safari dupa ploaie

the bridge

like a bird

When touring the Garden Route along South Africa’s southern coast, I stopped at Oudtshoorn and visited the Safari Ostrich Show Farm. It was an unforgettable experience.
The arid countryside resembles the Australian outback. Instead of sheep there are innumerable ostriches roaming far into the distance. What a perfect farm animal for such a climate! Every part of the bird is used – leather, meat, feathers and oil .
The ostrich is the largest bird in the world. The male has black body feathers and fluffy white wing tips whereas the female is a uniform brown colour.
They can live to be 70 years old and mate for life. A breeding pair may produce 90 eggs in a year. About 15 eggs are kept in the nest and the rest are transferred to incubators for reliable hatching. These huge eggs take six weeks to hatch. The eggshell is 2-3 mm thick and is so strong that you can stand on the eggs without fear of breaking. Chicks take half a day to break free. A mother bird will look after as many as 80 chicks.

big boss (Loxodonta africana)

Elefantii africani pot trai chiar si 60-70 de ani, masculii atingand maturitatea sexuala in jurul varstei de 10-20 de ani, iar femelele la circa 10-11 ani. Femelele sunt mai mici decat masculii, iar perioada de gestatie este de 22-24 de luni. Elefantii cresc pe tot parcursul vietii, astfel incat exemplarele in varsta de 50 de ani sunt, de exemplu, vizibil mai mari decat cele in varsta de 20 de ani.
Craniul elefantilor este umplut cu celule de aer pentru a usura astfel greutatea oaselor, iar urechile mari se afla in continua miscare, avand rolul de a disipa caldura in exces.
Probabil ca trasatura cea mai interesanta a elefantilor este trompa, o elongatie flexibila a buzei superioare si a nasului, alcatuita din mii de perechi de muschi. Trompa slujeste pentru a smulge iarba, a rupe crengi, a ridica busteni, a improsca apa sau praf. Elefantii pot absorbi in trompa pana la 11,5 litri de apa, pe care apoi o varsa in gura pentru a se adapa sau o arunca pe spate pentru a se imbaia. Trompa are la varf doua excrescente opuse, ca niste degete, folosite pentru a culege obiecte mici.

deasupra tuturor

Girafa este cea mai înaltă din toate speciile de animale. Masculii pot avea 4,8 - 5,5 m înălţime şi o greutate de 900kg. Numele ei provine din arabă şi înseamnă cea mai înaltă dintre toate.

lunch time

african bufallo

The strong and imposing African buffalo is Africa’s only wild cattle species and one of the ‘Big Five’ mammals that were once popular with trophy hunters . With its bulky build and thick horns, it is easy to see why the African buffalo is considered to be a dangerous animal; and their propensity to attack and even kill humans when wounded by an arrow or bullet only acts to reinforce this reputation.

treceri de pietoni (kruger park)

Parcul National Kruger este principalul sanctuar din Africa de Sud si aici se gasesc mai multe specii de animale salbatice decat din orice alt parc national din Africa - 130 specii de mamifere, 114 specii de reptile, 48 specii de pesti, 33 amfibii si 468 specii de pasari. Pe o lungime de aproape 20 000 km, pana de curand, se intindea un gard care separa acest parc de rezervatiile Sabi Sand si Timbavati, gard ce a fost scos, parcul s-a marit cu 15%. Parcul este casa unui larg numar de elefanti, bizoni, zebre, girafe, impala, rinoceri albi si negri, leoparzi si cimpanzei. Cutreierand acest parc national mai mult de 3 zile, poti avea norocul sa te intalnesti cu cele 5 mari elemente, leu, leopardul, elefantul, bizonul si rinocerul.

Lesotho people

The majority of the people of Lesotho lives in its villages. The cities and towns of the country contain only 18% of its people, while the rest 82% live in villages. Family forms the basic unit of life in Lesotho. Villagers live in “kraals” or a group of buildings used by a single family. Village life is idyllic. The Sotho people have a distinctive culture of their own, which has been carried down from the past. The national dress of Lesotho is Basotho blanket, worn by people of the country on social occasions. The conical Basotho hat also symbolizes the distinct culture of the country. Animals like ponies, donkeys, cattle and sheep form an important part of life in Lesotho. Ponies are the most common means of transport in the mountainous regions.

zulu man

kwazulu natal region

zulu woman

africa de sud - johannesburg