We were following a pack of wild dogs to the north of Savuti camp on a late October afternoon. We know this pack as the Zib pack, their name coming from a local name for a nearby lagoon. The dogs had all twelve of their puppies with them, and were moving steadily through some woodland. [...]
About Grant Atkinson
Growing up on South Africa’s pristine and picturesque Wild Coast fuelled Grant Atkinson ’s interest in nature and photography , skills he hones daily as a field guide for Wilderness Safaris in northern Botswana. Having travelled widely across southern Africa as well as to some of the world’s top wild places (the Galápagos Islands and Alaska among them), Grant’s exquisite images and profound observations are a fitting showcase for the best of Botswana’s wildlife.
A Warthog Hunt
In northern Botswana, the rainy season is the time when many animals have their babies. The carnivores of the area know this, and will often concentrate their efforts on catching these young animals.
The Power of the Pack
I was on a game drive out of Chitabe camp when we came across an intriguing interaction that took place between the local wild dog pack and their pups, and a young female leopard.
Upsizing The Meal
African wild dogs are big predators of impala in most areas where the ranges of the two species overlap. Whilst the average impala will feed a small pack of dogs for a day, larger packs need more food. They can try to kill more impala, and this happens quite frequently with successful packs. They can [...]
The Pack Is Back!
The Linyanti concession area in northern Botswana, where Savuti Bush camp is situated, has a successful population of African wild dogs. Every year, sometime around the end of May, the wild dogs breed. This involves the digging of an underground den, which is then occupied by the female during the breeding event. We never know [...]
A Little Leopard Learns a Big Lesson
A female leopard that we see quite often killed an impala close to Savuti camp. After a couple of hours of feeding, she moved off for a while, only to return with her subadult female cub in tow. The youngster is close to two years old (and not really a cub any longer), and partially [...]
A Deadly Game
Working with Andy Biggs on one of his special interest photographic safaris in Botswana, Grant Atkinson and fellow trip leader and photographer James Weis were lucky enough to be witness to this spectacular life and death struggle between elephant and spotted hyaena. The pictures tell a very dramatic tale!
Who is following the sardine run?
This week’s blog post comes once again from the Wild Coast in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. The annual sardine migration that takes place here is happening as I write, so I thought I would describe some of the major predators that take part in this wildlife phenomenon. The sardines are only small fish, but they [...]
Leopard behaviour – Information technology
It is quite fascinating to follow a big cat when they are on a territorial patrol. Last month I was able to watch the Dumatau male leopard as he went about on an early morning patrol. He is one of the most relaxed of big cats, and takes no notice of our vehicles. For cats [...]
A different kind of line-fishing
When this female pied kingfisher dived into the waters of the Savuti Channel to catch a small fish, she got a bit of a surprise.
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Sunburn: Casablanca to Joburg!
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Hope for the Future: a scary split-up and the completion of stage one
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Stuck in the Okavango Delta in a mini-skirt
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Mountain gorilla habitat under siege in DR Congo
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Hope for the Future: dramatic scenery and ‘the day with the sunrise’
