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Explore the wilderness with us… Within the next 10-15 years we will see the last-remaining wilderness area on earth dominated by the demands of growing human populations and undermined by accelerated climate change. When the earth’s last wild places are gone, all we will have are fenced off protected areas dependent on constant intervention to persist and marginalized by the demands of sustained development in emerging markets. Guides, rangers, researchers, ecotourists, photographers, artists and conservationists around the world apply themselves everyday to sharing, studying, photographing, writing about, protecting, conserving and celebrating the “wild” with their guests, co-workers, colleagues, and local communities. These amazing photographs are a window into their world, a world where the lions, elephants, orangutans and leopards still reign supreme and we can dream of that perfect morning in the wilderness.
Ranger Diaries and The Bush Boyes have teamed up to bring you the “Top 25 Photographs from the Wilderness”. These stunning photographs are selected from hundreds of submissions and are intended to bring the beauty, freedom and splendor of the wilderness to as many people as possible around the world. Please submit your best photographs from the wildest places to the Bush Boyes wall or Ranger Diaries website, and stand a chance of being featured in the “Top 25 Photographs from the Wilderness” published each week. This initiative is all about SHARING and CARING about wild places. Please “Like” this blog post and share this link with as many people as possible… So begins the “Ranger Revolution”… Anyone can be an “Honorary Ranger” if they share and care about the wilderness, stimulating positive change for wild places around the world… Join the “Ranger Revolution” now!
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- "Elephant in the clouds", by Marina Cano. Photographed in the Amboseli National Park, Kenya. (Marina Cano / marinacano.com)
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- "Dancing leopards", by guide Marlon du Toit. Photographed at Singita, South Africa. A mother dances with her 11 month old cub. (Marlon du Toit / singita.com/marlondutoit.com)
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- "Carmine bath", by guide Brendon Cremer. "Shot at the breeding colonies along the banks of the Zambezi river, Kalizo, Namibia. The carmines would come down off the banks in the afternoon to bath and have a drink, we spent an entire afternoon photographing them as they literally dived into the river one after another." (Brendon Cremer / www.brendoncremerphotography.com)
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- Red squirrel, by Will Nicholls. "I photographed the squirrel as an evening ray of light cast across its face." Taken in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, England. (Will Nicholls)
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- "First rains", by Dana Allen. "The arrival of the first rain on Zambia's Busanga Plains brings with it a sense of anticipation and change." Photographed at Wilderness Safaris Shumba Camp,Busanga Plains , Kafue National Park, Zambia. (Dana Allen / www.photosafari-africa.net/wilderness-safaris.com)
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- "Chobe clash", by guide Morkel Erasmus. Two young hippos engage in play-fighting to the amusement of a lone elephant on the banks of the Chobe river. Photographed at Ichobezi River Lodge, Chobe, Botswana. (Morkel Erasmus / morkelerasmus.com)
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- "Kiss of Death", by Brendon Cremer. An old female leopard killing an Impala, captured in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve, South Africa. (Brendon Cremer / www.brendoncremerphotography.com)
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- "Hippo vs. buffalo", by guide Amy Attenborough. A hippo approaches a Cape buffalo aggressively, hoping to chase the herd from the waterhole. Photographed at And Beyond Ngala, South Africa (Amy Attenborough / andbeyond.com)
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- "Lynx in the rain", by Marina Cano. One of the world's rarest cats, the Iberian Lynx, watched the rain. Photographed in Cabarceno Wildlife Park, Northern Spain. (Marina Cano / marinacano.com)
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- "Elephant Matriarch", by David lLoyd. The sky was a gun metal grey, and the light played out nicely over this large female elephant and the plains too. Photographed in the Masai Mara, Kenya. (David lLoyd / davidlloyd.net)
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- "Polar bears sparring", by guide Gavin Lautenbach. Photographed in Hudson Bay, Canada. (Gavin Lautenbach / www.mammothsafaris.com)
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- "Above the clouds", by guide James Kydd. Red-winged starling photographed at Table Mountain National Park, South Africa. (James Kydd / rangerdiaries.com)
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- "The Rollercoaster Male", by guide Kyle de Nobrega. Photographed at Lion Sands Game Reserve, South Africa. "We found this male leopard resting in the drizzling rain underneath a jackalberry tree, with a bushbuck kill nearby." (Kyle de Nobrega / inthestixx.com/lionsands.com)
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- "White-tailed eagles", by Will Nicholls. An adult white-tailed eagle clasping a fish, with a juvenile in the background. White-tailed eagles were hunted to extinction in Britain during the early 1900s, raided by egg collectors and persecuted by farmers who feared for their livestock. In 1975, they were reintroduced to Scotland. Conservation efforts have been successful and there are now around 42 pairs breeding annually in the UK. Photographed in the Isle of Skye, England. (Will Nicholls / www.willnicholls.co.uk)
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- "Hippo Spray", by guide Marlon du Toit. An aggressive hippo threw his head into the air in an attempt to intimidate a rival male. Photographed at Singita Sabi Sands, South Africa (Marlon du Toit / singita.com/marlondutoit.com)
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- "Crocodile eye", by Tony Dilger. Photographed at Lake Panic in the Kruger National Park. (Tony Dilger / tonydilger.co.uk)
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- "Flying pursuit", by guide Andrew Schoeman. A female leopard chasing an impala after a long and patient stalk. Leopard chases are usually very short, which makes this quite a rare image. Photographed in the Okavango Delta, Botswana. (Andrew Schoeman / andrewschoemanphotography.co.za)
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- "The fighter", by Jonty Bozas. The last moment of a male warthog who had put up a very brave fight. Photographed at Kwandwe Game Reserve, South Africa (Jonty Bozas / www.kwandwe.com)
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- "Waterbuck vs. African wild dog", by guide Amy Attenborough. Instinctively retreating to the water, the waterbuck have a brave stand off with a wild dog. Photographed at AndBeyond Ngala, South Africa (Amy Attenborough / www.andbeyond.com)
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- "Wise cow", by guide Grant Pengilly. Photographed at Singita Lebombo, South Africa. (Grant Pengilly / www.singita.com)
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- "Training Day", by guide Wim Vorster. A young cheetah learns how to hunt kudu. Photograhed at Mashatu Game reserve, Botswana. (Wim Vorster / wildwebafrica.com)
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- "Resting leopard", by guide Keith Connelly. Male leopard resting in a marula tree, where it is cooler, there are less flies, and he has a great vantage to look out for potential enemies and prey alike. Photographed at Lion Sands Game Reserve, South Africa. (Keith Connelly / lionsands.com)
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- "Within the rainforest", by Dana Allen. Deep within the tropical rainforest of Central Africa lives an amazing old world monkey: the grey-cheeked Mangabey. Foraging mainly in the canopy for fruits and insects, the ever alert monkeys communicate often and will shout out a fierce warning at the slightest hint of danger. Photographed with Wilderness Safaris in Parc National d'Odzala-Kokoua, Republic of the Congo. (Dana Allen / www.photosafari-africa.net/wilderness-safaris.com)
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- "Giraffe and birds", by Marina Cano. Photographed in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. (Marina Cano / marinacano.com)
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- "Focus" by guide Greg McCall-Peat of Ezulwini Game Reserve (Greg McCall-Peat / ezulwini.com)
Please go to the Ranger Diaries website: www.rangerdiaries.com and become part of the “Ranger Revolution” by sharing your amazing photographs!
“Every year, my brother (Chris Boyes), Pete (“the Nare”) Hugo, Giles (“Prince William”) Trevethick and I (Dr Steve Boyes) cross the Okavango Delta, top to bottom, on mokoros (dug-out canoes) to survey the distribution and abundance of wetland birds, advocate for World Heritage Status, and share this amazing wilderness with accompanying scientists, explorers and special guests. My wife, Dr Kirsten Wimberger, joined us for the first time this year. No one will forget what happened on the 2012 expedition…”
In 2013, we are embarking on the Okavango River Expedition. This will be a 1,750km odyssey down the Okavango River from the source near Huambo (Angola) all the way down the catchment, across the Caprivi Strip (Namibia), and into Botswana to cross the Okavango Delta via one of our planet’s last untouched wilderness areas. Our objective is to support the Okavango World Heritage Project and achieve UNESCO World Heritage Status for the Okavango Delta and the entire catchment. See: http://www.okavangofilm.com/
“Like” the Bush Boyes page and stand a chance to WIN one of two amazing Citizen watches… Go to: http://www.facebook.com/bushboyes
February 11, 6:13 am
