In our December talk, Barbara Meyer took us ‘On safari in South Africa’. A keen amateur wildlife photographer, Barbara turned professional with a view to raising funds, through her work, for wildlife conservation and research.
Her extensive knowledge, gained through years of experience, was evident as she introduced us to South Africa’s wildlife, particularly that in the Kruger National Park. We met the ‘Big 5’ – a term coined by the hunting community to reflect that amongst all of the animals hunted, these were potentially the most dangerous, as “they can fight back” – lion, rhino, leopard, buffalo and elephant. We saw antelopes including nyala, kudu and waterbuck, hippos, giraffe, ostrich, baboon and many more animals, all brought to life in Barbara’s images taken on safari.
Barbara shared advice on maximising your chances of seeing animals in South Africa – use reputable organisations and experienced guides – and regaled us with accounts of locations and encounters. One of the more memorable locations is a car park where baboons try to get into arriving vehicles searching for food, and rangers fire their rifles into the air to discourage them. As Barbara said, it can be interesting returning a damaged hire car with the excuse “it was the baboons that did it”!
Thanks again to Barbara for an interesting and informative talk.
Join us for our next talk on Thursday 6th January, when Gordon Hamlett gives us ‘Molotovs and Merlins (Birdwatching in Scotland)’, looking at the trials and tribulations of writing his best selling book ‘The best birdwatching sites in Scotland’.
