So this is definitely one of my favorite photos of all times, and I took it! Go me 
Yes I know it’s lame to root for one’s own photography, but I mean come on look at this picture! Maybe I’m biased because I love lemurs so much. When I saw this as I was going through, oh the thousands of pictures I took in South Africa, I was all “YES! I got it…I got the golden ticket photo of a lemur.” The hardest thing about photography, I have found so far, and maybe it’s me or maybe my camera is broken, but it never focuses where I want it to…so having the picture focus on the exact spot I wanted it to and it coming out clear and pretty was a lucky strike. This was taken at Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa, September 2009.
Here is another photo showing off the beauty of the cape vulture. I love their piercing amber eyes encircled in turquoise. I love their magenta neck encircled in downy feathers. And then you have the body covered in gorgeous white, beige, and light blue-grey feathers, tipped with mahogany wing feathers. And with those claws you would never imagine that they weren’t hunters, but merely nature’s recyclers, feeding off the leftovers of the true carnivores. These vultures have their wings clipped to keep them at the ranch (they are all injured birds and would not survive on their own in the wild). I would love to see these birds encircling in flocks in the wild, what a sight it must be. Taken at Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa, September 2009.
I love banana, and so do they! It was neat watching them pick through the white buckets of fruit we had for them, looking for the banana slices. Their precious tiny hands grabbing onto the bucket and pulling it towards them and peering inside looking for the sweet morels of goodness…finally seeing one they plucked it and shoved it in their mouths. This was a shot of a Ring-Tailed Lemur enjoying his (or her) banana slice. I did not increase the saturation of the eyes. The way the sun hit them made them reflect that beautiful vibrant orange color. Lemurs truly are precious gems of the animal kingdom; my heart burst with joy whenever I was around them. Taken at Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa, September 2009.
This picture caught my eye for few reasons…one, the stork looks like it has a deep dark secret; his stare is captivating and full of depth. Second I love the tropical look of the waterfall and the palm trees in the background. Also, what a neat bird, I mean not the most attractive looking, but quite interesting. Here is some info on the Marabou Stork:
Found throughout most of tropical Africa, these huge, unmissable and unmistakable storks can normally be found around carcasses and refuse dumps indulging in their scavenging ways. Although classified as scavengers, Marabou Storks also catch small reptiles and rodents and will eat just about any kind of animal, dead or alive.
Standing 1.5m tall and weighing 9kg, this bird is one of the largest flying birds in the world with a wingspan approaching 2.9m.
Although mute due to the absence of a voice box (syrinx), they communicate by clattering their bills especially during courtship.
Taken September 2009, Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa.
Got to love the drool! See what I mean about the HUGE teeth! I couldn’t image what a full-sized hippo’s teeth look like. I think you can see the gooey slime coming out of his pores better in this photo…you know what it reminds me of Aloe Vera Gel…and probably has properties quite similar for the same function…to cool off burns, among other things. Taken at Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa, September 2009.
Say hello to adorable Harold the Pygmy Hippo. Yes I think he is cute, drool and all. I especially like this photo because the water, or slimy fluid covering his body left rainbow sparkles in the photo. We got to feed the pygmy hippo’s Harold and Hilda every day. Even though they are tiny they still were quite intimidating especially when you see the next picture of his teeth! They got a yummy meal of veggies. Andrea is feeding him a potato in this picture. What was kind of gross about the hippos was that their skin excreted this weird slimy jelly fluid out of their pores, I’m sure to make them either more fluid in water or to protect their fragile skin from drying out in the hot sun. They are still cute; just warning you if you ever get to touch one! Taken September 2009, Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa.
No this isn’t a real fox with wings, it is actually a bat. But because of the fury auburn coat and pointy ears this bat was thus named. How can you not like a bat that looks like a flying fox that eats fruit! These were some of the most unique animals I have ever seen. Not only do they have feet and wings, but hooks on their wings…weirdest things ever! Kind of creepy I’ll admit but quite fascinating. They were my favorite to feed, and I wasn’t grossed out preparing their food, in fact I wanted to join right in with their afternoon feast of apples, pears, papaya, and bananas…mmm….Taken September 2009, Cango Wildlife Ranch, South Africa.
