Black and White
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In the dry spells, animals walk very long distances to find water. This lone male has been walking for a long time, leaving his territory to find water. As he approached the water, the zebras cleared out within seconds. He didn't provoke them, he was just walking, yet all the animals cleared out of his way, even the Great White Egret. It was some sort of understanding or fear they have to this southern white rhino. The low angle shot made him look like a king.
1964ZebraGreat White EgretOl Pejeta ConservancyWaterholeLaikipiaKenyaWhite rhinoceros
The adult male Spotted Hyena in Masai Mara had just enough. The prankish cub just would not stop misbehaving. Rampant biting of the male’s hind legs was the youngster’s top priority. This prompted the adult to gently bite the pup’s mouth to enforce disciplinary action. The pranks then vanished and the male went to sleep peacefully.
African Elephant walking to the marsh inmasai Mara with the trunk in smeeling mode.
This is what future generations would say. An elephant will be just a memory, no more a reality. A dream where they will walk on Earth at peace, as they were born to do; kept alive only in our minds. In April 2016 105 tons of Ivory was burnt in Nairobi. It pained me to see how many elephants were brutally killed. It became a part of my life's work to capture on camera the remaining few living. This picture captures two things (depending on how you look at it): 1. They are walking out from heaven to earth and 2. The elephants slowly fading to nothing but memory. Their fragility is in our hands. This image gives a dramatic feel to many juxtapositions- power & frailty, gentility & giant.longnoseAfrican Elephantloxodonta AfricanawalkingtrunkMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Rhino Baby happily running to mother in Laikipia savanna
White rhinocerousRhino babyrunningRhinocalfLaikipiasavannaKenya
Male Zebra biting another male and rearing up in a fight for the females
ZebraEquus BurchellimalesfightMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Cheetahs scanning for prey
Cheetahs scanning the savanna for prey
CheetahAcinonyx jubatusMasai Mara National ReservePhotographic
Greater flamingos taking off
Greater FlamingosGreat Rift Valley KenyaPhotographicHorizontal
Impala Fawn
Impala fawn
F1R4265ImpalaAepyceros melampusMasai Mara National ReservephotographicHorizontal
This is what future generations would say. An elephant will be just a memory, no more a reality. A dream where they will walk on Earth at peace, as they were born to do; kept alive only in our minds. In April 2016 105 tons of Ivory was burnt in Nairobi. It pained me to see how many elephants were brutally killed. It became a part of my life's work to capture on camera the remaining few living. This picture captures two things (depending on how you look at it): 1. They are walking out from heaven to earth and 2. The elephants slowly fading to nothing but memory. Their fragility is in our hands. This image gives a dramatic feel to many juxtapositions- power & frailty, gentility & giant.
African ElephantLoxodonta africanaMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Curious case of Benjamin Monkey
Here I was setting up my camera to shoot mongooses, when this curious Vervet monkey ran down the tree to see what was there.
It looks like he is adjusting the lens – almost like taking a selfie. I love the ray of light hitting his eyes, to give you the hint of what is going on in his mind. The sparkle in the corner of his eye makes this picture more appealing.Vervet MonkeyChlorocebus pygerythrusMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
With full bellies the spotted hyena puppies became very energetic and mischievous around their den area in Masai Mara, Kenya. Knowing no boundaries, they started harassing an adult male by biting on his back legs. This surely must have been painful, as they are still learning their strengths. The male hyena became angry, turned around and snarled as if to say 'enough is enough'..
F1R2105spotted hyenapuppiespredatormammalMasai Mara National Reserveplay fightKenya
Two African Fish Eagles were fighting over a pool in the Mara River infested with catfish. It was a fight for supremacy where the winner has open access to hunt. The river had dried up due to lack of rains with all the catfish now living huddled in the pool. The skirmish of the eagles lasted for a few seconds and the looser flew away. Nature is tough.
F1R1158African Fish EagleEaglesmid air fightraptorbird of preyMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The Male Black Headed Weaver with a grass blade in his beak for nest building, flies to the Acacia tree in Masai Mara. I like the way the light hits the spanned wings. The nest is almost complete and later the male will try to attract females for mating.
F1R5905Black headed WeaverPloceus cucullatusnestMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Lack of rains in Laikipia made the zebra herd visit the waterhole to quench their thirst. The peaceful herd drinking water suddenly panicked. A loud snort by a warthog with little ones started the commotion. Such is the behavior of drinking Zebras.
I was casually following these two young white rhinos when suddenly they did a massive U-turn and fled from the area within a blink of an eye, in Laikipia, Kenya. I have heard rumors about their speed but have never witnessed it before. It sounded like a growling.
What happened was they ventured into another male’s territory. When they were spotted they made a dash for it. Even though they were two, they were no match for the bigger male.
Seeing this photo – the sky, the dust, I can still feel the growling of the earth.
To see a 5,000 animal make a fast u turn with an equally heavy companion is something very unique. We should not assume that these heavy animals can not move quickly. I was watching with my mouth open!2937White rhinoRhinocerousRhinosquare lippedHerbivorousrunningLaikipia savannaKenya
This is what future generations would say. An elephant will be just a memory, no more a reality. A dream where they will walk on Earth at peace, as they were born to do; kept alive only in our minds. In April 2016 105 tons of Ivory was burnt in Nairobi. It pained me to see how many elephants were brutally killed. It became a part of my life's work to capture on camera the remaining few living. This picture captures two things (depending on how you look at it): 1. They are walking out from heaven to earth and 2. The elephants slowly fading to nothing but memory. Their fragility is in our hands. This image gives a dramatic feel to many juxtapositions- power & frailty, gentility & giant.
9298African ElephantLoxodonta africanaMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Stampede
A stampede occured when a bull elephant came at the herd in full spead. With the dust rising, we couldn't see much, but our camera seemed to have captured the beautiful moment of fear and flight within the herd. If you look closely you can see the elephant and behind it a buffalo watching it.
These were the last members of the herd making way for the playful elephant. All this commotion caused by one elephant. Clearly numbers don't out weigh size in this natrual world.stampedeAfrican buffaloSyncerus caffermammalherbivorousLaikipiasavannaKenya
Mothers are very protective of their young. Even when the babies want to play, the mothers have a close contact by keeping an eye on them all the time. Here the mother is holding back her baby at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary at Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya. You can see the baby's curiosity pulling it to venture far from the mother. I admired the gentility, strength and love shown by the mother's hand in contrast to the baby's sponge-like (wants to take in the world) eyes.
During the dust bathing ritual in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, the elephant baby started rubbing its back on mother's hind leg to ease the itching on its behind. I could feel the rhythm of the rubbing as if I was on a dance floor!
F1R0301African Elephantmother and babymud bathAmboseli National ParkLoxodonta AfricanaKenya
This is another proof how apes and humans are identical. This portrait looks like one on a Sunday by the pool when a family member cracks a hilarious joke. Is the chimpanzee laughing or yawning? Hmm
Wildebeest and zebras crossing river
WildebeestZebraphotographyverticalMasai Mara National Reserve Kenya
A spy camera capturing Zebra herd at Mara River bank. The camera is carefully hidden to capture the behavior of unsuspecting Zenra herd. Soon the courageous zebras will cross the crocodile infested Mara River to go the the other side of the river. The crocodiles are hungry! Maybe the grass will be greener on the other side.
5694ZebraEquus burchelliMara RiverMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
It is dangerous for the African primates to separate from their group. This olive baboon did exactly that. The troop moved to the roosting tress late afternoon in Masai Mara, Kenya, leaving behind a young male engrossed in foraging. Upon realizing that he was all alone, he bolted to join the rest of the clan.
F1R3213Olive baboonPapio AnubismovingMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
African elephant baby walking in the middle of the herd. This way the big bulls and the baby's mother will provide protection from predators out to grab the baby fron behind and sides. Indeed a moving fortress.
F1R4393African elephantLoxodonta africanababyherdMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Surrounded by hundreds of lesser flamingos, this rather taller Greater flamingo seems to be out of place. I wonder what the tall bird is thinking in the middle of the noisy pink crowd. The odd one out.
F1R8692Lesser FlamingosGreater FlamingoLake Bogoria National ReserveKenya
To get advantage of height, the little young african elephant climbed on top of an anthill and continued play fighting with a taller elephant in the Masai Mara National Reserve. This way the play fighting contiued for quite a long while.
F1R9538African Elephantafrican wildlifeelephantplay fightingmammalMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Every time I go to Masaai Mara, I feel overwhelmed with pain and anger. The land of the Masaai is now overpopulated with lodges, which have driven most of the game away. The place where I go to, to be one with nature, has now become a distant memory.
As we were driving around, we noticed lots of Marabou storks scouring the land for food. I found a group on the ground in an empty area and got the opportunity to capture their true essence.Whilst watching the Marabou storks, we observed they would fight amongst themselves for whatever scraps were found. This struggle had to be documented to show what we humans are doing to the wildlife around us.0662Marabou StorkMasai Mara National ReserveBird of preysquabblingScavengerStorkKenya
Crocodile attacking Zebra
The zebra herd has grazed all the edible grass near the river, leaving the soil barren and dusty. The grass on the other side of the river appears to be greener.
So the urge to cross the river is strong and thus the zebras start entering the water. A crocodile is waiting nearby and starts swimming underwateras the crossing starts. There is a great splash and the reptile is seen to clamp one adult zebra by its mouth. Such is the danger in crossings.
The clamped zebra is pulled underwater and drowned. The crocodile is now ready for a feast.0562AfricaKenyaEast AfricasafarianimalmammalManojShahPhotographyKenyan Photographerwildlifewild animalfree rangingnatureSavannahcolor imagetourist attractionMaasai MaraMasai Mara National ReserveGame parkNational ParkCommon ZebraEquus burchellistripesPlains zebraNile crocodile attackrivers crossing attackcrocodile jaws
It is mid morning and the zebra families are making their way to the waterhiole in Laikipia savanna, Kenya. The zebra is a horse like mammal with sharp senses and powerful movement. A warthog with babies suddenly runs nearby and the lead zebra snorts an alarm call. Then the suspicious zebra quickly darted away, its hooves bearing the earth, sounding like a Harley Davidson motorbike The hooves pulverised the ground into fine dust and I could see fleeing feet. What a powerful energetic animal.
The speed at which the zebra turned was amazing, Lightening fast. The message I get from this zebra behavior is 'better to be safe quickly than sorry later'. Being alive is all that matters.2836ZebraBuechell's zebramammalhorse like animalfleeingLaikipia savannaKenya
Jumping for joy.
The Mara River was infested with hungry crocodiles. The wildebeest were crossing hurriedly. One adult in particular seemed to happily jump for joy upon reaching the opposite bank. What a relief!
8944wildbeestConnochaetes taurinusjumpingcrossingMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The southern white rhino uses his front square lips to graze on the savanna grassland Laikipia. Seeing a pair together was a rare sight. Both of them walking together in frame was a an opportunity not to be missed. White rhinos are easier to spot than black rhinos. .
.shahartofnaurethesavannahgrazerWhite rhinocerosrhinograzingsavannaLaikipiaKenya
The male Black headed weaver has just completed building his nest, on an acacia tree in the Masai Mara. At last, a female is attracted to the male's fluttering of the wings and shrill cries by his hanging upside down! All his efforts made sense now that a new home has evolved.
F1R5009Black headed weavermale and femalenestattractedMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The snatch
Upon catching a cat fish in shallow waters of Mara River, the Marabou stork was about to eat it. I gasped when suddenly two African Fish Eagles swooped downwards from the sky and flew straight to the Marabou stork with its catch. The leading eagle snatched the cat fish from the stork's beak and flew off with the fish clamped in its talons of its left foot, followed by the hungry second eagle. What a snatch!
Hungry African Fish Eagles would prefer to snatch a hunted fish over hunting for it. Poor Marabou stork had his meal snatched away. African Fish Eagles have powerful eyesight and can spot a Marabou Stork catching cat fish from far away. Long hours of waiting patiently had paid off.F1R0361African Fish EaglescavengerBird of preycatfishMarabou StorkMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
A spy camera capturing Zebra herd at Mara River Bank was placed between the small stones making it unnoticeable. In this way the behaviour of zebras would be undisturbed and a view of what a small insect would see when in middle of the zebra herd at a crossing point of Mara River in Masai Mara National Reserve.
FIR0101ZebraEquus burchelliMara RiverMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
lion cubs playing on top of dead elephant
lionPantheraleoMasai Mara National ReserveAfrican ElephantLoxodonta Africana
Lioness joining playing with cubs
With gleaming eyes, the lioness runs to join her playing cubs.
Lack of rains in Laikipia made the zebra herd visit the waterhole to quench their thirst. The peaceful herd drinking water suddenly panicked. A loud snort by a warthog with little ones started the commotion. Such is the behavior of drinking Zebras.
A secretly hidden remote camera captures a herd of Zebras at the river crossing point in Masai Mara, Kenya The camera is un noticed and the zebras start grooming each other. This natural behaviour was made possible by hiding the camera amongst natural rocks. It looks like a view a mosquito would have seen when flying through the herd.
5752ZebraEquus BurchelliMasai Mara National ReserveKenyaherdriver
The two cubs had filled their brllies and were watching (sitting on top of an ant hill) their mother and aunt finishing up the wildebeest kill. A sudden movement on the savannah grass caught the cubs attention. It was a jackal who had come to pick up any pieces of meat lyiing around. I noticed a pattern of four beautiful ears and did mot waste any second in pressing the camera shutter button.
8229earslion cubslionpanthera leoMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
