It all began on the 9th of October. My arrival at Mashatu Game Reserve coincided with the sighting of an elephant cow accompanied by a young male and a baby (less than a year old). The cow was leaving a distinctive track- she had accidentally walked into the brake rim of a truck and was not able to shake it off. Being very heavy, she could no longer lift her leg, but had to drag it, reducing her mobility. This had made things difficult for her and so she was no longer with he

« Trop de lynx en Suisse ! », « On ne voit plus de chevreuils à cause du lynx !», « Le lynx est un redoutable tueur !». Le lynx et sa place dans notre pays ont suscité la polémique à maintes reprises au fil des ans. A y regarder de plus près, le débat semble se dérouler le plus souvent sur la base d’information erronées et peu scientifiques. Retour sur quelques idées reçues en la matière : Aux 18ème et 19ème siècles, la faune helvétique connu d’importants bouleversements. Les

Mornings are generally difficult for me- if I can manage to pour my milk in my coffee and not directly down the sink (been there, done that) and put my lenses in my eyes rather than skip a step and throw the lenses and the liquid down the sink (been there, done that), I can call it a successful wake up. On this particular morning on the 12th of October, everything done right, I opened my laptop and was greeted with a picture of four jaguars on a kill. This is an incredibly sp

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money” -Cree Indian proverb   I wrote this essay about eight years ago and thought it might be a though proviking piece considering all the changes that have occured in this short period of time. About 85% of the world’s population is religious, believing in God or a supernatural entity. Over the past few decades, strong movements have taken place

Of all the tundra birds that can survive the harsh temperatures and low productivity, the rock ptarmigan, Lagopus muta is  a classic example of adaptation. It is a medium-sized bird from the grouse family and has an incredibly wide distribution range stretching across the Arctic and Sub-Arctic regions of North America and Eurasia. But when you actually see one in the wild, what strikes you is how easily it blends into its surroundings. You see, in autumn when the mountains ar

I recently received a scan of an article from a former colleague about a “Leopard trail run” published in the Omani Times. The Ministry of Tourism is organising a 50 km run/hike/walk in Jebel Samhan to raise awareness for the Arabian leopard. Having visited Jebel Samhan and worked on the Yemeni side of the range for Arabian leopard conservation, it made me wonder what the situation is like today amidst the war and suffering. It is encouraging to see that the peaceful Omani si

Flying over the frozen Arctic from Iqaluit to Resolute Bay, via Pond Inlet and Arctic Bay. I must have dozed off at some point, despite...

Sunny with temperatures below -40! In 2022, we began discussing the possibilities of travelling to Ellesmere Island with our good friend Ben Cranke. Photographing the Arctic wolves was a childhood dream of his, making it an easy decision. From this point on, we had 14 months to prepare, not only the equipment that we would need but also get mentally ready to embark on an expedition. This wasn’t just another routine safari trip; temperatures could drop to -50 and the area is s