Lions have had an interesting and troubled relationship with human beings throughout history. Their status as the undisputed “King of the Beasts” has made them a target for the human ego, having long been hunted so that men could prove or increase their social status. They have been hunted, tamed and tormented for circuses, feared as man-eaters, used in Lion baiting blood sports – you name it and we’ve done it to them.

Yet on the other side of this, as a cultural icon Lions have enjoyed quite a positive and unique status. They have represented nobility, strength, royalty and bravery all over the world for thousands of years with carvings dating as far back as over 32,000 years. Depictions of the Lion as representing Christ can also be found throughout the literary world, the most famous being the wise and compassionate Aslan from CS Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
Of all the big cats, Lions capture our emotions and imagination like no others – and in modern times the Youtube phenomenon of Christian the Lion is a result of this long time fascination we have with the King of the cats.

It is a particular genetic mutation of the normal Lion – the White Lion, that has also been the subject of human fascination. Once thought to be a mystical legend, White Lions are indeed real, but are not ‘man made’ like the Liger and Tigon hybrids. They have occured naturally in the wild due to a rare recessive gene. Almost all sightings of the White Lions were at Timbavati Game Reserve in South Africa, the most notable pride being recorded by Chris McBride in his book The White Lions of Timbavati.

Considering the fuss we’ve made over normal lions, it comes as no surprise that the White Lions have had all manner of meanings and symbolism attributed to them. A book written by Linda Tucker is dedicated to the legend surrounding the Lions and the question of their sacredness. The Shamens (including the well known Credo Mutwa) that she spoke to believed they were sent by God as a representation of goodness and enlightenment and as a guide to humanity in crucial times. While the scientific amongst us will cringe at the idea that the White Lion is anything more than the result of a rare genetic mutation, it is interesting to consider how the White Lion’s rarity and beauty has been the center of many an imagination even before their very existence was confirmed.

As usual with human beings though, we have managed to simultaneously revere and destroy the White Lion. The species is at the center of ‘canned hunts’, a practice that involves breeding animals in captivity and releasing them in contained areas where they cannot escape so they can be killed by trophy seeking idiots with too much money. Almost all White Lions alive today were bred in captivity, the lucky ones and most, by contemporary Zoos. Having technically been extinct in the wild for years, it is only recently that conservation efforts have been successful and wild White Lions have been born in the Greater Timbavati region.

Sanbona Wildlife Reserve in South Africa has been running a project since 2003 with the long term intention of having a number of Wild Lions roaming completely free. I had a quick chat with Simon who works at the reserve and has been lucky enough to witness the wild White Lions in the flesh.

Tell us how you got involved with the project?

I have been in the hospitality industry for 20 years, the last 5 of those working on game reserves, A position became open at my current place and I jumped at the chance to work on this amazing property. The property is called Sanbona wildlife Reserve and is a 54000ha resrve that is roughly the same size as Singapore.

How and why did the project begin?

The project was started six years ago when our MD was given 2 tame white lions – Jabu and Queen. These 2 lions will never be realeased into the wild as they would not survive. They however have had a litter and it is these white lions that have been released. There are 2 males and 2 females in the wild and we released them with 2 tawny females. The tawny females have taught the white lions to hunt. They are now a self sustaining pride who hunt for themselves.
One white male and one white female has a radio collar so we are able to track their movements.

I feel there was a need for the project as all other breeding programs where made to breed these animals for circuses of even worse for hunters. As a conservation company our aim was to breed these animals do they could be freed into the wild.

So what’s next for these Lions?

The next stage of the program is to get the new integrated pride to breed and have there own litter. Going forward if this works we will look at relocating true wild white lions to some of our sister reserves in South Africa

Do you need any public help or support?

Surprise I not going to ask for money we are one of the largest Hospitality group in South Africa so all funding comes from head office

Hope this spreads some light on our white lions!

Thanks Simon!

For more info and images on White Lions.

Global White Lion Protection Trust

My White Lion Image Collection

Email them to durberville@optushome.com.au, and please, UNDER 2MB.

I will post the best one and its critique (with your permission) on the blog

This is the future we’re facing – entire species of animals that will only exist in captivity. No more Sumatran Tigers (heck there’s only 500 or less of them left altogether in the wild), Orangutans, Gorillas, Lions….. What then, of the fate of the various species that are difficult to breed or happily raise in captivity?

It was at this point I began considering the last two Flamingos in Australia – most likely the last two Flamingos we will ever have due to stricter quarantine restrictions. While there are millions of Flamingos world-wide, they are still listed as threatened (not quite endangered but close to it) due to (surprise) man. Their breeding sites are vanishing, down to an estimated 30 locations worldwide. One of the reasons Adelaide Zoo’s Flamingos will be the last is because it proved quite difficult to breed the Flamingos in captivity. Why? Because they often will only happily breed in their natural environment – this generally meaning flocks of thousands (or at least many more than ‘two’) and appropriate gender ratios. Taronga Zoo in Sydney tried putting a whole bunch of mirrors in their enclosure to make it seem like there were thousands (and this has worked in other zoos) but nothing happened despite the creativity of their solution.

While thankfully the Flamingo is not close to vanishing from the planet, they will soon vanish from Australia. If you are near Adelaide, check them out – they are a delight to watch and photograph.

The blog (or photos) won’t be updated for about two weeks as I am going on a mini-tour of some Australian Zoos to photograph some interesting species that I don’t have a chance to see here in Melbourne. I am especially looking forward to the amazing White Lions, and some Chimpanzees! Wish me luck for some nice weather

In the meantime, a new(ish) pic of a Black & White Colobus.

The image has previously been a competition winner over at Australian POTD and published in Camera Magazine.

The judge, Terry McCormick, had this to say about the image:

“This is a truly sensational and if i may say, award winning image. Words cannot describe how amazing this shot is. The colours, the expression, the lighting are just plain magnificent. The black background just throws this stunning creature right at you. Front cover of NG definitely.”

The boy (who is the darker of the two) is called Gobi.

And the beautiful little girl who is the more outgoing of the two, and is a lighter, silver colour has been named Tashi.

The cubs started venturing out with mum Meo a few weeks ago, and I got my first chance to witness the two babies this weekend. I lucked out – mum and babies were happy to be out in their enclosure for hours, choosing to rest in the best vantage point they could have chosen!

While the Zoo only recently(ish) said goodbye to our Tiger cubs, Snow Leopard cubs are a whole new experience. Considered the most elusive of the big cats, the rarity and mystery surrounding them gives them that certain edge that makes photographing them all the more satisfying. Reading about the lengths some photographers have gone to to photograph them in the wild is equally fascinating – many have tracked a Snow Leopard for weeks, never to even get a glimpse.

Melbourne Zoo is lucky enough to have had four Snow Leopards over the last few years. Sadly, 20 year old Gregor passed away this year, leaving Shimbu (about 19 years old) alone in her enclosure.

But it is the beautiful Meo who has been the subject of most of my Snow Leopard photography. Her youth, beauty and piercing eyes make her the most photogenic of the Snow Leopards.

Until now, because she has been usurped by her adorable offspring, the currently unamed pair that has photographers flocking to their enclosure and recording their every move.

I look forward to watching and photographing the pair as they grow.

More images of the Snow Leopard babies can be found in my gallery.

Last week I ordered a brand new lens – the Canon 100-400mm, perfect for the zoo. Eager and ready to go out on the weekend with it and see how it would change the way I shoot at the zoo, I was kind of unimpressed to realise the weather bureau hadn’t faked me out during the week and it really was forecast to RAIN, thunder and the works.

Saturday mornng came and it didn’t look quite as bad as predicted, so I crossed my fingers and headed out anyway. You know what’s coming next – it began raining at about 9.40am and didn’t look like it was going to stop…..ever. Zoos cost money though, and I’d already travelled an hour and a half to be there, so I headed for the best undercover area I knew of – the Orangutans.

While a few miserable looking people with ponchos and umbrellas had had the same thought as me, the usually ultra popular enclosure was mostly empty. This means that for once, I could get prime spot at the windows right next to the Orangutans with no tiny little toddlers in the way.

The truth is, while I was disappointed I couldn’t really give my new lens a good workout, being forced to spend an hour or so at my favourite exhibit, with hardly anyone about – was a gift of sorts. It was early morning so Kiani and her daughter Gabby were out, covered in blankies and trying to remain dry. They’d been given some treats and puzzles to play with and had access to their heated night den, but chose to stay up top with the visitors. Kiani is my favourite Orangutan at Melbourne Zoo because of her gorgeous smile and expressive features, and so getting to sit ‘with’ her for a while, showing her my camera and bag (yep she likes to look) and occasionally taking a photo of her was great. Every now and then Kiani would pull her blankie/sheet over her head to do something – and I realised when I looked closer that she was actually playing with a pimple on her lip. Even orangutans need to pop pimples every now and then.

Orangutans are fascinating to watch because they are both unique and familiar at the same time. You can’t help but feel some kind of connection to them – they are one of our closest relatives and their intelligence and capacity for complex emotions is clear to observe. They are such large apes, but gentle and introspective (except perhaps Malu!). In the wild they live their lives up in the trees, rarely even coming down unless they need to. Males lead solitary lives, but the young have the longest dependence of any animal, staying with their mother and nursing until the age of 6 or 7. Orangutans are even smart enough to make umbrellas out of leaves when it rains.

(Picture; left – Kiani)

As I was sitting there watching them though, you can’t help but feel a kind of sadness. Not because they are captive, but because you can’t love Orangutans without it hitting you every now and then that they really are highly endangered and predictions show extinction as early as 2012. That’s not far away…not at all.

After I got home and loaded up the photos I’d taken, I was motivated to look up some of the Orangutan conservation sites I knew about. I knew and had read about palm oil and the destruction of their habitat for example, but I realised I didn’t quite know the full story and was curious about the extra details – there must be more to it than my decision to avoid Tim Tams.

Turns out, I’d been naive and ignorant about just how bad the situation was. I knew the forests were disappearing but it hadn’t occured to me that these Orangutans were literally either starving to death or being killed by loggers. Rainforests are being destroyed and replaced with palm trees at rates so fast I can barely get my head around it. The Orangutans have nowhere to go and nothing to survive on, so as they venture further out, they are captured, slaughtered and tortured and left to die by plantation workers.

As I read further details I was completely sickened – sickened to read of a female Orangutan shaved from head to toe and used as a prostitute. Sickened by photos of stunning male Orangutans with their heads cut off, and left to rot as rubbish. I knew Orangutans were dying, but I’d had no idea they were dying like this.

(Picture; above – Gabby)

The fact that palm oil can be grown on lands that are already cleared and there is no reason for this destruction and murder other than human greed should make us all feel…angry.

I love the other primates but there is something gentle and beautiful about the Orangutan that makes it all the more sadder. I’ve visited the Orangutans at Melbourne Zoo so often and seen the quiet but silly antics of Santan as he plays with his son Malu. I’ve seen Malu’s mum Maimunah give the Orangutan equivalent of an eye roll at her son’s silliness. I’ve seen Kiani and Gabby roll around on the ground hugging each other and I’ve seen Malu jump around like a lunatic and show off for the visitors. How are we letting them all die?

(Picture; above – Malu)

It’s not all doom and gloom though, because it’s the unwitting consumer that is fuelling this unreasonable need for palm oil. It is a vegetable oil found in many common supermarket products. We must realise it is avoidable and we can only hope that less demand will save the Orangutan and other effected animals in Borneo and Sumatra.

I encourage everyone to download this easy to read pamphlet on the Palm Oil problem -

http://redapes.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/bos_palmoilreport.pdf

I’m also donating all the profits from any Orangutan photos sold to one of the Australian based Orangutan conservation efforts.

It is a small thing, but we have to try.

(Picture; above – Gabby)

Links:

Orangutan Outreach

The Australian Orangutan Project

So today my Canon 100-400mm L turned up at my door and I’ll be ready to shoot some new stuff this weekend!

In the meantime, the day I rented the 70-200 beastie was the day I spent mostly photographing the fascinating Capuchins.

Most of you will have heard of Capuchin monkeys – they are well known for being very smart, helping out with human therapy areas and starring in A Night at the Museum! Unfortunately they are also the most popular ‘pet’ monkey where such things are allowed..

They are great to observe, and this particular group has only just been put together so relationships and order are still being worked out. There are at least five of them, all with very different and interesting faces, so they have been a joy to get portraits of – in particular the mother with her very young baby.

Capuchins actually got their name from a group of Friars called “Order of Friars Minor Capuchin”. They wore hoods that covered their heads that look just like the heads of these little monkeys..

Capuchins are extremely intelligent and as a result, have often been used in labratories, or used as assistance monkeys for quadraplegics.

Despite these Capuchins being captive, it is nicer to see them acting as wild Capuchins would and not just a part of the human world. While I know they are capable of it, I would rather see them grooming and bonding together than opening bottles so we can get kicks from it on TV.