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WILDLIFE BLOG
Wildlife: South Luangwa 20 – 26 May 2020
It is a huge relief to see great progress being made in many countries to curb the COVID-19 crisis. Many European nations are starting to re-open their economies and return to something that resembles the life that we enjoyed before COVID-19. Of course, we all hope that the new normal, which we have been given a unique chance to create, will include dramatic shifts in priorities; the natural world, and our planet generally, should be valued [...]
Safari Destinations with Edward Selfe Photo Safaris – Kafue
With so much game so easily accessible in the Luangwa Valley, where I have spent many years as a guide, I prepared myself to be slightly disappointed in the Kafue, expecting that it would feel rather empty by comparison. It is known for many things; for its diverse range of antelope species, for its size, for its tsetse flies and for its vastness and wildness. To some extent, all of these are true but they only [...]
Through the Lens: Canon EF 200-400mm f4 IS USM EXT
While I was in the UK in January, I searched the online camera retailers' second-hand listings for Canon's EF 200-400mm f4 IS USM + 1.4 TC lens. I was very pleased to find one at a good price, with all its original packaging and in excellent condition. While this is not an inexpensive lens by any measure, buying second hand is a very sensible solution for most. Many online retailers have excellent second-hand listings and buying [...]
Wildlife: South Luangwa 13 – 19 May 2020
The world's COVID experiences are changing on an almost daily basis; while Australia and New Zealand emerge from lockdown with an incredible record of virus containment and Europe starts to see the end of its awful peaks of deaths, Zambia's cases increase at an erratic rate, largely due to the inconsistent level of testing here. In many ways, we are fortunate to have been in Zambia during this period. This is our home so we would [...]
Safari Destinations with Edward Selfe Photo Safaris – Lower Zambezi
The Lower Zambezi National Park is justifiably regarded as one of Southern Africa's finest reserves. With superb scenery, excellent camps - ranging from wild & immersive to luxurious & grand - and the mighty Zambezi running through, there is much to love about this special little park. Flying into Lower Zambezi is an experience in itself as the size and beauty of the park becomes clear. With a few exceptions, most of Africa's great parks are [...]
Wildlife: South Luangwa 6 – 12 May 2020
Zambia's COVID-19 experience continues. As the country develops the capability to test suspects, many more cases are being discovered. In a test of c. 350 people in Nakonde, the northern border post with Tanzania, nearly half were found to be positive for COVID-19.... This extreme prevalence of the disease is partly because it's a border post area but is an indication that the virus is already much more entrenched than is believed. I had several long [...]
Photo Safari Skills: Selecting from a Burst of Photos
We all love to take lots of action shots, especially in the heat of the moment. We all hope that we've set the camera up correctly and that majority will be sharp! But then comes the time when you have to sort through the resulting photos and try to select the best! The following two series came from a blog a while ago where I watched a leopard chase two impalas who were fighting during their [...]
Wildlife: South Luangwa 29 April – 5 May 2020
Thank you to so many of you who have written to me after reading my weekly wildlife update blogs. It's clear that this virtual window into the Luangwa Valley is restorative for many people who are in lockdown across the world. Being able to go into the bush is certainly restorative for me, which is why I have chosen this way of life, so I share my experiences for those who want to follow along. There's [...]
Safari Destinations with Edward Selfe Photo Safaris – Kasanka & Bangweulu
Zambia's COVID-19 journey continues; 64 cases have been confirmed in Zambia at the time of writing, mostly in the Lusaka area. With a relatively small population of international travellers in Zambia, it might be that it's possible to trace the Nation's outbreak back to that one starter infection and work from there to contain it. Each day there are more cases but not an increasing rate, so maybe there is still a chance to prevent it [...]
Wildlife: South Luangwa 22 – 28 April 2020
Zambia's coronavirus journey continues steadily. We are approaching 100 confirmed cases, all of which are in the central Lusaka area of the country. There is little movement of people around the country at this time and social distancing is still in place, though Government took the unexpected decision of allowing churches to re-open and conduct services. Social distancing and hygiene standards are supposed to be enforced during services, but this is unlikely to happen in most [...]
Wildlife: South Luangwa 15-21 April 2020
Life in South Luangwa continues to be a blend of the normal and the unprecedented; while there is no lock-down yet, and cases of COVID remain only in the Lusaka area, there are also no visitors whatsoever to the area. So the economy of the local town is very slow at best and there is an eerie quiet; no tyres on the nearby tarmac road, no buses operating between here and the bigger towns and no [...]
Life in the Bush: supporting the Luangwa Valley in 2020
I wrote in a previous article about the impact of COVID-19 and cutting off the USD 30 million of foreign funds that flow into the Luangwa Valley each year. This has been felt keenly by the tourism operators already (in the form of postponed and cancelled bookings throughout 2020) but the effect is only now hitting home to the many businesses that are supported by tourism dollars. Many developed nations are putting together impressive (eye watering?) [...]
EDWARD SELFE
I organise & run photographic safaris in the finest wildlife areas on Earth since.
