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Top 101 photos + leopard Hosana’s death + Kaokoland’s Himba
The southern hemisphere autumn chill has nothing on the incandescence emitting from AG’s Photographer of the Year 2022. The competition is hotting up, and we’ve selected the Top 101 entries (from a whopping total of 7,389 submissions!) for the year. Our winners are somewhere in these four galleries below.
Hosana, famous leopard of Sabi Sand, has been killed. News of the leopard’s untimely death evoked an outpouring of emotion on social media. Sabi Sand has subsequently issued another statement defending the APU’s actions, stating “there is exponentially more at play here than meets the eye,” and that this “isolated incident is in fact a miniscule fraction of a much bigger picture”. Sadly, further details are unforthcoming. The facts we do know so far are contained in Jamie’s balanced and heartfelt reflection on the incident and Hosana’s life, in our first story below.
In our second story, anthropologist Izzy Sasada delves deep into the challenges facing Kaokoland’s Himba people, reflecting on how climate change and marginalisation are forcing Namibia’s iconic tribe towards modernity.
On a brighter note, safari season is upon us! Check out the hundreds of options we have for travel across the continent – it’s not too late to plan your 2022 travels.
Happy indulging in Africa to you all!
Taryn van Jaarsveld — Editor
From our Scientific Editor – Jamie Paterson
Did you know that leopards sometimes fall asleep while hunting? Admittedly, no one else I have spoken to has ever witnessed something similar, and my sample size for this fact is one leopard. His name was Hosana, and I was watching him hunt impalas. He was still relatively young, and I think he might have been trying to learn from past failed hunts, which he had messed up with an overeager approach.
He was crouched in the grass, watching the herd gradually moving towards him. It was one of those gloriously warm autumn days, and the antelope were in no hurry. When the moment finally arrived for him to launch an attack, nothing happened. Still nothing happened when one of them stepped just two metres away from his head. And then the impalas were gone, and I took a closer look. Hosana had dozed off, blissfully unaware that his lunch had just wandered away.
This was just one of the memories running through my mind as I wrote our first story below.
Story 1
https://africageographic.com/stories/hosana-famous-sabi-sand-leopard-killed-under-tragic-circumstances/
HOSANA KILLED
Well-known leopard Hosana of Sabi Sand has been killed in self-defence by an anti-poaching unit – our scientific editor’s take
Story 2
https://africageographic.com/stories/himba-a-people-in-transition/
NAMIBIA’S HIMBA
The Himba people navigate an uncertain, modernising world affected by climate change and marginalisation
Story 3
https://africageographic.com/stories/photographer-of-the-year-2022-weekly-selection-top-101-gallery-1/
TOP 101 – GALLERY 1
The next round of Photographer of the Year 2022 is here! Check out Gallery 1 of the Top 101.
Story 4
https://africageographic.com/stories/photographer-of-the-year-2022-weekly-selection-top-101-gallery-2/
TOP 101 – GALLERY 2
Gallery 2, featuring standout images from Photographer of the Year. Entries are now closed.
Story 5
https://africageographic.com/stories/photographer-of-the-year-2022-weekly-selection-top-101-gallery-3/
TOP 101 – GALLERY 3
Competition is hotting up in our 2022 selection! Check out some of the top entries in Gallery 3.
Story 6
https://africageographic.com/stories/photographer-of-the-year-2022-weekly-selection-top-101-gallery-4/
TOP 101 – GALLERY 4
Photographer of the Year overall winners will be announced in late May. See some of the Top 101 entries in Gallery 4.
TRAVEL DESK UPDATES:
The BEST VALUE in the Maasai Mara right now is this 6-day safari at the intimate Enkewa Camp in the southeastern Maasai Mara ecosystem. This eco-friendly camp is owner run, so expect attention to detail and a homely feel – ideal for singles, couples and groups seeking to recharge their batteries and enjoy traditional Kenyan hospitality.
And, for the lovers of art, we have one place left on this popular art safari in Manyeleti Game Reserve in the Greater Kruger. This last place is for ladies only because you will share your room with another lady. Join professional wildlife artist Alison Nicholls, who will share advice and tips in the field and back in camp.
Wildlife viewing is excellent – Manyeleti boasts regular sightings of the Big 5 (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, buffalo) and other species such as zebra, hippo and giraffe, and predators such as cheetah, hyena and African wild dogs, which are regularly encountered.
WATCH: Longing for a new experience, for an escape? Retreat to the makhani palm forests of Kaokoland, Namibia, to refresh the soul. Omarunga Epupa-Falls Camp is a magical, cosy lodge on the Kunene River, where you’ll experience the culture of Namibia’s iconic tribe, the Himba people (02:30). Click here to watch
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