Off-Topic: Safari/Hunting in Africa

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I went to a private lodge in Zululand called Zulu Nyala: http://www.zulunyalaheritagesafarilodge.com/. It was a great place to take photos and see animals, but you're not shooting anything there.

I didn't quite understand the model, but I think the market is something like this. You have the big national parks and you can go there. You also have smaller private lodges, where they may own 500 acres and buy or breed animals that have smaller ranges. The animals run wild, so other than an occasional fence you don't really see any difference. And then some animals with big ranges will hop the fences and wander throughout all of the places.

The place I was at had basically every animal on it other than the big cats. The lions never came onto the private lodge, but leopards would come in and out. Monkeys and birds paid no attention to fences, and occasionally wildebeest or zebras or things would jump fences and wander around. I don't think they worried about the more common animals, but if a rhino got through a fence they'd go fetch it somehow.

I think these places are near the bigger national parks as part of making a big rangeland, so we took an excursion to a national park to look for lions one day.

If you're wanting to hunt a leopard, I'd think that you're either going to spend a long, long time waiting for one, or you're going to do the sleazy thing of shooting one in a cage. They're not easy to find, and I don't know if you'd be looking on the private lodges where they're moving from place to place, or the national parks. It doesn't seem like a good use of time and resources when it'd be more entertaining to spend time observing animals. But then again, I'm not a hunter type.

This is what I'm realistically thinking. I'd be more than thrilled to go and just take pictures. The leopard thing is more fantasy than anything.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Sorter

This is what I'm realistically thinking. I'd be more than thrilled to go and just take pictures. The leopard thing is more fantasy than anything.

The weird thing was that we never saw lions, which was quite disappointing. We had one day in a national park and our guide, who was good and legit based on several previous days, knew where they tended to hang out. But everywhere we went, there were no lions. We'll have to go back some day to find them. My advice, though, is that if you stay at a private lodge, go on a lion excursion early in the trip so you can try again if you can't find them.

However, we did see a mondo large leopard, and apparently that's more rare since they're solitary and tend to hang out in less visible places. According to our guide, it's not common to see them, much less a big one.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

The weird thing was that we never saw lions, which was quite disappointing. We had one day in a national park and our guide, who was good and legit based on several previous days, knew where they tended to hang out. But everywhere we went, there were no lions. We'll have to go back some day to find them. My advice, though, is that if you stay at a private lodge, go on a lion excursion early in the trip so you can try again if you can't find them.

However, we did see a mondo large leopard, and apparently that's more rare since they're solitary and tend to hang out in less visible places. According to our guide, it's not common to see them, much less a big one.

PS your camera sucks lol

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by crispystl420

PS your camera sucks lol

I have a tradition of breaking my camera on vacation, and I'm also the worst photographer ever. I don't know why I can't take good pictures. It doesn't seem that hard, but on every vacation I end up with about three usable photos.

I think my best picture of the trip was this one of some giraffes. It was sheer luck, though.

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I have a tradition of breaking my camera on vacation, and I'm also the worst photographer ever. I don't know why I can't take good pictures. It doesn't seem that hard, but on every vacation I end up with about three usable photos.

I think my best picture of the trip was this one of some giraffes. It was sheer luck, though.

Per chance, can you purchase a miniature one like this?

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Sorter

Per chance, can you purchase a miniature one like this?

They really should breed those. A mini-giraffe would be a great pet.

[Sorter]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

They really should breed those. A mini-giraffe would be a great pet.

Can you just imagine all of the fun things you could do with it?

Holy ****, you'd be getting pussy left and right if you took your mini-giraffe on a walk. I bet you could get Kate Beckinsale to date you for an evening.

[crispystl]

[QUOTE=Rain Man;9346122]I have a tradition of breaking my camera on vacation, and I'm also the worst photographer ever. I don't know why I can't take good pictures. It doesn't seem that hard, but on every vacation I end up with about three usable photos.

I think my best picture of the trip was this one of some giraffes. It was sheer luck, though.[/QUOTE

I'm no photographer either and i used to take pics for work with our point and shoot and I realized my damn i-phone takes better pics. It's unbelievable really. You should just get a good phone and use it next time.

By the way off topic have you read "the retreat" The forgotten soldier was the best book I've ever read and you recommended it. I think you would like this one as well.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by crispystl420

I'm no photographer either and i used to take pics for work with our point and shoot and I realized my damn i-phone takes better pics. It's unbelievable really. You should just get a good phone and use it next time.

By the way off topic have you read "the retreat" The forgotten soldier was the best book I've ever read and you recommended it. I think you would like this one as well.

I haven't read it. Who wrote it? Is it this one? http://www.amazon.com/The-Retreat-eb...the+retreat%22

I'm glad you liked The Forgotten Soldier. It's my favorite WWII book by far.