Gallery - Askari

Askari Gallery

As we're about to have our 3rd day in a row over 4

As we're about to have our 3rd day in a row over 40 degrees celcius......it's very possible that cheetah boys 'Rocco' and 'Luca' are regretting having eaten so much. Now that's what you call the meat sweats! 🙈😂🥵

Another sure sign that summer is on the way! The S

Another sure sign that summer is on the way! The Sicklebush, also known as bush christmas tree or Chinese lantern tree, is in full flower across the reserve. Beautiful

The air is filled with the unmistakable sound of t

The air is filled with the unmistakable sound of the Red-chested cuckoo, one of our most vocal summer visitors

This morning the team worked with Dr Peter Rogers

This morning the team worked with Dr Peter Rogers to remove a piece of plastic pipe from this poor female nyala's leg. Once under anaesthetic, the piping was cut using pliers. The wound was cleaned and treated and antibiotics were administered. She is expected to make a full recovery and continue caring for her newborn lamb. The veterinary team informed us that nyala are the most common antelope that they treat with strange items stuck on their legs! She will feel such relief after this 😊

It's been a while, was sooooo excited to see this

It's been a while, was sooooo excited to see this little cutie during our antelope darting this week

The Askari team were busy this morning, working wi

The Askari team were busy this morning, working with breeding manager Andrew and Dr Pete Rogers to move the young male nyala out of the breeding camps and into the wild

🥳 Excellent news 🥳 for those planning a trip

🥳 Excellent news 🥳 for those planning a trip to Askari.....the list of countries not allowed entry has already decreased from 60 to 22 🥳. Additionally, if you visit for 3 months, ANYONE can come, country of origin becomes irrelevant. Well what a shame.....you'll just have to spend that little bit longer living in the African bush 🤩. We have 3 month slots available for 2021 so please get in touch to start making your 2021 Askari dream come true. Join us in sightings like this one that the team enjoyed this morning!

Beautiful sisters Rumi and Rae are now also nearin

Beautiful sisters Rumi and Rae are now also nearing the end of their time in the boma. Just a few weeks to go and they will be released to coincide with the impala lambing season to get their hunting careers off to a winning start!

Did you know that pangolins are bipedal and walk o

Did you know that pangolins are bipedal and walk on their back legs just like humans? They raise their front limbs and tails just off the ground to act as a counter-balance while they walk

*Incredible sighting alert* . It's impossible to p

*Incredible sighting alert*
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It's impossible to put into words how special it is to find one of these unique and rare mammals. Which is why I struggle to describe the team's feeling this morning when we came across this amazing individual! Lucky, privileged, shocked, ecstatic....so many feelings.
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The pangolin is usually a nocturnal species, eating up to 20,000 ants in just one night! So we were even more lucky to find it out and about early this morning. It was crossing the road but actually soon seeked out a big clump of grass to shelter under for the day.
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Pangolins are the most illegally trafficked mammal on earth. It is estimated that 1 million have been poached from the wild and traded in the last 10 years.
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Just 4 months ago, the Chinese government promised to stop the trade in these creatures, following reports that they may have been a carrier of the Covid-19 virus. Today the 'Environmental Investigation Agency' has released a new report showing that this is far from the truth and the trade in their scales, skin and meat is still alive and well with government knowledge. Education must continue to protect the 8 remaining pangolin species (all endangered) across the world from disappearing from our planet forever 😥
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Read the full report here https://EIA-international.org/.../new-EIA-investigation.../

'Kusala' - seen this morning with her 2 youngsters

'Kusala' - seen this morning with her 2 youngsters. A sighting of Kusala literally makes my week, my favourite cheetah, who I've been following for close to 10 years now. The stuff legends are made of! Solo, living amongst every predator going, surviving, raising cubs. Her youngsters are nearly as big as her now and will break away and go their own way sometime soon; this is the first time she has ever managed to raise 2 to independence. I really hope she has another litter or maybe even 2 left in her. Here she took a moment to gain higher ground and survey the land ahead. My heroine!

Our most recent addition to the Cape buffalo herd

Our most recent addition to the Cape buffalo herd at just 2 days old #itsaboy💙

Our summer rains have arrived 🥳. 54mm have fall

Our summer rains have arrived 🥳. 54mm have fallen in the last few days and a plethora of stork species have checked-in at the newly filled dams

Recently released cheetah males 'Rocco' & 'Luca' h

Recently released cheetah males 'Rocco' & 'Luca' have diversified their menu with a recent impala kill

🦒 'World Animal day' 🦓. . As we celebrate al

🦒 'World Animal day' 🦓.
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As we celebrate all incredible animals, both great and small, we're lucky at Askari to have them all 🤩

Throughout the week we have been busy with our fig

Throughout the week we have been busy with our fight against alien plant prickly pear. I know it's a job that many of you enjoyed and found very satisfying. Well I can tell you, I missed all my fellow PP murderers out there this week and of course the ever efficient top-ups from the poison fairies! Soon we will kill PP's together again...I'll save some for you 😂 ☺️

A fantastic elephant sighting for the team this we

A fantastic elephant sighting for the team this week

After their 1st night in the wild, we returned yes

After their 1st night in the wild, we returned yesterday morning to check on the boys. Not only were they not with the carcass but it was completely gone! We eventually tracked it down, a suspected leopard had dragged it off. It wasn't clear whether they met across the carcass or if the boys had already left. So it was time to set out with the telem and we quickly got a signal. We found 'Rocco' & 'Luca' just a few kilometres away and to make up for losing their dinner they had caught some breakfast instead! An impressive kill of an adult male nyala. Yet more encouraging signs for their reintroduction to the wild!

*Cheetah chase* . Some awesome footage of the boys

*Cheetah chase*
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Some awesome footage of the boys in action yesterday. This was all I managed to get on film before they went out of shot but he caught her just 2 seconds later up in the sicklebush thicket

What an amazing day for cheetah brothers 'Rocco' &

What an amazing day for cheetah brothers 'Rocco' & 'Luca' and the Askari and @runningwildcheetah teams. INTO THE WILD day! Our morning started by getting the boys into their crates. They then took the short journey to Buffalo camp where they took their 1st steps in the wild 🥳. We followed them for an hour or so as they explored their new patch. As they settled in the shade around lunchtime, we left them to it. Returning this afternoon, we caught up with them at Hide dam and were so happy to see they'd found water. Just a few minutes later, and the boys had fixed their eyes on something of interest. A duiker came shooting out the bushes and Rocco was in hot pursuit. After a short chase he missed, and the pair returned to the water. Just minutes later, a nyala came down for a drink. The boys were alert again and this time played the waiting game. Once she turned her back, the chase was on. Rocco's speed was incredible and in just 10 seconds he had caught her. We joined them up in the bush as Rocco finished off the strangulation. We stayed with them while they tucked in, their 1st kill in the wild..... and within just 6 hours of release! We couldn't have asked for a better day and are so excited for the time ahead for the boys

🦏 World Rhino Day 🦏 . This little baby is du

🦏 World Rhino Day 🦏
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This little baby is due to grow some hair on her nose, all compacted together in the form of Keratin to make a horn. If she knew it could be the reason for her death, would she still grow it?

In just one lifetime of humans, more than 90% of the world's rhinos have been killed. Poached for their horn on (at best) the false premise of medicinal properties or worse....for a pathetic show of power and importance.

We must never give up the fight to save this species from the greed of humankind

This is 'Luca' - one of our recent new arrivals. H

This is 'Luca' - one of our recent new arrivals. He and his brother are halfway through their boma stage and getting closer every day to a life in the wild here on Pidwa

So great to see this African spoonbill in action t

So great to see this African spoonbill in action today, it's been a while!

The Verreaux's eagle-owl. The most common of the l

The Verreaux's eagle-owl. The most common of the large owls to be found in the region and a regular along the Selati River close to the Askari house

Time in the boma is a chance to help the girls get

Time in the boma is a chance to help the girls get ready for the ways of the wild; and today, sisters Rumi & Rae made a great start to their carcass chase training. This means only getting a meal once you have completed the chase! It also means the girls are out of breath when they finally get to feed, simulating them having made the kill themselves in the wild. Although it sounds mean, they also don’t receive food every day. In the wild they will need to eat as much as they can, as fast as they can and then leave the kill. They will then likely go a good few days before feeding again. We start to simulate this now in the boma so their stomachs get used to it and it’s one less thing to adapt to once released

I love it when a plan comes together....left this

I love it when a plan comes together....left this morning in search of the Askari pride males. Didn't take long to find 'Mambana', busy doing some morning patrolling. Check our story to hear him in action! 🦁🦁

Such an exciting day for our resident White-backed

Such an exciting day for our resident White-backed vultures and amazing news for our 600th insta post!!!!! N14 has become the first nest of the season to hatch a chick 🐣🐣🥳🥳🥳🥳. We are currently monitoring 14 active vulture nests and after an approximate 56 day incubation, we are thrilled to see our first new addition. The babies can be very hard to spot in these early weeks as they stay low down in the nest, but we'll definitely be looking a little closer at each of our sites from now on

*International Vulture Awareness Day* . To create

*International Vulture Awareness Day*
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To create awareness about the continued threats to all vulture species globally. Vultures play a crucial role in the environment, clearing the bush of carcasses. Despite their ecological importance, populations across Africa are undergoing rapid declines and facing crisis.
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Vultures are at high risk of powerline electrocution and collisions. They are also poisoned, both intentionally and unintentionally. Their body parts are used in traditional medicine and they are poisoned by poachers to stop them alerting rangers and anti-poaching teams to the illegal activities of poachers.
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When farmers use poison to control an unwanted carnivore, they may inadvertently kill vultures which feed on the poisoned bait. Sadly, our own Limpopo province has been identified as a vulture poisoning hotspot.
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Check out the great work of the @endangeredwildlifetrust to see how you can help and even contribute to the Raptor Emergency Fund.
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Can you identify the 4 regularly seen vulture species seen here at Askari?

Hanging out with the Askari pride this morning ☺

Hanging out with the Askari pride this morning ☺️. Growing up so fast

**NEW CHEETAH ARRIVAL** 🥳🥳🥳 . Welcome to

**NEW CHEETAH ARRIVAL** 🥳🥳🥳
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Welcome to beautiful sisters 'Rumi' and 'Rae' who arrived today at Pidwa. They had a long trip from 'Cheetah Experience' close to Bloemfontein in the Free State but what an amazing conclusion it was.
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They took the first steps in their journey to the wild as they celebrate their 2nd birthday today!!!! Huge thanks to Riana and the team at 'Cheetah Experience' for this amazing opportunity to work with the girls for their release. We can't wait to watch them on their journey

As the sun sets on this week, there's no time for

As the sun sets on this week, there's no time for rest. We are already preparing for yet more exciting developments in the week ahead for Askari, Pidwa and conservation.....stay tuned for all the news!

Also this week, the Askari team worked with Dr Pet

Also this week, the Askari team worked with Dr Pete Rogers and breeding manager Andrew to fit a tracking collar on one of our buffalo cows. This will allow us to keep track of the herd, now in the wild, as they become less reliant on the supplementary feed through the summer months. It is important to see them regularly for health check purposes

'Wild dog day' - 26th August . Celebrating one of

'Wild dog day' - 26th August
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Celebrating one of Africa's most stunning yet endangered predators. Painted dogs face many threats in the wild with loss of quality habitat and poaching being their biggest problems

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