Author Topic: Wildlife and Natural Places  (Read 44157 times)

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #40 on: October 2, 2014, 12:17:15 pm »
No, not Pinnawela. The place where I went was fairly close to Sigiriya and Dambulla. It was a small place by the side of the road which this Sri Lankan lad I was travelling about with knew about. We did not go there just for this. It was on the way to somewhere else and decided to check it out. I don’t know, when you hear Elephant Sanctuary and Elephant Orphanage you conjure up an image in your head and it was nothing like what I had envisaged.
Got ya (beautiful part of the country, btw). Pinnawala is run by the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the elephants will be looked after by their vets. There's nothing to stop somebody owning an elephant (think you need a permit) and calling where they keep them anything they want, I suppose. I have a feeling that's what you visited.
Quote
Don’t get me wrong mate, I am not saying the elephant was particularly mistreated or hungry (God knows I gave it about 30 bananas!) but it did have a whiff of exploitation about the whole set up.
You and the elephant ;)
Quote
The elephant’s handler (?) was hitting it with a thin stick pretty hard although the elephant did not seem to mind and it probably doesn’t even hurt an animal of that size! And I think the walk around bit with the elephant would have been a bit different and involved a lake or something but it had not rained in that region for months!
Their pain threshold isn't anything like ours. Even an baby elephant can knock an adult human off their feet. And if it takes it in mind to step on your head or you chest, that will be that. In ancient times execution by elephant was practiced!
Quote
I'd have bloody loved to see those one of those parades in Kandy. I think there was a big one going on just before or just after we'd left. Shame, because the pictures I have seen looked amazing.
The Kandy Perhera is the big one due the tooth relic. Your looking at 70+ elephants plus the drummers and dancers. There are almost as big ones in Kelaniya (just outside Colombo) and Colombo itself. I took our boy to Vihara Maha Devi Park to see all the elephants before the perehera. We went to see the elephants be bathed before being dressed. My son immediately started taking off his sandals. "Get these clothes the hell off me. I'm going in!" is his attitude whenever you get him close to any body of water. No kid. You can't go in with the elephants.
Will do mate. I do take some pictures and send them to a friend who lives bang in the middle of Sao Paulo. She'd give anything to be able to walk out of the town and be straight into countryside and away from traffic, pollution and the craziness of a city. Keep telling her to just move to the rain forest...
Ha ha.

Offline CheshireDave

  • quite apt, as he's from Gloucestershire and his name's Norman
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 17,871
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #41 on: October 2, 2014, 01:01:14 pm »
You and the elephant ;)

True that!

The parades do look amazing. All the lights, fire and drums. The elephants must feel like they have been given some acid or something!
Fuckin' 'Ell It's Fred Titmus

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #42 on: October 2, 2014, 01:25:54 pm »
The parades do look amazing. All the lights, fire and drums. The elephants must feel like they have been given some acid or something!
Dave, it's a religious procession. Not a parade :D It's well worth catching if you can. Takes place in July/August.

Offline Kochevnik

  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,980
  • We all Live in a Red and White Kop
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #43 on: October 2, 2014, 01:26:05 pm »
Ooh, love this thread.

I'm a huge outdoorsman, really can't stand being in a major city for any length of time.  People on here are always mocking me for having to live in the middle of Siberia but I wouldn't trade it for Liverpool (or any other city of more than 100k or so people) for any amount of money.

The area I live in is called Tuva, just north of Mongolia (most of you won't remember, but I work here with a humanitarian development organisation that specialises in working with underprivileged minorities).  It's SPECTACULAR.  Probably one of the last places on earth where you can truly go into the real wild, places that are barely even touched by man.

It's full of gorgeous views like this:

and people like this:


We work (I live here with my wife and two small children) with the poorest of the people here, trying to find sustainable ways for them to economically develop the area.  Right now we're running a bit project to monetise local pine nuts, which are grown in natural forest and not harmed by the harvest in any way.  That way the people have an economic reason to protect the forest and they also have jobs and more of the money from their own resources stays here to benefit them rather than some corporation in China.

These are just some of the scenes I have around me all the time (I get out into the countryside a lot with my work, plus I go for pleasure because I just love it so much).







This one is an eagle who came in to eat the of.fal (ha! just realised this is probably the first actual correct use of this word on the site after I saw the autocorrect!) after we cleaned some fish we caught in "Milk Lake," probably a good 30 km from the nearest road:




These are from a trip floating down the headwaters of the Yenisey River I took with a mate a couple of years ago:





« Last Edit: October 2, 2014, 01:28:48 pm by Kochevnik »
Managers who have won fewer than three European Cups: Ferguson, Mourinho, Guardiola, Saachi, Hiddink, Hitzfeld, Clough, Happel, Trapattoni, Cruyff, Michels, Lobanovsky, Capello, and many more.
Managers who have won three or more European Cups: Bob Paisley

Offline Abraham

  • Anny Roader
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
  • Justice.
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #44 on: October 2, 2014, 02:04:43 pm »
Looks absolutley stunning Kochevnik. Jealous - what a job, best of luck in your endeavours!

Offline planet-terror

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 13,249
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #45 on: October 2, 2014, 02:37:39 pm »
nice thread this
bollocks

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #46 on: October 2, 2014, 02:41:11 pm »
The area I live in is called Tuva, just north of Mongolia (most of you won't remember, but I work here with a humanitarian development organisation that specialises in working with underprivileged minorities).  It's SPECTACULAR.  Probably one of the last places on earth where you can truly go into the real wild, places that are barely even touched by man.
It certainly is.
Quote
We work (I live here with my wife and two small children) with the poorest of the people here, trying to find sustainable ways for them to economically develop the area.  Right now we're running a bit project to monetise local pine nuts, which are grown in natural forest and not harmed by the harvest in any way.  That way the people have an economic reason to protect the forest and they also have jobs and more of the money from their own resources stays here to benefit them rather than some corporation in China.
Hugely impressed. Realistically, bar Antartica, all our wild spaces are managed. Without the buy in of the local population and the hard work of good people like you Kochevnik, those wild places won't be preserved.

Bactrian camels. Wow!

Offline Abraham

  • Anny Roader
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
  • Justice.
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #47 on: October 2, 2014, 03:09:09 pm »
Off topic I know, and apologies, but could someone please tell me how to 'embed' images into a post? It would make it much easier to create a narrative, which suits this thread particularly well. Apologies if I'm being dim. Just so you know I have tried the image 'icon' without success, leaving me with the only option of 'attaching' images.
« Last Edit: October 2, 2014, 03:10:44 pm by Abraham »

Offline Chakan

  • Chaka Chaka.....is in love with Aristotle but only for votes. The proud owner of some very private piles and an inflatable harem! Winner of RAWK's Carabao Cup captian contest.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 91,079
  • Internet Terrorist lvl VI
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #48 on: October 2, 2014, 03:11:00 pm »
Off topic I know, and apologies, but could someone please tell me how to 'embed' images into a post? It would make it much easier to create a narrative, which suits this thread particularly well. Apologoies if I'm being dim. Just so you know I have tried the image 'icon' without success, leaving me with the only option of 'attaching' images.

[ img ]<place link for image here>[/ img ] *remove the spaces

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #49 on: October 2, 2014, 03:16:54 pm »
Off topic I know, and apologies, but could someone please tell me how to 'embed' images into a post? It would make it much easier to create a narrative, which suits this thread particularly well. Apologies if I'm being dim. Just so you know I have tried the image 'icon' without success, leaving me with the only option of 'attaching' images.
You'll do your pictures justice if you upload them to a place like flickr (which is linked to yahoo, so you might need open a yahoo account). There are others though if that sounds like hassle.

Offline Abraham

  • Anny Roader
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
  • Justice.
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #50 on: October 2, 2014, 03:25:42 pm »
Thanks guys, I'm still scratching my head here as I've never uploaded my pictures to a site like flickr before, I do have a dropbox account, any good?

Offline Chakan

  • Chaka Chaka.....is in love with Aristotle but only for votes. The proud owner of some very private piles and an inflatable harem! Winner of RAWK's Carabao Cup captian contest.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 91,079
  • Internet Terrorist lvl VI
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #51 on: October 2, 2014, 03:28:57 pm »
You can use http://postimage.org/ if you want.

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #52 on: October 2, 2014, 03:30:46 pm »
Thanks guys, I'm still scratching my head here as I've never uploaded my pictures to a site like flickr before, I do have a dropbox account, any good?
Do you have a mac, by any chance?

Offline Abraham

  • Anny Roader
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
  • Justice.
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #53 on: October 2, 2014, 03:32:27 pm »
Thanks Chakan, new digital worlds are opening up to me here. I'm gonna check em all out. Be back soon.

Offline Abraham

  • Anny Roader
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
  • Justice.
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #54 on: October 2, 2014, 03:33:00 pm »
Do you have a mac, by any chance?

No PC only.

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #55 on: October 2, 2014, 03:39:22 pm »
Thanks Chakan, new digital worlds are opening up to me here. I'm gonna check em all out. Be back soon.
;D
No PC only.
You have my sympathies (kidding)

Offline Geppvindh's

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,932
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #56 on: October 2, 2014, 03:49:58 pm »
These thoughts strike a chord, G. There's something very spiritual about leaving our modern world behind and getting back to the wild spaces of the planet. You look at the sky and for the first time see the stars, the universe just as our ancestors once did. And our thoughts begin to run in a similar direction. I'm a secular Buddhist but if I did choose a religion it'd be to worship The Great White Spirit of the Native Americans; basically nature in all her awe-inspiring splendour.


"Grandfather, Great Mysterious One. You have been Always. And before You, nothing has been. There is nothing to pray to but You" - Black Elk.

I think about it every time I visit my grandparents' native deep in south India. We sit on the front porch and talk through the night, and I just listen. I listen because my experiences with what i see as the real world are totally out of sync with what they live and grow up with. I feel we need to take a step back and find ourselves, whether it is in the wild, or simply an hour's drive away from the city. My parents have retired to that little town for the rest of their lives, and I'm incredibly proud of them for having done that.

Great thread, ZZ. I am looking forward to adding more, when the opportunity arises :wave

Offline Geppvindh's

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,932
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #57 on: October 2, 2014, 03:51:12 pm »
Cheers Gerrvindh. Your post brought back some beautiful memories. Many thanks :)

I'm glad they evoked memories there, Abraham. We vowed we would meet at Ladakh every five years, wherever in the world we were. Two years to go, let's see whether it happens :)

Off topic I know, and apologies, but could someone please tell me how to 'embed' images into a post? It would make it much easier to create a narrative, which suits this thread particularly well. Apologies if I'm being dim. Just so you know I have tried the image 'icon' without success, leaving me with the only option of 'attaching' images.

Picasa web - google. Easy upload, right click - Copy image URL. Place the link in the format Chakan showed above.
« Last Edit: October 2, 2014, 04:00:55 pm by Gerrvindh »

Offline Geppvindh's

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,932
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #58 on: October 2, 2014, 03:56:01 pm »
It's full of gorgeous views like this:

and people like this:


Superb! #1 on my travel bucket list is the trans-Siberian route - Russia, Mongolia, China. Fantastic pictures, but most of all great work done by you. When you get some time, we'd love to read about the work you do here. Kudos :)

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #59 on: October 2, 2014, 04:38:13 pm »
I listen because my experiences with what i see as the real world are totally out of sync with what they live and grow up with. I feel we need to take a step back and find ourselves, whether it is in the wild, or simply an hour's drive away from the city.
Absolutely agree with that need. It's no coincidence that we live five minutes walk from London's biggest park.
Quote
My parents have retired to that little town for the rest of their lives, and I'm incredibly proud of them for having done that.
I'm sure you are mate.
Quote
I am looking forward to adding more, when the opportunity arises :wave
I'm sure everyone would agree that you can't have too many pics of Ladakh.

Offline Kochevnik

  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,980
  • We all Live in a Red and White Kop
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #60 on: October 2, 2014, 05:11:51 pm »
Superb! #1 on my travel bucket list is the trans-Siberian route - Russia, Mongolia, China. Fantastic pictures, but most of all great work done by you. When you get some time, we'd love to read about the work you do here. Kudos :)

You won't get to see Tuva on the trans-Siberian.  Actually, it's possibly the reason this area remained so untouched.  The Soviets moved in where the railroad went, so most of the other parts of Siberia have a majority population of Russians and the native peoples are a minority.  Even more importantly, the railroad allowed them to ship the mineral/timber resources back to the cities, so there was a lot more mining/logging.

Here, we're on the other side of a mountain range (the Sayans) from the rest of Siberia and the railroad.  There are only a couple of roads into the whole republic (an area larger than the entire UK minus Scotland) and as such the indigenous population is still the vast majority of inhabitants.  No railroad, no large-scale mining and timber operations, basically.  Although to be honest, Siberia is so vast that even where they do have the railroad there are plenty of places that are still totally untouched.  I find the ride a little boring after the first day or two (it's basically the same: small villages of wooden houses, followed by hours of trees) but the trans-Siberian is still a nice adventure.
Managers who have won fewer than three European Cups: Ferguson, Mourinho, Guardiola, Saachi, Hiddink, Hitzfeld, Clough, Happel, Trapattoni, Cruyff, Michels, Lobanovsky, Capello, and many more.
Managers who have won three or more European Cups: Bob Paisley

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #61 on: October 4, 2014, 12:23:03 am »
Whilst we wait for Abraham to come to grips with picasa/flickr/the inter webs I thought I'd post a quick something. In contrast to the last few posts on the trans-Siberia railway and Ladakh, I'm going to post a few pics taken from our favourite glade in Richmond Park, maybe ten minutes from our apartment. The spot is 11.49 km or 7.14 miles from Charing Cross (the point from where distances to London are measured to).

Date: 31st May 2014

In this glade there's a beautiful old fallen Oak tree trunk. We picnic on one side of it, unseen by the occasional passersby. On this day the boy and I had been shooting off rockets (plastic ones, not fireworks). I noticed a red deer doe carefully picking it's way toward us, which was strange as a solitary animal would usually shirt it's way round us.


When I took this shot I was still unaware that all the time we'd been buggering about there had been a fawn sitting tight in the bracken right next to us. You can just see it's tiny spotted form to the left of the doe.


The doe felt we were way too close for comfort and took the fawn away.


The fallen trunk is pretty beautiful in it's own right. This was taken in mid April. The red deer here still have their winter coat. It's very easy shooting deer in Richmond Park. If you're not furtive, keep your movements slow and predictable they don't mind. They know they can outrun you if they need to.


Shooting deer is easy in Richmond Park... unless you have the Worlds Worst Photography Assistant™ for company. After a careful stalk using the trunk as cover I got myself in position. "Kid, if you climb down on that side of the trunk the deer are going to... Never mind"

NB: I knew the hole in the trunk there would prove irresistible to a small boy. It's fine to let him climb in and not have to worry about venomous snakes, spiders or centipedes. As I tell my wife - The most dangerous thing in the English countryside is a broken bottle.
« Last Edit: October 4, 2014, 12:25:11 am by zero zero »

Offline jooneyisdagod

  • Doesn't like having pussy round the house
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 19,733
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #62 on: October 4, 2014, 02:21:48 am »
I desperately want to go to Ladakh and Leh. I have not a bone of spirituality in the traditional sense in me but I could sit and stare out at a little plant if I thought it was beautiful for hours and never be bored. The beauty that surrounds me has such a profound impact on me on a daily basis. It stirs my 'soul' in a manner in which nothing else does. Little things like the view on my way back home every night. I often just stop and stand and have a loot at pretty much suburbia for a few minutes because its so picturesque. I know this is the wild life and natural places thread but I find a certain beauty in even cityscapes. Anyway enough of my ramble. Well done on some truly stunning photos and recollections of trips by zero zero, Abraham and Gerrvindh !
Quote from: Dion Fanning

The chants for Kenny Dalglish that were heard again on Wednesday do not necessarily mean that the fans see him as the saviour. This is not Newcastle, longing for the return of Kevin Keegan. Simply, Dalglish represents everything Hodgson is not and, in fairness, everything Hodgson could or would not hope to be.

Offline Geppvindh's

  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,932
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #63 on: October 4, 2014, 08:27:25 am »
I visited Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington earlier this month. We faced inclement weather mostly, and were left largely disappointed because we had no view of the mountain. But then I chanced upon this that totally brightened my day.




Yes, you did see a fossilized dinosaur hanging from a tree. :D[/size]


Offline El Lobo

  • Chief Suck Up. Feel his breath on your face. Toxic, pathetic, arse-faced, weaselling slimeball. RAWK Maths Genius 2022.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 54,990
  • Pretty, pretty, pretty pretty good
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #64 on: October 4, 2014, 10:32:55 am »
This is my favourite thread to lurk in :) Some stunning photos and stories.
If he's being asked to head the ball too frequently - which isn't exactly his specialty - it could affect his ear and cause an infection. Especially if the ball hits him on the ear directly.

Offline surfer. Fuck you generator.

  • surgood. As good as Suarez but CBA to play for us. Takes it on the chin and never holds a pointless grudge for several months.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 14,206
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #65 on: October 4, 2014, 01:28:42 pm »
Super thread, thanks for the info folks.

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #66 on: October 4, 2014, 06:22:15 pm »
Yes, you did see a fossilized dinosaur hanging from a tree. :D
Ha ha. That Pacific North West coast of the US is a large stretch of temperate rainforest, so I'm not surprised you got rained on. That's the beauty of our wild places, it really doesn't matter if you see any wildlife. It's enough just to be out there drinking it all in. That moss covered tree limb is beautiful, isn't it?

Location: Hartley Wood, North Kent, England

Visited: Late April 2012

Habitat: It's mostly a beech wood, with sliver birch and sweet chestnut too. All sitting on the North Downs; chalk hills which are the remains of an ancient sea bed deposited during the late Cretaceous Period.


Bluebells


In it's own way I think moss is just as pretty.


I believe this is coprinus micaceus, the Glistening Ink Cap. That's what's great about the internet, somewhere out there is a guy (pretty sure it's a guy) who has painstakingly assembled a gallery of 150 pics of British Fungi, bless him.


A better idea of what the wood looks like.


This one is from Richmond Park. Lichen on our favourite climbing tree. I think it proves the point Jooney was making that there's beauty all around us, if we only take a little time to look for it.

Online .adam

  • .asking .for .trouble .for .arson .around .in .Sweden
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 8,469
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #67 on: October 4, 2014, 06:46:14 pm »
 A few of the most beautiful places I've visited.









Three from the Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania. A gorgeous place, it's an extinct volcano which now serves as a wildlife reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site. We were lucky enough to see plenty of wildlife and camped on the rim of the crater (that's our tent to the left with the purple and blue towels drying on the side!).








Another couple from the same holiday, this time from Serengeti. We didn't know that Serengeti means "endless plains" in Swahili but understood why by the end - this place goes on for miles and miles! I acted as our spotter from the top of the truck whilst we trundled across the plains and spotted these two brothers relaxing in the shade!





Canaima National Park, Venezuela. This was taken from the top of one of the many waterfalls. We had the pleasure of flying over Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world and the whole place was like something out of Jurassic Park!





Ranthambore National Park, India. Followed this fella around the park and had the fortune to watch him stalk and chase a pack of deer! Such a shame that tigers are hunted so much, I'm really happy to have seen one before it might be too late.





Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Probably the most relaxing and beautiful place I've ever been. My missus was still asleep (it was maybe 8AM when this was taken) so i popped down to the lake for a dip. I couldn't believe how beautiful and peaceful it was. If you're thinking of going - check out Hotel Case Del Mundo. Unreal place.





Semuc Champey, Guatemala. Again, somewhere that looks like it's from a dream. These are natural limestone pools in the river, the water is beautifully warm and you can meander your way between them over a couple of hours. They're linked by "natural waterslides" where the water has smoothed the limestone into a slide! Great fun and one of those places I'm so happy to have seen.





Tikal, Guatemala. We spent much of the trip flitting form Mayan ruin to Mayan ruin and I loved it. There's a real atmosphere when you walk around the sites and the reward for climbing to the top of the towers is a beautiful view across the canopy with the odd temple sticking through. The call of the howler monkeys made it even more special!





Another Mayan ruin from the trip. San Ignacio, Belize. Gorgeous and we had the place almost entirely to ourselves!

Petra, Jordan. Idillic for the pure isolation. I sat here for an hour admiring the view and reading a book I'd brought. I'd recently split up with a long-term girlfriend and I can remember sitting here putting things into perspective. Stunning.
I always try to incorporate some sort of "nature" element into my trips and there's plenty more to see on my list!
Sorry for the poor write-ups, I wish I could write such evocative pieces as others in here.

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #68 on: October 4, 2014, 09:02:39 pm »
Three from the Ngorogoro Crater in Tanzania. A gorgeous place, it's an extinct volcano which now serves as a wildlife reserve and UNESCO World Heritage site. We were lucky enough to see plenty of wildlife and camped on the rim of the crater (that's our tent to the left with the purple and blue towels drying on the side!).
The Ngorogoro Crater is already quite near the top of our "Places to visit" list. And reading your post has piqued my interest in Guatemala. Semuc Champay looks fantastic. Great pics. Don't be shy about sharing any more :)
Quote


Ranthambore National Park, India. Followed this fella around the park and had the fortune to watch him stalk and chase a pack of deer! Such a shame that tigers are hunted so much, I'm really happy to have seen one before it might be too late.
When did you visit, .adam? I was thinking about Ranthambore in particular when I thought it best to put the year of visit in the write-ups. My memory fails me, but within the last five years perhaps, tigers were no longer to be found in the park. Twice in the last fifty years the tiger population in India has crashed due to a combination of poaching, corruption and the dodgy methods the authorities use to count wild tiger populations. I hope the numbers are recovering but it pays for us to do a bit of due diligence before we go any of these wonderful places.

Online .adam

  • .asking .for .trouble .for .arson .around .in .Sweden
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 8,469
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #69 on: October 5, 2014, 12:30:49 pm »
Went to Ranthambore in March 2011, zz. There seemed to be plenty to see at that time but I don't know if the hunting problem has got worse since then.

Here's a few more from Semuc Champey.













It's a magical place. The rock pools are great fun and there's other stuff to get up to too, we went caving, tubed back down the river to the hotel (over loads of rapids!) and jumped off bridges into the river. It's a bit of a hike to get there (nearest big town is Lanquin and then it's bumpy tracks for another hour or so) but it's worth it in the end.

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #70 on: October 5, 2014, 01:47:09 pm »
Went to Ranthambore in March 2011, zz. There seemed to be plenty to see at that time but I don't know if the hunting problem has got worse since then.
Numbers appear to going up, but not everyone agrees. Glad you had a memorable trip (wouldn't mind seeing some more pics if you have them).
Here's a few more from Semuc Champey.

Quote
It's a magical place. The rock pools are great fun and there's other stuff to get up to too, we went caving, tubed back down the river to the hotel (over loads of rapids!) and jumped off bridges into the river. It's a bit of a hike to get there (nearest big town is Lanquin and then it's bumpy tracks for another hour or so) but it's worth it in the end.
You've got me convinced. Thanks a lot for sharing your experiences.

Offline Abraham

  • Anny Roader
  • ****
  • Posts: 285
  • Justice.
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #71 on: October 13, 2014, 04:46:02 pm »
I'm calling this 'An aletrnative view on Cuba', shot in 2007, as these are some images I wouldn't necessarily consider representative in a populist way, but were very much part of my experience of Cuba.

1. This was taken in Trinidad, a long bus ride from Havana, and was a country cowboy resting in the midday sun, probably in town to buy or sell farm goods/livestock. We spoke briefly only to confirm he was from the surrounding country area.

2. This shot was taken on the outskirts of Havana by the sea, on the ruin of an old swimming hut, that back in the 40's/50's was  frequented by the great and the 'good'  from the US.

3. This shot is of a man/local butcher, who was selling his trade at the side of the road between Havana and Trinidad.

4. This sillouetted shot for me represents the Cuba I found. He was a fisherman near Trinidad.

5. Another local 'butcher' outside of Havana. These guys were selling without the all important government licence, which made their trade by necessity, slightly shady.

6. This shot was another that was taken with fisherman who were operating without a licence. They had netted lots of sardines in a small bay and were using them as live bait to catch larger eating fish, but in this instance, a cormorant had spotted the sardine on the line and was ultimately caught, much to the delight of the family (apparently a cormorant was considered a treat), whose food was strongly regulated, and they depended on breaking the law in this way to survive. I should add that the family invited us for lunch after fishing together from sunrise, with the catch on the menu, and couldn't have done more to make our trip magical.
 
« Last Edit: October 13, 2014, 05:02:41 pm by Abraham »

Offline Buggy Eyes Alfredo

  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,481
  • ¤Ginger◇Drapes¤
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #72 on: October 15, 2014, 07:11:55 pm »


One style I enjoy shooting is minimalist.











Offline jillcwhomever

  • Finding Brian hard to swallow. Definitely not Paula Nancy MIllstone Jennings of 37 Wasp Villas, Greenbridge, Essex, GB10 1LL. Or maybe. Who knows.....Finds it hard to choose between Jürgen's wurst and Fat Sam's sausage.
  • Lead Matchday Commentator
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 76,532
  • "I'm surprised they didn't charge me rent"
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #73 on: October 23, 2014, 10:29:39 pm »
Wow this is an awesome thread.  :D
"He's trying to get right away from football. I believe he went to Everton"

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #74 on: October 30, 2014, 11:59:35 am »
One style I enjoy shooting is minimalist.
So what are they mate?

1. Polar bear?
2. Hawk of some description?
3 Leopard? Probably a non tropical sub-species

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #75 on: October 30, 2014, 02:44:20 pm »
I've stated that there's nothing quite like Africa when it comes to watching wildlife, but having grown up reading the wonderful books of Jim Corbett, India certainly has it's own appeal. Corbett had a huge influence in the preservation of India's wildlife in the twentieth century.  As a product of his time, he began life hunting the wildlife he would one day only shoot with a camera. The oldest national park in India was fittingly named after him, located in Nainital district of Uttarakhand the scene of many of his exploits.

Location: Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. I picked this park as our first foray into watching Indian wildlife as (at the time) it was one of only two parks in the world where you could watch tigers from elephant back (Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal being the other). We flew into Chennai and then got an overnight sleeper to Nagpur. Travelling on Indian Railways was for me a once in a lifetime experience; do it once and you never want to do it again ;) Possibly the most memorable part of the journey was the comically inept attempts of the conductor to try and to pick up my missus. Anyway, we were then picked up from the station and driven the 4 (or 6) hours to the park.

Visited: March 2004. The park was quite cool in the morning, something we hadn't counted on. It was also just past the fawning season for Chital meaning that the key prey species for Tiger was in abundance.

History: In the 1930s, Kanha area was divided into two sanctuaries, Hallon and Banjar, of 250 and 300 km². Kanha National Park was created on 1 June 1955. Today it stretches over an area of 940 km² in the two districts Mandla and Balaghat. Together with a surrounding buffer zone of 1,067 km² and the neighboring 110 km² Phen Sanctuary it forms the Kanha Tiger Reserve. This makes it the largest National Park in Central India.

Habitat: The lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows (maidans) and ravines of Kanha provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel "Jungle Book "

Fauna: The park has a significant population ofRoyal Bengal Tiger,leopards, thesloth bear, rare Southern Barasingha, Indian wild dog.

The following shots are scans from the original ten year old prints. I've tried my best to get them back to how they originally looked.


This is a Jungle Cat, Felis chaus kutas, not particular rare distribution-wise but quite difficult to see. Very happy to see this in the early morning strolling about so brazenly.

First we were driven about in a jeep seeing Nilgai, Boselaphus tragocamelus, the largest Asian antelope, Gaur, Bos gaurus, very huge and impressive wild cattle, wild boar and the ubiquitous Chital, Axis Deer. Then we had the opportunity to get on elephant back and look at a resting tiger. There is an additional. I don't recall what it was now. Whatever the cost, pay it.


Our first morning and our initial contact with a Bengal Tiger, Pantera tigris tigris


A large male in excellent condition that really is this unrealistic orange. Tiger, tiger burning bright, indeed. For eyes accustomed to leopards this creature is a totally different order of magnitude; everything about them exudes power.


The same animal. Slightly blurry because, well, the elephant moves. Both elephant and tiger are wary of each other





A typical waterhole with a startled Chital


Tiger spoor. This is about five to six inches across, so even a city boy like myself wouldn't find it too hard to track a tiger


A picturesque lake with a Sal forest on the opposite bank
« Last Edit: October 30, 2014, 02:46:01 pm by zero zero »

Online Crosby Nick

  • He was super funny. Used to do these super hilarious puns
  • RAWK Scribe
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 111,209
  • Poultry in Motion
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #76 on: October 30, 2014, 02:48:44 pm »
Wow they're incredible pics ZZ. How safe did you feel watching the tiger from up there?! What if the elephant freaked out?

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #77 on: October 30, 2014, 03:00:57 pm »
Wow they're incredible pics ZZ. How safe did you feel watching the tiger from up there?! What if the elephant freaked out?
True to typical South Asian safety standards there's only a thin metal bar keeping us in place. There was no lock, so if you tried to use the bar to balance, you run the risk of pulling it out and falling out yourself  :)

No threat from the tiger. The elephant doesn't like being so close to the tiger and was noticeably skittish, but it was well-trained, so we weren't worried. You only stay with the tiger for a few minutes, so not long enough for it to get irritated.

Offline zero zero

  • Karma's a bitch. Innit.
  • RAWK Supporter
  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 15,474
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #78 on: October 30, 2014, 04:17:20 pm »

A small pack of dholes, Cuon alpinus dukhunensis (so not a true dog), wandering up the road toward us. Indian hunters write that when a pack of these move into a territory, the other predators move out. Even tigers. Corbett, I think, wrote how a pack of 22 cornered and killed a large male tiger. For the impact they could have on trophies dhole's used to be shot on sight.




Southern swamp deer, Rucervus duvaucelii branderi, has hard hooves and is adapted to hard ground in open sal forest. They survive only in Kanha National Park and the population numbered 300 back when we visited.


On the third day we were told there was a female tiger and her cubs on a kill. So, we got back on the elephants. There are two tigers and two dead chital in this shot. The second tiger is using it's cheek teeth and looking straight at us (bottom right)


More obvious in this shot. There were four nearly full grown cubs and their mother. Both kills were from the night before and it was obviously a favourite  spot as the area was dotted with chital skulls and spinal columns.


When we got back from the first excursion we found there were no other takers, so the wildlife guides asked us if we'd like to go again. Silly question.

The battery on the video camera was low, so I told my dad to change the battery now. Of course he didn't listen. The battery runs out and as my dad is trying to stick the fresh one in, he drops it. He turns to me and says "[zero zero], I've dropped the battery. Climb down and get it!". So, to re-cap dad; you want me to climb down and root around in the leaf litter for this battery. Between the legs of a nervous elephant. Ten feet from a tigress. And her four almost full grown cubs. Whilst they're on a kill? That would be "No."


The mother.


Just as we were leaving the park after the last afternoon game drive, we heard the alarm call of a jackal. The driver asked if we wanted to see what was going down. Obviously we wanted to do anything to eke out a few more minutes. The jackal was circling around just ahead of a female tiger. At some point, the tigress turned toward us and as it advanced it flushed out a chital fawn. The fawn was tiny, about the size of a beagle, and try as it might it couldn't make it's way through the grass fast enough. The tigress on the other hand was bounding powerfully toward it and soon caught it. There was no struggle and soon the tigress emerged with the limp fawn in it's mouth. That was a bit sad, but well, a tiger has to eat.

Then the tigress walked further down the hill and we spotted for the first time an almost full grown cub, sitting on it's haunches, waiting patiently. The tigress walked up and laid the dead fawn at the cub's feet. The cub just looked on dopily, so the 'dead' fawn suddenly came back to life and legged it away as fast as it's little legs could carry it. Pretty cool. In Moyes style we got to see a kill without anything actually dying.

That was a great trip. We saw thirteen tigers in three days (though most of them were mothers and cubs on their kills where we were taken right up to them).

Offline Buggy Eyes Alfredo

  • Legacy Fan
  • ******
  • Posts: 4,481
  • ¤Ginger◇Drapes¤
Re: Wildlife and Natural Places
« Reply #79 on: October 31, 2014, 03:57:02 am »
So what are they mate?

1. Polar bear?
2. Hawk of some description?
3 Leopard? Probably a non tropical sub-species


1. Correct.
2. Red-tailed hawk. Witnessed a pair copulating. The sounds they were making was immense.
3. Cheetah. One thing I would love to experience before my death is see an Amur Leopard in the wild. There is a few other endangered animals I would also enjoy photographing. For instance, there is numerous owls on the list all over the planet that intrigue me. My next tattoo idea has an owl as the centerpiece in a Salvador Dali inspired design.