I froze.
Even the slightest movement from me could destroy the moment.
To my right, around ten to twelve feet away, there was a female white rhino and her calf. As
I watched, the calf snuggled close to its mom, buckled its legs, settled down comfortably and …started suckling !
Not in my wildest dreams, would I have ever thought that I would witness such an adorable moment so close to me.
It didn’t mean that the mother and kid had accepted my presence. Rhinos have lousy eyesight and she probably hadn’t even registered my presence. Which made it all the more important to stay motionless and not give any reason for the two to get spooked.
I was only carrying my extreme wide angle lens on me and the distance was a bit too much to get any worthwhile photos. And… I was just not bothered about that.
There I was, on a grassy meadow still damp from the overnight rains, thick white clouds rumbling along contentedly above me, a lukewarm sun lazily warming up what could have been a chilly morning. And a rhino mom nursing her kid in front of me.
What more could one ask for ?
This is a different mom and kid...but I needed to put some mom n kid image so.... ( shrug!)
My yoga teacher had wisely told me many years ago, to never forget that there are moments where you need to keep the camera aside and capture the scene in your heart and freeze it there. This definitely was one such moment.
A little later, I was driving through another flat piece of land. We slowed down as we saw a small group of rhinos a little ahead, all of them peacefully grazing and ignoring the world around them.
Well…not all of them. There were two rhino calves who were having a time of their lives. They were decidedly ecstatic about being alive and were sprinting around in irregular circles at top speed, one haring after the other.
Now rhinos are not exactly the epitome of streamlined bodies and to watch these two run around in gay abandon was enough to have me chuckling in delight. Round and round the two went in wild circles before the younger one gave up and stood panting. ( Or so I liked to imagine…the little guy seemed perfectly calm and composed )
I could easily visualize my family with others, picnicking in this beautiful spot with some young kids running wildly exactly in the same way that these two rhinos were doing.
This time I could pick up a longer lens and took a few images but I didn’t bother moving to a better position or get a better angle. Who would want to interrupt this undiluted expression of joy that two kids were experiencing !
Wheeeeeee......!!! Oh the simple joys of just running around madly !
Let him stop...I won't...I shall keep running...till....
...Till I miss my momma !!!
The morning’s cup of joy had still not run full.
In the forest that I was in, the green grassy plains were interspersed with shrubby areas and a little further away, there was a particular spot that I had fallen in love with during the course of my short stay.
Acacia trees lined this stretch, its branches spreading out with exuberance just a foot or so above the ground. To add drama to the scene, there were uprooted trees every now and then, their thick leafless branches still standing at an angle with a haughty air. The tender morning light when it fell on these trees gave off a lovely soft yellowish hue. Dreamy.
I wanted to spend some time in that stretch. If I could find some interesting subjects on that patch, it might make for a visually soothing image.
As we drove down the muddy track, we spied a couple of rhinos stepping out of the woods. Unfortunately, their path was different and they continued their progress deeper into the woods.
They do look like a couple stepping out to for a stroll, dont they ?
A few minutes later, as we took a turn, I could see an interesting subject up ahead.
Giraffes !!!
There were quite a few of them and they were all moving. We slowed down to a halt and I was fervently praying that the giraffes don’t disappear into the woods too. A few of them did, but two adults and two calves stayed put. For many long minutes, I stayed put inside the vehicle, not wanting to step out and spook the group.
After some time, I carefully stepped out from the other side and crept to the side which faced the four giraffes. Giraffes don’t suffer from the same eyesight that rhinos have and all four of them stopped their munching to pin me down with their stares.
Once they decided that I was no threat and returned to their munching, I moved a few steps up. And then paused. One of the calves took a few tentative steps forward to get a better view of me. Another played peekaboo with me for a while. After I ascertained that I had passed the stress test, I moved a little closer. And, so it went, before I felt that I need not get any closer.
Peekaboo !!! My first experience of playing this with a giraffe
Sunlight filtered through the leaves of the acacia tree, forming a mosaic of shadows. For a little time I entertained myself trying to capture them as they moved through alternating spaces of light and shadow.
" My eyes can dimly see, the pattern of my life....and the puzzle that is me..."
( Simon & Garfunkel : Patterns )
Soon, both the calves decided to rest and gracefully plonked themselves in the grass, facing me. The two adults continued to fill their bellies, occasionally turning my way to reassure themselves that I was no danger.
First, one cub got comfortable enough to plonk in front of me...
Soon, the other joined
A tender moment between the mother and calf
Peaceful. Calm. Serene...a morning I shall cherish
I have no idea how long I sat there lost in my thoughts. I didn’t take many images.
I was sitting in the middle of small open space, ten feet from my vehicle, amidst tallish grass. Four giraffes were munching away in deep contentment in front of me. Around me a wheatear and a cuckoo were involved in a musical symphony. A few other birds tittered their appreciation occasionally. Thick clouds roamed around the blue sky above me and had briefly enveloped the sun.
It was as idyllic a scene as anyone can visualize.
Why does wildlife photography appeal to me?
It is for the joy of being outdoors, to be under the open skies, to smell the fresh, unpolluted air, to see wild creatures happy in their natural world. The scene in front of me…nay, the scene I was part of, is what gives me joy.
I wanted to soak in the moment.
My cameras lay by my side.
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