Collected Moments of Survival

World Lion Day:  A Celebration of the Majestic King of the Savannah. Its been a bit of a Lion-fest here at Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park these past two days. I went off searching for a leopard yesterday and instead found a sleeping lion (after driving a couple of kms). I only had about an hour with him when along came a maintenance crew whose presence he disdainfully observed by moving off out of sight. Luckily I had got a couple of photos which will soon become new artworks! Then the long drive back started out only to be interrupted by another sighting of a lion, this one had managed to nab himself an Oryx and he was lying in the bush cooling down next to his precious meal. The end of the day came and we had to hotfoot it out of the park. So, this morning, off we set again and there he was, still next to his kill but luckily this time, in the perfect morning light, he was visible. And much to our surprise we spied a 3 cheetah coalition on the opposite side of the riverbed observin...

I have now been in the Kalahari for three weeks and sadly I have not done one blog entry, despite the fact that every day there is something new to show.  This has to stop and from now there will be more about my travels each week. I'll just jump in with yesterday but may end up reflecting a little more on days gone by.  Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is a very different kind of game viewing experience. Distances are long and the roads are not always the best in the world but each and every day there is something else. Yesterday, despite the fact that I did not see too many animals of the feline persuasion that I could photograph there were many other opportunities. And the oddest one so far, was the black back jackal. We came upon 5 individuals who were looking a little testy with each other. After much looking through binoculars and camera lenses I finally worked out what the reason was for the gathering. There was a bundle of fur lying under a tree. Despite desperately trying...

Burchell's Zebra posing with their friend the Red Billed Oxpecker. Size 50cm x 45cm   An ant bit me on my bum! A tiny little black ant that had no business being in my bed. However, when you are camping in the “wilds” of Africa, ants are probably the lesser of the challenges you have to deal with. Among others there are marauding Vervet monkeys who, it may be added, can open many devices such as zips to tents and clips on “ammo” boxes. And the list goes on. My first foray of my African Adventure started in the Kruger National Park. A mild introduction to the “wild” bit. However, the list of visitors to our humble abode makes up quite a long list.   These are all chancers of another ilk. They have learned to navigate past the ignorance of the homo sapiens and rely completely on our naive natures. Smash and grab takes on another meaning in the Kruger Park where one is want to lose any number of food items. During my stay of 33 days I learnt to open and close doors with more dili...

This poster by Roger Hall can be purchased on his Etsy Shop WildlifeArtbyRoger What started as a casual enquiry about some cheetahs took a very different turn in March this year at my exhibition titled Touch at Fine Art Gallery in Swakopmund. A collector of my work was weighing up whether to invest in my piece of a cheetah Mom with her cubs or to invest in some work of Zebras. (As her farm has zebras on it).   Little did I know at the time, that those zebras are in fact, Hartmann’s Zebras and are a rare mountain species of Zebras. In fact, I did not know, just how many different Zebra species and sub-species there are. So, I pose the question to you, my reader, did you know how many Zebras there are spread throughout the African continent. I think I’ll start with the one that is no more. May the lesson of the Quagga serve to ignite in us the forethought to ensure that no more species ever go extinct due to the greed and ignorance of man. Then, let’s look at Zebra numbers of the va...

We arrived at Schlesien on Wednesday afternoon. We’d been given clear instructions on where to go and arrived in front of a set of gates flanked by two cheetahs. However, the gate was locked, and per kind favour or Vodacom (who lie through their teeth when they advertise that International Roaming is available - we sat with our fingers you know where! By some miraculous power of deduction Paul worked out how to open the gate (I won’t reveal how) and we were wending our way over a 4x4 track that would have enthusiasts drooling. Slowly and inexorably we made our way towards the house which we could see in the distance atop a very high hill, maybe even a mountain. Finally, we were there and the first to greet us was a scruffy looking black dog who enthusiastically greeted us. When his human caretakers made an appearance and after all the introductions were made I enquired as to whether the dog was one of theirs. It appears that they misunderstood my question - directed in Afrikaans and n...

It all happened so quickly. One minute, we were still the owners of a Lodge and then suddenly we weren’t.   In December 2021 we were packed up. Our possessions landed in a container and we were officially “homeless”. After being pinned down in one place for 17 years we were reluctant to make a hasty decision regarding the future. In a moment of contemplation I suggested that we buy a caravan, travel from Game Reserve to Game Reserve throughout Southern Africa for the next couple of years and then we make our decision as to where we would like to settle. This decision was to have a few repercussions. Caravans, in South Africa, it seems all fancy the idea of cooking in your bedroom. I, for one, cannot abide the thought of going to sleep amidst the smells of cooking food and so the journey began. After much searching and disappointments along the way we finally found someone who could tailor-make a caravan to specification. However, due to his willingness to design the caravan around ...

I have to admit that I am as close to a Dinosaur as one can be. My bones creak and my attitudes to life have been shaped by a time that appears to be long gone. In my day, before the era of a phone in a pocket, there was a certain etiquette that went along with the telephone. No calls after 8pm, no calls during meal times and a call was a private affair not listened to, by all and sundry. I remember a story of a relative, a surly farmer who, when technology reached his farm, had a telephone installed. However, as he did not fancy the idea of an intrusive device, had his telephone installed in the barn. His reasoning was that when he needed it he would go and use it, but he certainly didn’t want it intruding on his life.   Fast forward to 2022 and this etiquette that made life and technology quite tolerable, has just disappeared in a cloud of smoke. On the road for the first time, forging our way North towards Namibia we landed in Upington at a beautiful lodge on the banks of the Or...