Leopard Encounter at the C4 Valley Hide

The privilege of spending hours each day out in the field observing and photographing wildlife is something that cannot really compare to anything else for us.

Throughout all the years there will always be moments that are more vivid in your memory and others almost forgotten completely. Certain experiences stand out more so than others and every now and then, you get very lucky with something phenomenal.

This particular afternoon we set out to go and have a look on the new Valley Hide. On our way to the hide we spotted a relatively young female leopard who was a little skittish and was headed in the direction of the hide. After seeing tracks on many occasions of a female leopard that had come down to the waterhole for a drink, we where certain that she was going to go for a drink.

We quickly got into the hide and set up beanbags and pillows as a small barrier to block our presence and waited for almost an hour before we saw her strolling along towards us over the horizon.

This truly was a moment that got the adrenaline pumping. Words cannot describe the feeling one has when being in the presence of a leopard that is so close to you and so curious, so hopefully the video speaks for itself in how beautiful and rare this moment was.

Leopard Encounter

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Brandy the Leopard

Brandy the much publicised female leopard has been the subject of research by the North West Province’s conservation department’s ecologist, John Power, for the last two years. Brandy remains one of the few free roaming leopards in South Africa’s Magaliesberg Mountains, hence the reason for the department’s endeavour to keep her monitored and protected. The findings from such a study can have significant impact on the success of free roaming leopard in other more developed parts of Africa too. Although the project has been predominantly state funded, some aspects have required private funding, owing to a constrained fiscus. C4 Photo Safaris has been a proud sponsor of the leopard project collars, and this has allowed the department to monitor the progress and movement of Brandy on a day to day basis.

In September 2014 John noticed that Brandy’s signal had remained static for a few days, so he and his team set off to investigate why this was so – mindful that this was concerning. Sadly they found that Brandy had been captured in a snare and was severely injured. John and his team snapped straight into action, and found that due to the rugged terrain they could not drive up to her, and it was also too dangerous to approach her on foot, so they opted to dart her from the air via a hovering helicopter. Afterwards, while immobilised, her wounds were flushed, and she was subsequently airlifted to Johannesburg from whence she was stabilised for a fortnight. It is thanks to the satellite collar that this was all possible. After extensive medical attention from at least three veterinarians at the Joburg Zoo, she was released back into the Magaliesberg in a much improved physical condition. This was such that she could have the chance to rear her cubs – as X-rays revealed three cubs!

For a few months afterwards there was no sign of denning behaviour, until the middle of November 2014, when camera traps were placed at a suspected den – and a few days later – one cub was revealed! This was great success in that considering the ordeal that she had been through, she was still able to reproduce, which is the gauge of success for any conservation efforts. The department’s conservation efforts are visible through Brandy’s remarkable comeback. This is a significant addition of genetic material as well as valuable scientific data that is being received firm Brandy and for the somewhat dwindling free roaming leopard population in parts of South Africa. This is one step towards saving the leopards of the Magaliesberg and maintaining the populations of free roaming leopards in Africa as a whole. Well done to the department and the team for their positive impact n wildlife conservation as a whole. C4 Photo Safaris is very happy to help with initiatives that have such a positive conservation result. Since C4 Photo Safaris ultimately benefits from the photographic appeal of leopards in many of Africa’s game reserves, we see his as an opportunity to give back to leopards that are in trouble in the more disturbed parts of the continent – such as the outskirts of the metropolis of Johannesburg, which is where the Magaliesberg is situated.

We look forward to watching the developments of Brandy and her cub over the months and years and also look forward to further sponsoring of more collars for this and other projects.

Magaliesberg Biosphere, blue dots indicate Brandy's location

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C4 Valley Hide

It’s been an impressive start to the establishment of our newest hide edition on Mashatu Game Reserve, The Valley Hide.  The hide has been created using the same design principles as the existing Matabole Hide, which has served many photographers in capturing the renowned low angle intimate shots the hide is known for.

The Valley Hide is no different, and in its first few weeks of operation has proved to be a very active little waterhole drawing a variety of species to the hide. The visitors include; multiple visits from the valley’s resident leopard, giraffe, zebra, jackal, hyena, steenbok, impala, eland, warthog and of course a variety of bird species.

We look forward to witnessing the Valley Hides first full year in the bush, and capturing and sharing the cycle of visitors the waterhole attracts to it.



Drinking giraffe close up

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Mashatu : Photo Workshop with C4 Images and Safari's - By Astrid and Juerg Bluemel

We were here before, little over a year ago. It was so absolutely fabulous that we had to come again, come and share it with friends. So we booked a photo workshop with C4 images, hoping to learn a little more and improve our photography, and we did ! Plus we made some new friends, had a great time, fantastic wildlife sightings and a very enjoyable stay at Mashatu Tented Camp.

Mashatu Tent Camp Tents
 

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C4 Images and Safari's September Workshop - Mashatu Game Reseve, By Kyle de Nobrega

During our last 4 day photography workshop hosted at Mashatu Game Reserve’s Tent Camp, we were treated to some incredible sightings with our guests that Andre Cloete and I co-hosted.

With the onset of summer, the weather was inconsistent which made it challenging for a few days with very overcast conditions. However, this worked in our favour for the multiple times we spent with the mother Cheetah and her four 3 month old cubs.  Without the worry of harsh light we all spent a number of drives following these 5 Cheetahs as they walked, stalked and played over the dusty baron areas which are so unique to Mashatu.

With our bank of luck being topped to the full, we where fortunate to get a glimpse of the 3 new large male lions that have moved into the area from the Tuli Circle region in Zimbabwe. Clearly life out in their usual territory is not like that for a lion at Mashatu as these 3 boys where not having any vehicle get within 50-60m from them. As if they where never here, the very next morning they somehow disappeared from the property giving us a glimpse of hope that they might one day finally reside in the reserve.

During the course of our 4 day workshop we where spoilt with no fewer than 5 differnet leopard sightings, and in true Mashatu style the sightings were of great quality.

Myself and Andre spent some time scouting out a new ‘star –trail’ site and we where delighted to hear about and discover that the largest Baobab on Mashatu was only within minutes from Tent Camp. With this monster of a tree being very rarely visited we spent a good portion of our last afternoon/evening trying our hand at some Milky Way and star trail shots.

Over the course of the 4 days, it wasn’t just about getting images for the stockpile but rather about enjoying the wilderness and being able to capture the incredible time we had out there together.

A huge thank you to everyone who was on the workshop!

Cheetah mother and her four 3month old cubs

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Private guided photo safari in the Okavango

Trevor Kleyn guided a Private Photo Safari in the Okavango Delta fro C4 Images and Safaris during the start of September. The Trip was timed for the height of the dry season, with animals all focused along the permanent waterways, which maes this photo safari can only be termed as the “ultimate” safari into the Okavango Delta. 

What makes Botswana’s Okavango Delta most remarkable is the fact that it is a wetland paradise located within the arid Kalahari Desert. Each year floodwater flows into the Okavango from its source in the moist central African highlands over 1000km away, creating a unique wetland that supports and sustains a huge diversity of wildlife.

Have look at these great examples photographed by Trevor Kleyn.

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C4 Images & Safari Predator Tour guided by Go Yamagata.

Go Yamagata recently guided clients of C4 Images and Safaris on a privately booked Premier Premier tour at Mashatu and Mala Mala. The combination of Mashatu's open ruggedness- perfect for leopard- and Mala Mala's notoriety on the big cat front gave our clients access to the best there is to offer on a big cat photo experience such as this.

Here are some amazing examples of Go's talent as a photographer and guide and the photography opportunities the group had on their safari!

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Mara Magic - Isak Pretorius Safari Diary

Safari Diary - 8 September 2014

Photo tour, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya

 

With the traveling day behind us we finally made it to the Maasai Mara for the start of our photo tour. After arriving at our camp, we had lunch and time to refresh before leaving on our first afternoon game drive. Shutters fired furiously at our first sighting of small herd of elephants walking across the savannah. That was followed by mating lions in good light and a cheetah crossing the Talek river. On the way to camp we stopped to photograph wildebeest on the crest of a hill in front of the rising moon. Not a bad way to start the week and everyone is excited to see what is in store for the rest of our time here.

 

Cheetah| 1/1000 sec at f/5.3, ISO 640  |  Nikon D4 + Nikon 80-400f/5.6  |  Manual mode, -1/3 ev

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August Winds

The August winds have once again brought change to underground hide.  New mammals, birds and herds have made regular visits to the hide this month making for an interesting viewing experience to all those who have visited the hide.

Kurrichane Thrush
 

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Photographic Workshops at Mashatu.

Photographic workshops at Mashatu never fail to deliver great experiences and heart stopping photographic opportunities for our clients. We recently hosted a Workshop at Mashatu (24-28 July) with Heinrich and Trevor as the guides and had some great feedback from our clients.

Dewald van Brenda had this to say: 

"I was on the latest trip at Mashatu and I want to thank C4 Images & Safaris for most likely the best trip to the bush I have ever had. What made it so great was Heinrich and Trevor's willingness to help and answer all our questions with their extensive knowledge. C4 Images & Safaris can be proud of the work they do..."

Here are some images taken by Trevor Kleyn and please visit our website for additional information on the Photographic Workshops.

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C4 and Leopard conservation success!

C4 Images and Safaris aids in the release of a wild captive leopard

On the 16th February 2014, C4 Images and Safaris were contacted to help with an immediate conservation concern in the North West Province. An unidentified man was found to allegedly be keeping four leopards in captivity and in very poor condition. The consensus by conservation officials was that the leopards were all wild - due to their aggressive nature. To prove this, they needed to see if the leopards could survive in the wild, which was the conservationists educated opinion.

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