrots and people have been intimately entwined for centuries, if not millennia. Given the familiarity of many of us with some of Africa’s parrots it may come as a surprise that we still know so little about their lives in the wild.

Baboon spiders: hairy monsters or furry friends?

Baboon spiders are placid, enigmatic animals that would rather keep to themselves than risk an encounter with human beings. And believe it or not, there are people who are fascinated by them…

A quarter of the world’s sharks and rays face extinction

A quarter of the world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras are threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Two lion cubs born in Liuwa

Two lion cubs have been sighted in Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia, significantly marking the first birth of lion cubs in the park for well over 10 years.

How the engagement ring proves that we shouldn’t trade rhino horn

Is your engagement ring to you what rhino horn is to the Chinese? We investigate some marketing myths in light of the proposal to legalise the trade in rhino horn.

21 elephant calves a testimony to anti-poaching efforts

Twenty-one new elephant calves have been sighted at Zakouma National Park in the Republic of Chad, marking a turnaround in the fortune of the park’s beleaguered elephant herds which had been decimated by poaching in recent years.

Scientists call for critically endangered listing for West Africa’s lions

The living dead, scientists call them: populations of animals so small their extinction is all but inevitable. At the top of the list may be lions in West Africa.

New population of critically endangered riverine rabbits found

A population of critically endangered riverine rabbits was discovered in the Anysberg Nature Reserve, bringing new hope for the species.

Wild dogs collared in the name of research

An alpha female has been re-collared and two young wild dogs collared for the first time in the 13 member-strong pack at Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia, in anticipation of a natural split in the group. Read the full story here.

Lions return to iSimangaliso in memory of Mandela

After 44 years of absence, lions are being introduced into the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, affording the park with Big 7 status.

Top 10 Ugandan birds

Uganda, is known as Africa’s premier birding destination and with the list of birds found here topping 1 000, it is difficult to narrow down what we would consider the top 10, but here goes….

What’s a camel worth?

Interview with the Maasai and Samburu tribes to determine their views on owning cows vs. camels accordingly to practicality and tradition.

The sand men of Mali

Photo gallery: The “sand men” of Mali collect coarse river sand that goes into the concrete to build Bamako, the fast-growing capital of Mali

Trophy hunting in the context of community conservation

A thought-provoking blog post about how a well-managed trophy hunting operation has a positive effect on both wildlife and communities.

The birth of a pangolin

This is Roxy, the most amazing mama Cape pangolin in the whole world.

It’s a bird-eat-bird world

Bird-on-bird action as a pearl-spotted owlet catches a lovebird and proceeds to butcher and devour it in a Windhoek, Namibia garden

11 Interesting Facts about Sociable Weavers

Sociable weavers build massive colonial nests that hang 4m high in trees and telephone posts throughout the arid regions of Southern Africa

Is walking with lions good conservation? Probably not.

Is walking with lions good for conservation? NO, despite what slick marketing material and convincing volunteers and promoters may tell you

The mighty springbok migration

Gert van der Merwe’s personal account of the great springbok migration is told in Lawrence G. Green’s book Karoo. Towards the end of the 19th century, Gert’s family moved their sheep and cattle between decent grazing lands, helped by their shepherds and a San wagon leader who must have previously experienced the migration. “The trek …

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The front line of lion conservation

Eventually a shout from below, and a sad find. A young lion, killed by Maasai spears. Her claws, tail and ears are gone – prizes

Scientists discover new giant mole-rat in Africa

The world’s newest species of mole-rat: Caroline’s mole-rat (Fukomys vandewoestijneae) has been identified in Zambia by scientists

10 ways to say ‘hello’ to a South African

Even though many South Africans speak English, that doesn’t mean you’ll always understand us. With a lot of local slang, South African English has a flavour of its own, borrowing from Afrikaans and the country’s eleven official languages. Even the greeting hello has many layers to it. By MzansiGirl. Here are 10 ways to say …

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