MalaMala Game Reserve prides itself on offering some of the best game viewing in the world. Many years were spent ‘acclimatising’ wildlife, particularly large predators, to the presence of our Land Rovers. As a result, our guests can now enjoy up-close-and-personal encounters with wild animals in their natural habitat.
Seasonal changes in the bush are drastic and made even more noticeable if one isn’t present to watch the change take place. It so happened that my last 14-day leave started the day before the first significant rains of the 2019/20 wet season. Upon returning to MalaMala I found a completely altered and beautiful environment ready to welcome me.
We are proud to announce that one of our rangers has recently had one of his photographs chosen to feature in the Remembering Wildlife series of coffee table books. A series which was created by wildlife photographer Margot Raggett after she was moved to take action upon seeing a poached elephant in Kenya.
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” – This quote is attributed to Roman philosopher, Seneca, and its essence is something that we as photographic safari rangers understand and deal with on a day to day basis. The challenge with wildlife photography is that we can’t tell the ‘models’ what to do and we don’t get any retakes. To make up for this we try to anticipate their next move and position ourselves accordingly.
Driving back to MalaMala Game Reserve after two weeks on leave, rangers can expect to get the tingle of excitement just as they descend the Schoemanskloof pass into the Lowveld of Mpumalanga. It is around this time that the thoughts and wishes start, like for a child who knows that Christmas is coming.
I was fortunate to visit MalaMala twice during my South Africa trip, starting with a two day stay (my prize for winning the Photographer of the Year competition), and later a three day visit in early August, when I brought my photo tour group back to experience the wonders of the reserve.
he bright green colours of summer has vanished months ago, replaced by subdued hues of orange and yellow. Almost all of the deciduous trees are now barren and the insects have gone quiet. A lack of summer rains has made this winter particularly dry.
Well done Jo Welman for winning the 2015 ranger photographic competition!
The 2015 MalaMala calendar will be available for dispatch from mid October 2014. These beautiful calendars, with a page per month, feature wildlife images taken by guests and rangers on MalaMala Game Reserve.