Chipembele trust
May 29, 2008
I spent a wonderful morning yesterday visiting the Chipembele wildlife education trust in Mfuwe. The centre was established by Steve and Anna Tolan ten years ago and is still run by them. Although it is primarily an education centre for teaching local children about wildlife and conservation they are also involved in a number of other projects. These include anti-poaching operations, forestry protection and archaeological excavations.
It is such an inspiring place to visit as everything has been planned and carried out with such obvious passion and commitment. This is one of the classrooms which holds a vast amount of learning material all set out with meticulous attention to detail.
Chipembele also serves as an orphanage for animals. They do not raise them to keep as pets but try to rehabilitate them back into the wild. They have been very successful with a wide variety of species from warthogs to monkeys. This is Steve sitting on the front step of the centre with their latest addition - a buffalo calf called Elton.
The other orphan currently in residence is this gorgeous (but quite vicious) young serval called Chiko. We don’t often see serval in this area so it was wonderful to see one so close up.
If you are in the Valley and have a chance to visit Chipembele then I highly recommend that you do. You can also check out their website at www.chipembele.org
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Grass and flowers..
May 26, 2008
I am struggling a little with animal subjects to photograph at the moment. There is still a lot of water in the lagoons inland and so the concentration of wildlife near the river has not built up yet. We have had a few leopard sightings and have heard the lions about but haven’t seen them. There are some large herds of buffalo and antelope around and a fair number of elephants but no real action right now.
Still, the light is stunning at this time of year - beautifully crisp and clear and I am really enjoying photographing a variety of different subjects like these. Soon it will be all about large mammals again…
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Bateleur portrait
May 23, 2008
This beautiful eagle is normally quite shy and difficult to approach. This one allowed me to get very close though and I got several full portraits of it before it flew away. I preferred this picture though as it shows the bird half hidden which is usually the case with Bateleurs - often very frustrating for the photographer…
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Lapwing silhouette
May 22, 2008
I am a sucker for silhouettes and I really liked this one as there is so much detail in the image. You can even see light through the birds beak! It is a white headed lapwing and the sharp spurs that you can see sticking out from the front of its wings are used for fighting.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Back at last!
May 17, 2008
I am finally back in the Valley and very happy to be home. I have only been away for 2 weeks but it is amazing how dry everything is already. The road is now graded all the way to camp and there are a few loop roads done as well. I went out on a drive early this morning and saw a fair amount of wildlife - the usual puku and impala as well as buffalo, giraffe and a few ele’s. The lions are nearby as I heard them last night but no sign of them this morning.
I am looking forward to getting back into the swing of things and will be posting more regularly from now on.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Away..
May 5, 2008
I’m in Lusaka at the moment having a bit of a break from the bush. It is a shock to be in the city after seeing hardly any people for 6 months! The road out of Lion Camp is still not graded yet so we had to walk out part of the way to the nearest camp and drive from there. It is good to get away but I am already looking forward to returning - the Luangwa is certainly an addictive place! I hope to be back by the end of the week.
The photo is of a Citrus Swallowtail taken in Mfuwe.
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
Terrapin eye
May 3, 2008
I came across this Serrated hinged Terrapin on the bank of the lagoon near here. Unlike a tortoise which retracts its head straight back into its shell, terrapins retract their heads sideways leaving an eye visible and allowing me to get this slightly freaky shot!
Content Copyright Patrick Bentley Photography
