The Elephant Orphanage Project provides a sanctuary for defenceless elephant calves, who are the victims of poaching, human conflict or occasionally natural abandonment. Under the age of two, young elephants are extremely vulnerable and very dependent. Most will not survive without both their mother’s care and her nutrient-rich milk.
Category Archives: People
Problem lions announcement: Conservationist challenges Namibian minister
Conservationist challenges Namibian minister in open letter regarding decision to relocate or kill problem lions in the Kunene region.
Safari tips: Tipping while on safari
The simple act of tipping can be an anxious moment for many people while on safari, and the subject of much discussion and seeking of advice.
Unlocking the potential of Zinave National Park
Zinave National Park in Mozambique has come alive with activity that will see the full potential of this breathtaking conservation area unlocked over the next decade.
Video: Maasai coming of age ceremony
For the Maasai, the Emuratare is one of their most important ceremonies, and a life-changing milestone for the boys and girls who celebrate their transition into adulthood.
Mega-carnivore dinosaur footprints discovered
An international team of researchers from South Africa, UK, and Brazil have discovered massive footprints belonging to a carnivorous dinosaur that roamed Southern Africa 200 million years ago.
Rock-cut churches in Ethiopia to be documented
In Ethiopia, Christians are still today carving new, free-standing churches from solid rock faces, and now there is a project that is currently documenting this at-risk cultural practice.
Can carbon measuring save Tanzania’s forests?
Up until now I have never been involved in projects that mitigate climate change, however during my last expedition, I had the opportunity to spend some time exploring the greater Mahale ecosystem and Carbon Tanzania’s newest project site.
Opinion: Are Maasai cattle to blame for overgrazing in Tanzania?
Living with the Maasai has taught me that conservation is not only about animals but is just as much about us humans; that to preserve any one place we have to be mindful of the local communities that live within it and try to understand the way they view the world to be able to work alongside them to protect mother nature.
Elephant ivory and the Japanese hanko stamp
Hanko stamps are the Japanese version of a signature, used throughout Japan to sign deals and important documents, and are made out of a variety of materials, including elephant ivory.
‘Shoot-to-kill’ policy for poachers, say Botswana academics
South Africa should implement a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy for poachers, suggest Botswana academics Goemeone EJ Mogomotsi and Patricia Kelilwe Madigele in a report titled ‘Live by the gun, die by the gun’.
Materials for your art safari
Disasters involving art materials are nothing new to me after years of travelling and sketching in southern Africa.
Spending time on safari at a Maasai village
Safari report-back: Spice up your Kenyan safari with a fascinating visit to a Maasai village. By Giada and Gianluca Ventura
Himba: Hearts of Sand
The Himba tribe in Namibia are a semi-nomadic people who have largely resisted modernisation. This fantastic gallery celebrates their lives
The model and the San
Model and actress Aleksandra Ørbeck-Nilssen has such huge respect for the San people of Namibia that she dedicates a chunk of her life to them
4 must-visit Nairobi museums
Discover the rich history of Kenya in these three Nairobi museums.
Hiking across Africa’s largest canyon
A group of South African hikers conquer the 85-kilometre Fish River Canyon Hike in Namibia during heritage month!
CITES: observations from a young Honorary Wildlife Warden
A honorary wildlife warden bears witness to the verdict at CoP17 that denies Africa’s elephants any hope.
Crafts, communities and and culture in Soutpansberg
In one of the many hidden valleys of the Soutpansberg in central Limpopo, you’ll find the art-rich Madi a Thavha Mountain Lodge.
Celebrating culture at the Kuru Dance Festival
Different San groups in Southern Africa celebrate their rich cultural heritage of storytelling, song and dance at the annual Kuru Dance Festival!
I can’t afford to volunteer in my own country
The problem with volunteering: By volunteering at conservation projects you may be robbing local conservationists of jobs
Meet 3 elephant angels
Three of the world’s leading African elephant conservationists offer hope and inspiration for saving elephants from extinction.
Gallery: Faces of Africa
This fantastic image gallery of faces of Africa will have you contacting us to plan your next safari, and packing your camera bag and tripod
Rhino rangers
The heroes who are working on the ground to save the rhino.
Messages of Hope
Messages of Hope is an inspiring book celebrating the most driven, most successful conservationists on Planet Earth.These are nature’s heroes.
The rich history of Zanzibar’s dhows
Zanzibar’s rich, fascinating history is entwined in the use of the dhow – an ocean-going vessel used for trade along the East coast of Africa
Rhino poaching – Buy No Rhino
Meet the two South African sisters who cycled 6,000km across South-East Asia to save the rhino.
Who are the Black Mambas?
The black mambas are about girl power! Find out more about the all-female anti-poaching unit that is making waves in conservation
Herero
Jim Naughten first came across Namibia’s Herero tribe years ago when he saw a Herero lady sashaying across the desert in her beautiful dress
Rock art – a cultural treasure of Ennedi
Protecting rock art paintings in Ennedi Plateau, Chad.
A Rock Art Jewel
One man’s mission to document a complex rock art panel on the roof of a shelter in a remote area of South Africa’s Drakensberg Mountains
It’s hard to be a man
The Xhosa people of South Africa have an age-old ritual that is mystical, secretive & far away from the eyes of the public. This is Ulwaluko
Living Wild in Liuwa
Liuwa Plain, a remote national park in Zambia, is a conservation success story because of cooperation from villagers that live inside the park
Monkey business
A tiny black face peers through the open gate, not daring to go out. A few minutes later, another furry body runs past – he is the first vervet monkey to step into a land of unknown mysteries, his new home. Soundlessly, other troop members follow – the juveniles first, the females and their babies …
The Tribe
A photographic tribute to Kenya’s Samburu people which will have you contacting Africa Geographic to arrange your next safari
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 …
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 …
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.
The Rise of the Huntress
A commentary on the rising popularity of hunting among young women.
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. …
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
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
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
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
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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The boy with sapphire eyes
This photo of the boy with sapphire eyes has caused much doubts about it’s authenticity (it’s real) and debate about ethnicity
