brimull wrote:
Beautiful image that tells quite a story. It reminded me that a few years ago I did the "backstage" tour of Animal Kingdom at Disney. The animal caretakers told me they had to separate the zebras from many of the other plant-eating animals because of their often nasty, aggressive disposition. Here, maybe it came in handy in self-defense.
Brian M.
Thanks Brian! Your experience rings true, watching these guys in the wild they anything but docile if push comes to shove.
Gadzooks!
Tim, this gets better and better the more I look at it.
It's actually a terrific "scenic" with some nice animals in it.
But the zebras being tightly packed and the wild dogs running around in something of a frenzy makes it clear that this is not a game.
Cute little doggies want to eat you alive.
If the zebras tried to run away, the wild dogs probably WOULD kill one of them.
But the herd stays together- no doubt bolstered by the fact that a few of the males are quite ready to do actual battle with the dogs.
And the dogs are certainly smart enough to realize that battling several POed male zebras is a losing affair (for the dogs).
Man, I love this image.
Charlie
PS Not being chauvinistic- testosterone has its place among wild animals.
Even among humans- sometimes .
Wow Tim, I am sure you got lots of portraits, but this one truly tells a story and the lighting and setting are incredible. Did you do much editing to get the animals to stand out? Really nice, it should be a print for you to remember your trip.
Pictures like this truly are worth a thousand words.
Even without your brief description it's very easy to see what's happening here in this powerful image Tim.
The Zebras holding their ground by exercising strength in numbers, the Dogs looking for any weakness to take advantage of, all happening on a beautiful stage and BG for this drama.
Excellent work buddy... what a long cool trip this will be as you slowly unveil what you experienced.
surfnron wrote:
A super shot Tim - on many layers. It would be a very nice landscape without the Zebras. The Zs make it super, and the dogs take it over the top ~ Ron
KCollett wrote:
Really good shot Tim. The refs look alert, but not on edge and ready to bolt. They must know the behavior of the dogs (and the dogs must know the zebra's tendencies too) and know if they stick together there is probably no issue. Could be wrong, but that's the impression I get.
Thanks Ken. I was surprised by the relaxed feel I got from the Zebras, it was only when the dogs actually approached that they became on guard, otherwise they would seem relaxed and feed.
OwlsEyes wrote:
Tim, this picture is more than a 1000 words. The tension in the zebra herd is palpable.
From the photographer's perspective, I love the composition, light and movement throughout the image. The ecologist in me is focused on all the interactions. I can see the zebra posturing to protect the herd while the dogs are looking for a way to initiate some movement so they can focus on a straggler.
fantastic shot and story in this one!
regards,
bruce
Thank you Bruce. I'm glad to read your comment because for me it really felt that way at the moment. I was photographing a beautiful landscape and in the midst of it was the angst of a potential kill. Not something I photograph everyday!
.
Did you do much editing to get the animals to stand out? Really nice, it should be a print for you to remember your trip.