Hush
Sony A1, FE 70-200mm F2.8 GM OSS II FL: 200mm, S: 1/320s, A: F2.8, ISO: 4000
The leopard rose silently to turn, her focus on the hyena approaching below.
She snarled a warning, letting the hyena that he had been seen. She lay stretched along the large, gnarly trunk observing as he continued to meander towards their tree below. The hyena quietly reached the surrounding bush, curiously searching for the source of an inviting smell of fresh meat from above. Ignoring her earlier warnings, the hyena kept sniffing the air, moving ever slowly closer to the base of the large tree trunk below her. Then he paused. A strong hush settled over the bush for a minute or two as the hyena and leopard faced each other off. Suddenly, the leopard uncoiled from her former lying position as she turned to face the hyena head-on, her body in position to leap. With a loud crackle of laughter, the hyena loped off to nearby cover, venturing to watch from a safer distance this time. And for good reason, as seconds later, a second leopard emerged - the adolescent cub had returned and joined his mother on the ground as she leapt onto the savannah grass in greeting.
The night before, she had hunted well. They had caught a nyala and dragged the large catch to their tree - a safe place to store a meal from predators. With the cub now having eaten well, she had taken her guard for the night, alert to any movement nearby. She had remained here for many hours and only now sprang onto the ground, listless, to keep moving. They would return a couple more times to finish off the stored meat in the next day or two, but now they had the rare luxury of enjoying a period of time playing in the bush.
Raw Africa Collection
Welcome to Africa - the wise, the restless, the life giving.
This soulful land of dreamers gives rise to the underbelly of a beautiful gentle beat that is only heard by those who listen for it. This photographic journey explores, profiles and captures what I hope is the heart and soul of Africa's true wilderness kingdom. From its deep bush to its dry savannah and desert, Africa remains a place where life is represented by timeless vistas that are distilled into moments to treasure.
