We are rediscovering that only through sharing will we save this magnificent planet. Social media gives us the ability to share photographs, thoughts, ideas, and knowledge almost instantaneously with powerful effects. A great example of this is National Geographic’s “The Great Nature Project”. This is a worldwide celebration of our diverse planet through photographs submitted by people around the world. WE must all participate by tag all photograph uploads of plants and animals #GreatNature Become part of a Guinness World Record attempt to upload the largest-ever online photo album of nature photographs. The Great Nature Project is part of a new age of exploration by millions of people around the world with cameras and instruments gathering important data and research for a better world.
Guides, rangers, researchers, ecotourists, photographers, artists and conservationists around the world apply themselves everyday to sharing, studying, photographing, writing about and celebrating the “wild” with their guests, co-workers, colleagues, and local communities. These amazing photographs are a window into their world, a world where the lions, elephants, orangutans and leopards still reign supreme and we can dream of that perfect morning in the wilderness. Ranger Diaries and The Bush Boyes have teamed up to bring you the “Top 25 Photographs from the Wilderness”. These stunning photographs are selected from hundreds of submissions and are intended to bring the beauty, freedom and splendour of the wilderness to as many people as possible around the world.
Submit your best photographs from the wildest places to the The Bush Boyes Facebook page or Ranger Diaries website, and stand a chance of being featured in the “Top 25 Photographs from the Wilderness” published each week.
Aardvark testing the air, by guide Etienne Oosthuizen. “The aardvark stopped from his feeding to investigate our scent as the wind turned. This winter in the Karoo has yielded the most amazing daytime aardvark sightings.” Photographed at Samara, Karoo, South Africa. (samara.com / photographicafrica.com)
“The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” (John Muir)
Mara River crossing, by Ken Dyball. Of the 1.6 million wildebeest that participate in the Great Migration, around 250 000 may perish along the way, with a concentration of fatalities around this river. Photographed in the Masai Mara, Kenya (purenaturesafaris.com)
“We need the tonic of wildness…At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” (Henry David Thoreau)
Dawn lioness, by guide Brendon Cremer. “We came across this lioness and her pride, already moving toward the buffalo herds as dawn broke and the first rays of sunlight popped over the horizon, punching through the low lying mist on the open plains of Duba Island.” Photographed at Duba Plains, Okavango Delta, Botswana. (brendoncremer.co.za/ outdoorphoto.co.za)
“I am glad I will not be young in a future without wilderness.” (Aldo Leopold)
Sons of Notch, photographed by Ken Dyball. “These three brothers were taking a drink from the Talek river. They lifted their heads in unison as a hippo, one of their favorite meals, walked towards them.” Photographed in the Masai Mara, Kenya (purenaturesafaris.com)
“There is a love of wild nature in everybody, an ancient mother-love showing itself whether recognized or no, and however covered by cares and duties” (John Muir)
Over the rainbow, by guide Marius Coetzee. “It was late afternoon in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater. We were heading back to our lodge when the most magnificent rainbow appeared. I was desperately hoping for some animal life when this small herd of Wildebeest appeared on the horizon.” Photographed in the Ngorngoro Crater, Tanzania. (oryxphotography.com)
“The Wilderness holds answers to more questions than we have yet learned to ask.” (Nancy Wynne Newhall)
Kudu leap, by guide Brendon Cremer, photographed in the Okavango Delta, Botswana (brendoncremer.co.za/ outdoorphoto.co.za)
“It is a commonplace of all religious thought, even the most primitive, that the man seeking visions and insight must go apart from his fellows and love for a time in the wilderness.” (Loren Eisley)
Shy pangolin, by guide Kyle de Nobrega. Photographed at Tswalu, Kalahari, South Africa. (tswalu.com/ inthestixx.com)
“Nothing truly wild is unclean.” (John Muir)
Lindanda sunrise by Mario Moreno. “We drove past this tree as the sun was slowly rising and stopped to make the best out of a beautiful sunrise not knowing that this elephant that was on the wrong side of the road would walk into the frame at the right time becoming the star of the moment.” Photographed in the Kruger Park, South Africa. (southcapeimages.com/ mariomorenophotography.com)
Zambia’s Bangweulu Wetlands are recognized by the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (the “Ramsar Convention”) as one of the most important wetlands on earth.
Blue-tailed bee-eaters, India, by Jineesh Mallishery
“I thought of the wilderness we had left behind us, open to sea and sky, joyous in its plenitude and simplicity, perfect yet vulnerable, unaware of what is coming, defended by nothing, guarded by no one.” (Edward Abbey)
Time to go, by guide Lee Whittam. “Young cats have a universal curiosity. It plays a large part in their daily lives, and often gets them into situations where they need to think quickly in order to be safe. Early one morning, we spotted a female rhino and her calf approaching a waterhole. We positioned ourselves ahead of the pair, and then saw a young leopard who was very interested in the two huge animals making their way towards him. We sat and watched as the rhinos finished drinking and moved away; this caused the leopard to playfully stalk the calf as it walked a few metres behind its mother.” Photographed at Singita, Sabi Sands, South Africa. (essentialafrica.co.za)
“A flower’s structure leads a bee toward having pollen adhere to its body . . . we don’t know of any such reason why beautiful places attract humans.” (David Rains Wallace)
Time to go 2, by guide Lee Whittam. “At one stage the mother caught sight of the leopard and spun around, sending the cat scurrying for a nearby thicket. This game of “cat and mouse” went on for several minutes until the rhinos moved off into thicker bush, and we left the leopard to continue his morning that, no doubt, was filled with more discoveries and adventures that are vital in the growing-up process. A great sighting, and something not often seen, which made it all the more special.” Photographed at Singita, Sabi Sands, South Africa. (essentialafrica.co.za)
“A world without huge regions of total wilderness would be a cage; a world without lions and tigers and vultures and snakes and elk and bison would be – will be – a human zoo. A high-tech slum.” (Edward Abbey)
Arctic tern, by guide Andrew Schoeman. Imagine being able to fly 22000km just three months after fledging…. and over 2 million kilometres in your 20 years on/above Earth. Photographed at Svalbard, Norway. (andrewschoemanphotography.co.za/outdoorphoto.co.za)
“I think it is far more important to save one square mile of wilderness, anywhere, by any means, than to produce another book on the subject.” (Edward Abbey)
Bison, by guide Nicky Silberbauer. Scientists estimate that there were more than 30 million bison in North America when the first European settlers arrived on the continent, grazing a vast range which ran from northern Canada to northern Mexico and from western New York to eastern Washington. Photographed in Yellowstone National Park, USA. (nickysilberbauer.com)
“In wildness is the preservation of the world.”(Henry David Thoreau)
Caracal, by Ken Dyball. . Photographed in the Masai Mara, Kenya (purenaturesafaris.com)
Did you know? The Okavango Delta is not a UNESCO World Heritage Site…
“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit.” (Edward Abbey)
Stop bugging me, by Carole Deschuymere. Lioness from the Marsh pride snarling at flies. Photograph taken taken in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. (carole-wildlife.com)
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” (Henry David Thoreau)
Last-light forage, by guide Kyle de Nobrega. Suricate or meerkat digging up soil in search of invertebrate prey. Photographed at Tswalu, Kalahari, South Africa (inthestixx.com/ tswalu.com)
“The idea of wilderness needs no defense, it only needs defenders.” (Edward Abbey)
Leopard ascent by guide Morkel Erasmus. “A male leopard gracefully scales a tree to get to his kill. I sat at this scene (with my family) for 5 hours in hope that this moment would happen.” (morkelerasmus.com/ wild-eye.co.za)
“In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia.” (Charles Lindbergh)
Water fight, by guide Andrew Schoeman. “These sub-adults seemed to be bending the rules on how lions behave in water! They chased and played in the shallows for at least forty minutes before returning to dry land to flop down exhausted after their game.” Photographed at AndBeyond Phinda, South Africa. (andrewschoemanphotography.co.za/outdoorphoto.co.za)
“No one should be able to enter a wilderness by mechanical means.” (Garrett Hardin)
Red Lechwe, by guide Brendon Cremer. “A Lechwe sprints across a shallow channel of water late one afternoon as the sun was setting on another great day at Duba Plains.” Photographed in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. (brendoncremer.co.za/ outdoorphoto.co.za)
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the tides, the folded bud ready for the spring. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature – the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after the winter.” (Rachel Carson)
Spotted and brown, by guide Roel van Muiden. This is a very rare image of a spotted hyena chasing a brown hyena (that had just chased off a leopard). Read the story about this remarkable sighting here: http://bit.ly/14FmhTG. Photographed at Jaci’s Lodge, Madikwe, South Africa (madikwe.com)
“What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset.” (Crowfoot (Blackfoot))
The takedown, by guide Andrew Schoeman. “Moments after I took this photo the rest of the herd of buffalos came back and rescued their companion from certain death! The Mapogo coalition went hungry that night.” Photographed in the Sabi Sands, South Africa (andrewschoemanphotography.co.za/outdoorphoto.co.za)
“Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization.” (Aldo Leopold)
Golden Savute, by Mario Moreno. An elephant dusts off shoots of grass with its trunk before eating. Photographed in the Savute, Botswana. (southcapeimages.com/ mariomorenophotography.com)
“Wilderness is a resource which can shrink but not grow… the creation of new wilderness in the full sense of the word is impossible.” (Aldo Leopold)
Ripple effect, by guide Christof Schoeman. Photographed at Simbavati, Kruger Park, South Africa (simbavati.com)
“In God’s wildness lies the hope of the world – the great fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.” (John Muir)
Lioness on the hunt, by Ken Dyball. Photographed in the Masai Mara, Kenya (purenaturesafaris.com)
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” (John Muir)
Dance of the moths, by guide James Kydd. “I was just as mesmerized by the moths dancing in our headlights as they were by the beam. I left the apeture open for a bit to try and capture the beauty of their wing motion. There are over 26000 species of butterfly and moth in Brazil, and many are still undiscovered.’ Photographed at Refugio Ecologico Caiman, Pantanal, Brazil. (caiman.com.br/ indritours.com)
“Our dead never forget this beautiful world that gave them being. They still love its verdant valleys, its murmuring rivers, its magnificent mountains, sequestered vales and verdant lined lakes and bays, and ever yearn in tender fond affection over the lonely hearted living, and often return from the happy hunting ground to visit, guide, console, and comfort them.” (Chief Seattle (Suquamish))
“Every year, my brother (Chris Boyes), Pete (“the Nare”) Hugo, Giles (“Prince William”) Trevethick and I (Dr Steve Boyes) cross the Okavango Delta, top to bottom, on mokoros (dug-out canoes) to survey the distribution and abundance of wetland birds, advocate for World Heritage Status, and share this amazing wilderness with accompanying scientists, explorers and special guests. My wife, Dr Kirsten Wimberger, joined us for the first time this year. No one will forget what happened on the 2012 expedition…”
See: http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/07/26/bush-boyes-on-expedition-okavango-wetland-bird-survey/
In 2013, we are embarking on the Okavango River Expedition. This will be a 1,750km odyssey down the Okavango River from the source near Huambo (Angola) all the way down the catchment, across the Caprivi Strip (Namibia), and into Botswana to cross the Okavango Delta via one of our planet’s last untouched wilderness areas. Our objective is to support the Okavango World Heritage Project and achieve UNESCO World Heritage Status for the Okavango Delta and the entire catchment. See: http://www.okavangofilm.com/
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