kgalagadi-photography-blog

Kalahari lion and flowers

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:28:12 +0100

Crouching Kalahari lion.

A Kalahari desert lion normally blends into the red or

other sand of the Kalahari desert to such an extent that

animals can almost walk right into them without spotting them. So when there

are exceptional rains for a short while, the desert turns into a heavenly garden of green and coloured wild flowers. During

exceptional rains like the exceptional 2010 season Flowers cover certain

areas that cannot be imagined during most of the year.

The area around the waterhole where this lion is

crouching towards a Gemsbok is normally covered in sand

and the lions are not aware that they stand out from

miles against the green and colourful background of the flowers. The Gemsbok and other antelope then approach much

closer. This pride of lion was getting notably thinner

during this period. The contrast between the lion and the

mostly dormant spiders wisk flowers especially in the

Kalahari desert makes it a unique image and gives the

lion an almost tamed dog or pet-like feeling where the

wild side has been removed.

Arid Parks management.

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:24:09 +0100

During my visit at the Mata Mata camp the following were experienced.

The road was in acceptable standards and maintained during my visit. The sewage seeped out from the toilets right into my campsite along the fence with a terrible smell for the duration of my stay. It seeped out of the ground half a

meter from my tap and 2 meters from my tent. Cigarette buts have not been picked up for many weeks probably. I remember the days that the camp sites were raked before each arrival every day as well as the dustbins removed and cleaned. I arrived greeted by a smelly dustbin this time around. Problem animals have increased drastically. The first time Squirrels actually chewed through the tent to eat food stuff inside. Augrabies falls park was the most annoying experience and should be closed as monkeys and baboons actually attack guests everyday and physically rob them of food in their hands...especially females. Now this is not really the parks that create the problem but I have not seen one ranger during my stay chasing problem animals or at least attempting to minimize the problem. On the other hand I saw guests leaving due to this. Now I have been visiting these parks for many years every year (more than once) and this is the worst by far. I will not return to Augrabies at all and will not recommend it to any visitor. I have also marketed and promoted the Parks through my work for many years.

The attitude of the Mata Mata camp staff reflected a attitude Im not familiar with in the Kalahari.I have not once seen the camp Manager George in the camp . Now in the old days the camp manager and his wife patrolled the camp daily and

greeted the guests. A combi with drunk men that stopped at a lion siting got out urinated and threw the lion with stones between many tourists. When we confronted them and reported the matter there were no ranger for two days. The receptionists that took the complaint did'nt greet, know what to do and had a attitude for some reason. Staff proudly told us that the Park manager told all the staff that tourists can clean their own camp site as it will not be "skoffeled" any more as it is not natural. This negative attitude towards all tourists from management will eventually seep through to the bottom. Throughout my time the reception staff did not greet once first ...not me nor other tourists as I observed this.Not once when the permits were issued or returned, during arrival or departure.

The noise of the generator on the Namibian side and the noise made by the staff at the Namibian side actually stops one of falling asleep....every night without fail!

The ladies change rooms flooded with over flowing drains not for the first time!

The ladies could not enter the bathrooms that evening.

It took three attempts to get the petrol attendant to fill up my vehicle. I have seen many other tourists waiting for this . Many left without getting hold of the person at the fuel station.

There is no doubt that the park is not providing the experience we are used to prior to extreme commercialization and it is declining every year. One thing that I think is working is the speed of the vehicles in the park by tourists. It got

so bad that lots of my friend stopped visiting the park for the last years. I have seen drastic improvement during my last visit however. I would like to see the state of the fences. On my first day in the camp there were no power point camp sites although I paid for two. I stayed on a site without power, water or a dustbin. I asked George the camp manager if he could allow me to camp on what is now a day visitors site. He ultimately agreed for the first night until another site opens up.

I did not take the camp site and camped in the open ( not a camp site) until I found a site the next morning in sewage. The toilets were kept clean by cleaning staff at other times.How can Kenneth, Piet, Aubrey ,and George be not on duty in the camp at the same time.(Kenneth was on leave) The drunk tourists kept harassing tourists for long until we threatened them and took over control in the interest of the park and South Africa as a whole. Augrabies falls park has also without a doubt declined in standards. ( that is of course after a drastic improvement of a few years ago when it basically disintegrated.) The decision to not waist money and time on gardens and superficial looks falls off the other side. If one enters the Augrabies buildings from the car park the dilapidated gardens are a shame and reflects a pathetic management that have never maintained any garden in the past of their own. Im not talking about invasive species but there is no reason to leave it in the state that we observed. Nothing is done to the very entrance of the face of the park!!!!!. The grass is dying of drought on the one side and just on the other side of the pavement the sign says "Stay off the grass" in-front of the management offices off course. Reflecting the attitude towards tourists. It will take one day to just clean up the bedding and plant indigenous plants just 10 meters away to jump start the indigenous process. The ablution facility on the closest side to the chalets ceiling is black with mold and extremely unhygienic and a disgrace to shower in. about 25% of the camp site have been blocked off for visitors and the trees have fallen over and generally looks like a dump site.

Rubbish are lying around for a week and no one cleans the grounds.The platforms that were washed away during the floods are still in th esame state and I observed many tourists jumping barricades to get closer . When they are confronted they state that they pay to see the waterfalls and the platforms are broken. It is a serious unsafe condition and is not rectified by merely putting candy tape in a area. It must be inaccessible. Besides it creates an extremely

unprofessional irrresponsible attitude towards our country once again.A third world park management standard wasting 1st world taxpayers money. There is a definite decline in general tourist facility management.

Beware ..if you dont show respect towards tourists in your talks with your staff they will reflect the same towards the tourists.( The decent and law abiding ones) skill/knowledge and professional attitude towards tourists and nature by

new age management if compared to 10 years ago irrespective of what park management would say. They just dont know better. Uniforms are mixed with bright ink and white socks and red scarfs and the likes and I observed Management walk

past these without making any remark. Security at the gates rarely wear any uniform. One of my clients stated that he payed the security R10 to let him enter to purchase goods at the shop rather than .

Ask yourself the question? Why would respected conservationists like Elias Le Riche, Dawie De Villiers, and loads of respected people including old guests not return to the Kgalagadi Park...their very passion in life. It cannot simply be

ignored. I have before and after photos and can show the world the comparison.

Disgrace. The "bottom line" however ....must be better.

The Parks belong to the people of South Africa and its time the Parks Board staff realize this.Your salary comes directly from our pockets . A part of our earnings as tourists were given to you to eat and drive your vehicle.Treat us with

respect, do your job to the best of your ability is our mandate and take action against the bad tourists on site and immediately.

The Kalahari made you , you did not make the Kalahari!!

Our Parks are still the best places to visit as far as I'm concerned and the general cleanliness of chalets and facilities are good as far as I'm concerned and the general staff are held dearly by myself and associates. The issues being recorded here will not stop me visiting the Kgalagadi as it is very definitely still a top class experience but compared to the controls and management issues it cannot compare to the park prior to serious commercialization. A doubt that anything will improve as I am 100% sure that these issues will be argued away during some management meeting. Just bear in mind though there are a vast amount of people that know and agree with these substandard performance issues and in

our eyes those responsible don't deserve our tax money as salaries.What is astonishing though is that just a few years ago the camp manager/ ranger and their wife's ran everything in camps that are now managed by more than 150% more

employees. There were more staff in and around Mata Mata by far than tourists on every day.

Making of The Last ranger fine art Image

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:26:02 +0100

I wanted to do a portrait of a camelthorn tree but it is always difficult to get a single tree or a situation where the background and foreground does not detract from it. At this specific point in the dunes and central part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier park the opportunity was there including the backround that enhanced the message of the Camelthorn I tried to bring across. The Camelthorn is the major reason for the abundant micro habitats along the desert riverbeds that stimulate the chain reaction that attracts the mega predators to the riverbeds wich in turn ultimately attracts the tourists. They are the only large trees that can survive in the Kalahari tempratures and aridness and allow the large birds of prey to nest as well as for Leopards to ambush rest and feed in. The specimens that die are visible for thousands of years. The juxtaposition between dead camelthorn and the mocking rains that bring life around the thunderstorm in the distance as if the camelthorn is saying to the clouds "Why now, do you drop the water when Im already dead" is the overwhelming message . !In those days getting to this spot was a long 4x4 trek over the dunes and dangerous territory and no tourist was allowed there. Today theres a tented camp buildt on the site as well as many other tented camps towering from the dunes to "increase profitablity". In many ways it also symbolises the death of the old Kgalagadi Transfrontier park built and managed by three generations of the Le Riche family and Dawie De Villiers the "Mata Mata" ranger that invited me to Bitterpan and one of the last of the "old rangers".

Hyena Nights & Kalahari days

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 11:10:16 +0100

A Must have book by the king of Hyena scientists in South Africa

First DVD on Auob river ecological overview

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:03:31 +0100

The first film on the Auob river shot over two years covering a full years seasons or climatic conditions. The DVD is now available at the shops in Twee Rivieren and Augrabies falls.
Otherwise do a internet payment and mail the proof to info@catfishjoeproductions.co.za

kgalagadiphotography web launch in Park

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:39:22 +0100

The web site is being promoted with a photo of a spectacular male lion at the entrance of the shop at Twee Rivieren.

Twee Rivieren restaurant

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:42:06 +0100

The Twee Rivieren restaurant decorated their walls with our photos over the weekend and the kgalagadiphotography.com website advertised in the Shop entrance with photo of a spectacular male lion currently in charge of a pride along the upper Auob river.

First cold fronts

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:56:49 +0100

The first cold front as predicted moved over the country and the Free State and Karoo received first frost and zero temperatures. It is now important to scrutinize the dunes on the side that receive the first sun-rays as the animals are still used to the warmer temperatures.In other words the animals move to the top of the dunes or high laying areas to get the first sun shine where they heat up for quite some time before moving in the late morning. This side of the dunes also naturally have the best light for photos (sun behind you) besides the portraits against the sun and wet dry grass.
Contrary to the hot season when predators are scrutinized for in the shade they will spend much time in th sun or open before moving into the shade by midday.
Protect the camera equipment against the sub zero temperatures at night and the condensation in the morning. Batteries also go faster so make sure they are fully charged for that action that await you around every corner In the Kgalagadi.

wet to dry transition

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 09:54:28 +0100

It is now what is called approaching the "transition period" from the wet to the dry months. Although a few good showers could still fall, the grasses will start to turn yellow. The animals are in the prime condition and springbok can be found in river beds almost tired of eating. Male springbok are staking territories along the river beds and gathering the females for the second round the seaon. Long grasses make very nice backdrops to animal potraits especially early morning and late afternoon. In the morning with dew drops that reflects sunlight and golden streaks in the late afternoon.It is now that photographers should start driving very slowly and capture the rodents and reptiles before winter. Temperatures will start to drop and in around 30 days time, minimums might drop the first time to below zero degrees. It is now that the cheetahs along the Auob river are more successfull due to the long grass as well as the lion and leopard. Thousands of seed eating birds now make the background noises.Raptors are successfull due to the drop in temperature and slow movements in the early morning. Some of the eagles will start to breed and can be seen on nests in Camelthorn trees.It is unfortunately a time that the dust increases due to the dryness and photographic equipment must be protected.

Visitors photos

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 06:47:56 +0100

Please forward photos you want to share with us either from animals and landscapes or general holiday pics to photos@catfishjoeproductions.co.za.