ZAKE 👣

Her hiss was a clear reflection of her thought, and her emerald eyes flashed a warning.

Zake means "hiss" in Swahili, an appropriate name for this moment for the daughter as she lay with her mother at the base of a cracked old tree by the dry riverbed.

The bond between them was incredible. The mother lay preening her adolescent daughter, who kept gazing ahead with caution. On the opposite side of the bank, two hyenas had come to stand vigil beneath a tree where the leopards had hung their catch earlier. The remains of the buck lay hanging high above, almost untouched. The young leopard, though, seemed restless, occasionally getting up and moving swiftly toward the hyenas, making her hiss heard, and glaring at them to leave. Despite these repeated gestures, the hyenas remained near their post, almost unperturbed but willing to move a little way away from the tree. Doing so would allow her to go up once more, and this may grant them both the opportunity to feed, as she would likely also drop part of her catch to get them to leave.

We never got to see that moment, but sitting opposite at some distance during our stop, she also noticed us and happened to hiss our way briefly before she turned to eye one of the shuffling hyenas who happened to move closer her way. Throughout this time, the mother lay quietly watching her daughter whenever she got up to confront the hyenas. It seemed to me that she was comfortable knowing that any risk to her or her daughter was measured and under control. She glanced our way once or twice but paid hardly any attention to us, even when we eventually moved onto our next journey.

RAW AFRICA COLLECTION

Welcome to Africa - the wise, the restless, the life giving.

This soulful land of dreamers gives rise to the underbelly of a beautiful gentle beat that is only heard by those who listen for it. This photographic journey explores, profiles and captures what I hope is the heart and soul of Africa's true wilderness kingdom. From its deep bush to its dry savannah and desert, Africa remains a place where life is represented by timeless vistas that are distilled into moments to treasure.