Articles on Africa, wildlife and photography
The AF-S Nikkor 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR is Nikon’s long awaited successor to the venerable and now 13-year-old AF 80-400/4.5-5.6D VR. It covers a 5x zoom-range and has an improved optical design with quicker and quieter focusing and better image stabilization. Nikon’s 80mm-400mm lens has long been a favourite of wildlife photographers and this upgrade will be very welcome. Unfortunately[…]
Read moreCanon’s new EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Extender 1.4x Lens is causing quite a stir. It certainly looks as though it could be a dream lens for wildlife photographers. As a Nikon user I am unlikely to ever get my hands on one so I can only look on enviously, but to help those Canon users out there who[…]
Read moreYellow Fever Certification for East Africa. In line with a recent statement from the Kenyan Ministry of Health, please be informed that it is no longer just recommended but now mandatory for travellers to Kenya, travelling FROM or THROUGH “endemic” countries, to have proof of the Yellow Fever vaccination. What is important to note is that Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda[…]
Read moreIn the wilds of Kenya’s Northern Frontier District, Martin Wheeler, aka ‘bird-man’, and team use paraglider, car and footwork in surveillance effort to help thwart illegal wildlife trade. Africa’s wild elephants are being killed at their fastest rate since 1979-89, the bloody decade in which their number more than halved from 1.4m to 600,000. Wheeler, like many conservationists, is on[…]
Read moreIf anyone has any doubt about the absolute necessity of campaigns to combat elephant poaching this latest seizure drives home the seriousness of the issue. Bloggers like Jenny Karvunidis who criticized Hillary Clinton for declaring her support for the worldwide crackdown on elephant poaching should take the time to realise just how serious this issue is. Largest seizure since 2010[…]
Read moreOne of the key things about taking kids on safari is to get them involved. A few years ago I escorted a couple of family groups on migration safaris in Kenya. Having children on safari changes the whole dynamic of a group. Whereas adults are content to use the time between game drives to relax, read, update diaries or catch[…]
Read moreI’ve become so used to travelling with about 12kg of cameras and lenses that it feels quite strange to be without them and have only my Fujifilm X10 compact camera for company. Getting along with a Compact Camera I’ve never been a fan of compact cameras. It has nothing to do with their capabilities it’s just that I love the[…]
Read moreYears of hard work and dedication rewarded as Lewa Downs and Ngare Ndare Forest join Mt. Kenya World Heritage Site. The Mount Kenya World Heritage Site was recently expanded to include two additional conservation areas, namely Lewa Downs and the Ngare Ndare Forest. Lewa Downs, once upon a time a conventional cattle ranch owned and operated by the Craig family, has[…]
Read moreThe Kenya Wildlife Service has assured the country that the fight against illegal trade in ivory has been intensified but noted the number of elephants killed was still high. More tough talk from KWS’s Paul Mbugua, but there is still a lot of work to do to reverse the inexorable march of the poachers. Click here to read Joseph Muraya’s[…]
Read moreBigger fines and stronger penalties alone won’t be enough to stop poaching for ivory – but traditional values could help Dr Paula Kahumbu has written another thought provoking article for the Guardian. There are few more passionate campaigners – if any – for Africa’s elephants. Click here to read her latest piece.
Read moreIt is something that we would dearly love to see implemented – and which was due to be introduced in 2012 – but the common tourist visa for East Africa is still no nearer becoming a reality. As usual, politics and bureaucracy are standing in the way of plain common sense. While there is broad consensus among the tourism private[…]
Read moreJust when ecologists worldwide had cracked all wildlife theories a new discovery has emerged in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Conservation Area where a sighting of a strangely coloured buffalo is causing a lot of excitement. Click here to read the story in Tanzania’s Daily News
Read moreSouth Africa is seeking permission for a one-off sale of some of its $1bn stockpile of rhino horn to finance conservation and potentially flood a thriving black market, its environment minister said on Wednesday. However, conservation groups fear the plan could end up increasing demand in major markets such as Vietnam, where the horn is sought after for use in[…]
Read more“Africa is facing an unprecedented crisis of elephant poaching that threatens to wipe out the species in a decade. As poachers gun down elephant matriarchs, and destroy their families, buyers of ivory in countries like China, Vietnam and Thailand purchase exquisite ivory carvings of their gods, and believe that they are somehow worshiping God. Don’t they know that their consumer[…]
Read moreFACT SHEET: U.S. Efforts to Combat Wildlife Trafficking A New Executive Order to Better Coordinate the U.S. Response Today the President will sign an Executive Order (E.O.) to enhance coordination of U.S. Government efforts to combat wildlife trafficking and assist foreign governments in building the capacity needed to combat wildlife trafficking and related organized crime. Click here to read the[…]
Read moreDar es Salaam to Johannesburg, via Mozambique. That was the plan. After a short visit to Tanzania’s beguiling Selous National Park, Pat, Alex and I would drive the length of Mozambique and take a look at Gorongoza National Park. Before the civil war, Gorongoza had been one of the premier game reserves in southern Africa, but the war had left[…]
Read more“Right now the demand for ivory is very high. When that happens, the price rises and suppliers go into over-drive,” says Paul Mbugua, spokesman for the state-run Kenya Wildlife Services. “While there is demand for ivory, nothing will stop these poachers.” In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), teams of poachers hunt from helicopters, packing serious firepower – rocket-propelled grenades[…]
Read moreThe Best Beers in Africa You know the feeling; you’re sitting in the bar after a long hot day of game viewing; you’re gasping for an ice cold beer but you don’t recognise any of the beers the barman offers you. We know how distressing a situation like this can be – you just don’t need to be faced with[…]
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