Shake
After sitting out a heavy downpourin the Masai Mara, a lioness left in charge of the pride's cubs shakes off the excess water in preparation for a move. All the cubs except one have emerged from their naps and are engaged in observing life stirring around them. Lions spend usually upto 18 hours of each day sleeping.
lionPanthera leomother and cubsrain waterMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Transfixed
Male lion looks curiously on seeing his young cub walking over to greet him.The pride male seems transfixedby the cub that a lioness presented to him during his siesta.
AS0167lionPanthera leomalefather and cubMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Safe on a Tree
This female leopard hunted a Thomson's gazelle and stowed the kill in a blooming Acacia tree in Masai Mara. This made her and the kill safe from a group of scavenging hyenas. Hyenas, fortunately for the leopard, can not climb trees.
AS0861femaleleopardbig catcat familykillThomson's GazelleMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The cheetah cub, only 4 months old, has awakened from a nap to greet its mother with a leap. The mother cheetah is scanning her surrounding area for prey to hunt.
AS1124cheetahmother and cubcheetah cubleapMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Iy took a long time for the nervous and agitated first wildebeest to cross and the rest followed.Once in the river, aa quick exit was on their minds. THE CROSSING WAS SWIFT AND FURIOUS AND THE CROCODILES DID NOT MANAGE TO MAKE A KILLING.
AS1132It took a long time for the nervous and agitated first wildebeest to cross and then the rest followed. Once in the rivera quick exit was on their minds. Thus this time the crossing was swift and furious and the crocodiles did not make any killings.
The migrating wildebeests on the Serengeti-Mara plains of East Africa provide essential food for the Nile crocodiles. To catch a wildebeest, the crocodile will approach totally submerged with only its eyes breaking the surface of the water. Moving slowly underwater until it gets within striking distance, at which point it will launch itself at the target. However, as it can be seen here, crocodiles often miss the target.
AS1260Nile Crocodilecrocodilewildebeestmigrating wildebeeststargetsubmerged.
The Lunge
Although it was only 7 a.m., the thirsty wildebeests were already at the riverbank, nervously edging forward to the water. The huge crocodile was lying in wait underwater only with its eyes showing. Suddenly it lunged, pulling its victim into deep waters and killed it by drowning.
J0063Nile Crocodilethirstywildebeestunderwaterriverbankmigration.
Walkabout
A female leopard is walking one of her two cubs to a new den site in Masai Mara. It is a stressful situation for her since the cub is easily vulnerable to a surprise attack from other predators such as lions or hyenas.
JK0359212Leopardmother and cubleoprd cubwalkingMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Teacher
The cheetah crisscrossed an area of 6 inch tall grass and flushes out a gazelle fawn, catches it, cripples it and then stands aside for the cub to take over. In this way she teaches the cub how to kill.
cubcheetah mother and cubThomson's gazellegazellehuntMasai Mara National Reservekenya.
The Fastest Mammal On Land
The cheetah is the fastest mammal on land whose flexible spine, small head and large nasal passages have been fine tuned to achieve swift movements and astonishing speed bursts. The body of the cheetah hunting is stretched out, virtually sailing over the grassy plains at top speed. The migrating wildebeests stop and seem to stare in wonder
cheetahbig catcat familyAcinoyx jubatusrunfull speedMadai Mara National ReseveKenya.
Safe and Secure
Lion cubs love to get as close as possible to their mother.They feel safe and secure snuggled close to their mother as she is fiercely protective and will charge at the slightest provocation.
0116lionlionesslion cubsmother and cubsMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Curious Lioness
The lionesses were on the move looking for prey to hunt. One lioness noticed the remote camera and, driven by curiosity, she watched it closely and sniffed it. She circled it and put her paw on it and then when she realized it was not a threat, went to the other lionesses to resume her walk.
1175Lionlionesscuriousbig catMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Vantage point
The hungry cheetah climbed up the fallen tree early morning in Masai Mara and started using it as a vantage point. Because the cat was at a height, a clear view of the area covered with tall savannah grass could easily be seen for prey animals.
cheetahscansenvironmenttreebig catcat familyMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The male lion woke up only to find that the pride had left. The male lion usually sleeps away from the pride with young cubs. He got up and started scanning the area for the lions and saw them walking towards the forest trees for shade.
Male Lion
It was a hot and sunny morning in the savanna plains of Masai Mara. A pride of lions, consisting of the lionesses and their cubs, had finished a wildebeest kill and all that was left was bones and bloodstains. They walked to the riverine forest for water and shade. But I found that the male was sleeping far from the kill and he woke up suddenly to find that his family members were missing. In desperation he started roaring, hoping that he would be heard by the other members of his pride.
A spy camera capturing Zebra herd at Mara River Bank
AfricaKenyaEast AfricasafarianimalmammalManojShahPhotographyKenyan Photographerwildlifewild animalfree rangingnatureSavannahcolor imagetourist attractionMaasai MaraMasai Mara National ReserveGame parkNational ParkCommon ZebraEquus burchellistripesPlains zebraspy camerahidden cameraMara River
Lion Hunt
While the crossing is going on, the sleeping lioness wakes up and crawls on her belly, making herself invisible to the zebras. She stops at a nearby bush from where she can pick up her target. When the right moment comes, the lioness darts to the foal climbing the river bank.
Elephants at dawn
The sun is about to rise and the sky is now beautifully colored in crimson. Dawn descends over the Mara savannah as an elephant family on the move is busy foraging in open areas. The family traverses the undulating plains as it heads back to the cool of the riverine forest.
African ElephantLoxodanta africanaMasai Mara National reserveKenya.
Masai Giraffes
The giraffe is the tallest living terrestrial mammal with extremely long neck and legs. Here two Maasai giraffes are on the way to the riverine forest for a browsing spree.
giraffeMasai GiraffezebrawalkingsavannaMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Refused to Succumb
The cheetah hooked her front paw on to the hartebeest’s belly to bring the antelope down. But the hartebeest resisted, being a heavy and strong antelope, and thus it refused to succumb. Now the cheetah had no choice but to let go of the antelope.
CheetahAcinonyx jubatuscatHartebeestantelopehuntMasai MaraNational ReserveKenya
Play Fight
It was just after sunrise in the Mara I found the lion pride walking on the savanna. The young malesstarted chasing each other and on meeting each other, they jumped up for a play fight on their two legs
lionyoung maleschasingplay fightMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Ride on Mother
The mother and baby had left the riverine forest with the troop and was foraging on the plains. Now the baby happily chews on a stem, observing the surroundings and enjoying life to the full on mother’s back.
Clawed Talons
The African fish eagle swooped down to the water surface from a tree branch overlooking the lake Baringo and opened its large and powerful clawed talons ready to catch the swimming fish.
African Fish EaglePhotographicHorizontalLake Bogoria National Reserve
Male Olive baboon grooming female with baby in Lake Nakuru Ntional Park, Kenya.
Grooming will:
1. Get rid of parasites and keep the skin clean
2. Get rid of stress and produce of hormones for better reproduction
3. Strengthens baboon relationship and maintain cohesion in the group7625maleOlive baboonbaboonfemale with babygroomingLake Nakuru National ParkKenya
To cool off their massive bodies in the hot African sun, hippos like to be submerged in water. When a submerged hippo breaks the surface water of a pond, aquatic plants often stick on the face behind the pink nostrils of its face.
AfricaKenyaEast AfricasafarianimalmammalManojShahPhotographyKenyan Photographerwildlifewild animalfree rangingnatureSavannahcolor imagetourist attractionMaasai MaraMasai Mara National ReserveGame parkNational ParkHippopotamusHippopotami amphibiousherbivorous mammalriver horsesemi aquatic animal
Jaws
The migrating animals on the Serengeti – Mara plains provide essential food for the Nile crocodiles. Lurking with eyes just above the surface of water the missile like reptile waits for the animals to drink water and cross. A zebra was on target and seeing it cross, the crocodile swam underwater and erupted vertically to catch it. The zebra head was clasped tightly by the lethal jaws of the crocodile and dragged into deep water to drown it.
Nile crocodilecrocodileretilezebramammalMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Geeting to Know Each Other
Two male zebras want to know about each other. After meeting up, they check each other out by nuzzling, smelling and rubbing heads together.
Burchell's ZebraEquus BurchelliMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Black and White stripes
Zebras need to constantly travel to find fresh grass and water. Over time they gather in massive herds, of hundreds, as they migrate to better feeding grounds. Zebras are social animals, travelling in herds help protect the young from predators. A larger herd is formed of many smaller families who stick together when migrating. I was lucky to see the artistic pattern of black and white stripes when a big herd of Zebras gathered at the Mara River to cross to the southern part of Masai Mara National Reserve.
zebraBurcjell's zebracrossing pointcrossingmigrationMara RiverMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Waiting to Cross
The Great migration flow of animals has to cross the Mara River in order to reach the green grass seen on the plains beneath Serena Hill. The large wildebeest herd has massed up on the river bank, anxiously waiting for their leaders to take the first plunge in order to reach the opposite bank.
The Jump
The migrating wildebeests and zebras start to cross the Mara River. A wildebeest on the run to the river jumps over a fallen tree log to avoid a fall to the ground.
MigrationcrossingwildebeestzebrajumpMasai Mara National ReserveMara RiverKenya
wildebeest horns
The crossing at Maras River is now in full swing with hundreds of wildebeest waiting to cross to the other side. This forces a mass of wildebeest to be bunched up together at the river bank showing a layer of horns to the viewer.
wildebeestConnochaetes taurinusMasai Mara National Reservehorns
Galloping Wildebeests
The thin stick-like legs of the wildebeest are built for speed and stamina. Migrating wildebeest gallop at full speed when dangerous predators like lions and hyenas are lurking nearby.
Wildebeestfeet runningMasai Mara National Reservephotographic
Necking
A third giraffe bull joins the two bulls in necking in an attempt to hit each other with their stumpy horns. This behavior process brings out the most dominant male who will most likely take the greater part in mating with the giraffe females.
giraffa camelopardalisGiraffesneckingMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The Spread Wings.
Nest building is a very intricate and precise process. The male Black Headed Weaver has been spending days constructing a waterproof, sturdy home. The male weaver ties knots to make nests secure. Once he is satisfied, it is time to find a mate. He hangs upside down, fluttering his wings in a mad disposition. Shrill cries cannot escape even the deaf. He does not give up. Females come and inspect the nest, which he proudly shows off, and once she accepts, they finish building the nest for a family.
Black headed WeaverPloceus cucullatusMasai Mara National ReserveKenyawings
Nest Building
Male Black Headed Weaver bird make elaborate nests for attracting and enticing females to start a new family life. With a grass stem in its beak, the male weaver bird flies to his nest on the Acacia tree in Masai Mara to complete building it. This is done virtually non-stop from sunrise to sunset, demonstrating the tremendous amount of energy spent by the male weaver bird in nest building. I love how the fanned wings hit the light.
1004Black headed weaver.nestMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Mischief Play
When the lion cubs finished suckling, the mother lioness went under a bush for siesta. The four, 2 month old cubs, were now full of energy and playful mischief was on top of their minds.
LionLion cubsplayingbig catcat familyMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
Lovinbg Mother
The precious bond between the mother lioness and her cubs intensifies with the lioness lovingly licking her cubs. The lioness is a very caring mother who rarely looses her temper with her cubs growing up.
LionLionesscubsLickingMasai Mara National Reservecat familybig catKenya
Migration at Sunrise
The dawn sunrise is eye-catching as it adds a glowing orange halo to everything caught in its rays. With migrating wildebeests moving sedately in a single file, make the landscape more delightful to the eye.
F1R9681WildebeestmigrationsunriseMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The lioness darted towards the wildebeest crossing the Mara River.The poor wildebeest herd ran, churning up a lot of dust in the process. Somehow the lioness missed her target and came back empty handed. I remember that soon after the shot was taken, there was a tremendous cloud of thick dust. All I could see was dust, dust, and dust everywhere! Maybe the lioness for her own safety, gave up on the hunt.
065lionesswildebeestrunningmigrationMasai Mara National Reservekenya
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
Pink Dancers
The flamingos of Lake Bogoria gather and walk in a single direction - away from the threat, when they don't feel safe. The bright red eyes, the flat beaks and the synchronized legs - make this picture mesmerizing. They look like they are backstage on cue for the stage.
African Elephant baby
Baby elephants are inexperienced and oblivious to danger. The adult members take it upon themselves to protect the young. The herd is taking a morning walk to the marsh in Maasai Mara. Being on high alert to predators nearby, they surround baby creating a ‘wall’ to shield the infant. This fortress of mighty legs is impenetrable. Any attempt to do so will encounter a strong defense by the largest terrestrial mammals on earth!
African elephantLoxodonta africanababyherdMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The Beak
Marabou stork in the early morning sun in the Amboselli National Park, Kenya. Its large and heavy beak is a formidable sight for small living cretures such as frogs and toads. It breaks open the thick hides of larger dead animals with ease. A formidable weapon!
As we were driving around, we noticed lots of Marabou storks scouring the land for food. I followed one on the ground in an empty area and got the opportunity to capture its true essenceMarabou storkbird of preyscavengerMasai Mara National ReserveKenya
The Dusty Walk
On a hot day, elephants smother themselves with dust to protect their skin from getting sunburnt. Dust also helps the dark shinned mammals to cool down. Thus on a hot sunny day in Amboseli National Park, the elephant family had a long enjoyable dusty walk.
African elephantelephantelephant familydustingAmboselli National ParkKenya.
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.
The Lone Male
In the dry spells, animals walk very long distances to find water. This lone male has been walking for a long time in Laikipia savannah, Kenya, 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 steered clear, out of his way; including the Great White Egret. The hierarchy within the herbivores is fascinating.
ZebraGreat White EgretOl Pejeta ConservancyWaterholeLaikipiaKenyaWhite rhinoceros
Two young male white rhinos were venturing into another male’s territory. Keeping a look out for him, they tried to get closer to the green pastures. But they were spotted. The two males stood still for a brief moment before making a quick U-turn to get out of the marked territory. The territorial male chased them; he was clearly bigger and more skilled than the adolescent males. The dust rising from the ground shows the muscle and fear of the rhinos as they dart in Laikipia, Kenya.
2937BWWhite rhinoRhinocerousRhinosquare lippedHerbivorousrunningLaikipia savannaKenya
