The eyes have it…

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There is something about looking deep into the eyes of a wild animal
that is good for the soul…well certainly mine!
Each animal has its own very specific look,
one that I often perceive as their disdain for the human race.
A young Lion after a meal…stomach full and eyes wanting to close,
but alert to what is going on around it.
Eyes front…
This young Black-backed Jackal, even though a predator, has to be wary.

 

And these eyes?
“All the bigger to see you with”
is what this Red winged Starling seems to be conveying

 

This Wild Dog puppy put down a bone to look straight into my lens.
Not quite a challenge, but the possibility did exist

 

Reptilian eyes…
This Leopard tortoise was on a mission to get off the road.
No time to stop and “chat”…
The soulful eyes of a young Spotted Hyena.
This species is much maligned as a snivelling coward, only stealing prey from others.
The actual truth is exactly the opposite…
They hunt and catch 95% of their own food!
“Why me”, is what this White Rhino seems to be saying.
Hunted/poached on an almost daily basis for a horn
 that is said to have both medicinal as well as aphrodisiac properties.
In fact it possesses neither, as it is made up of matted hair,
that is of value to the rhino only.
But the slaughter continues to feed a market place that knows no better.

 

Years ago a field guide told me that Buffalo look at you as if you owe them money.
And they do!

 

This view of a Hippo is NOT the one you want to see if you are in a canoe.

 

Zebra have eyelashes that many humans would pay money to have replicated

 

A Vervet monkey…
Perhaps we do see something of ourselves in their eyes?
I know that getting into a staring contest with any of the primate species
can be an interesting exercise…in futility…for me anyway

 

The “mad” look in the eye of this particular Wildebeest
as it jostles for possession of this chunk of salt.

 

A face that only a mother Warthog could love?

 

From a pre-historic era?
A Helmeted Guinea fowl in a contemplative mood.
Perhaps the most soul-filled eyes of almost all the mammals on the African continent.
With eyelashes to rival those of the Zebra, this Elephant stand proud.
The largest( heaviest) land mammal in the world.
…without whom this Blog
 would not be possible. 
Photo:
Photo:
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Photo:
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Photo:
A new “tool” in my camera bag.
This locally made product was indispensable when using a long lens.
The ball and socket might look simple…and it is,
which is why it should be in the gear bag of every serious photographer.
 I got to try out this awesome product on a recent trip to Kruger National Park.
 For tracking birds in flight and animals in motion (what it was intended for)
 it was ideal and it did not occupy much space in my camera bag.
 The base set can be used with either a beanbag or a tripod. 
The advantage of this for me is that it offered the opportunity
 to go from a supported to hand held without have to detach
 from the head of a tripod or a beanbag.
Order directly from www.petersguide.co.za.
www.sablogawards.com
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and may not be used without permission
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