Warthogs don’t get a lot of respect from the safari-going crowd, but they’ve always been one of my favorites. Something about the way that they strut proudly across the savanna despite their decidedly unsexy appearance. This one was doing its thing in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/400th of a second

Chimps are actually pretty hard to photograph in the wild. They usually hang out high in the tree tops and are very active, ducking in and out of thick vegetation. I was lucky to encounter a troop at the end of the day in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, fairly low to the ground. I was able to get very close to this young lady and had just enough light before the sun disappeared.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

This lovely beast isn’t actually called a hairy-eared hippo, but he/she is quite obviously a hippo with rather hairy ears. I photographed him/her in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. Hippos, of course, are herbivores but still have the reputation of being among the most deadly animals in Africa due to their territorial aggression.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second

It’s been quite a while since I posted a mountain gorilla. I visited Uganda back in 2009 when I was told that there were only about 700 left in the wild. Since then their numbers are up slightly (depending on who is doing the counting) to almost 800. Let’s hope the trend continues. I’ve also seen another count that only has them at 600, so who knows how many are really out there. The point is, not many, so I was thrilled to spend about an hour in the presence of a very large troop of 23 individuals. By my very limited mathematical abilities, that comes to about 3.2% of the world’s total population — right there with me — in one small corner of the Ugandan rainforest. Pretty amazing.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second

The bushbuck is a very widespread antelope throughout sub-Sahara Africa. They prefer habitat on the edge of thick forest, which provides both shelter and food. I spotted this one in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. Bushbucks are rather clumsy runners, but they are great swimmers and jumpers — being able to clear six foot obstacles with ease.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second

And now for a completely different species of monkey — the black and white colobus monkey. I encountered these guys on the side of the road while driving through Uganda. Thanks to their somewhat unorthodox diet consisting of leaves that most other monkeys don’t eat, they can be found in isolated areas. That being said, in other parts of their range, they often fall prey to larger primates like chimpanzees.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/400th of a second

The L’Hoest’s monkey lives in the upper eastern Congo Basin of Africa in the same forested mountain regions that mountain gorillas are found. I photographed this one in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. Their conservation status is currently listed as vulnerable. They live in small groups dominated by females, with only a single male. They are a notoriously skittish species and will usually flee when spotted. This one appeared in front of me for only about three seconds before bounding off into the forest.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/60th of a second

The kob is a national symbol in Uganda, appearing on the coat of arms opposite a crested crane, the national bird. Kobs, which occur throughout sub-Sahara Africa, resemble impala, but are beefier. The males have impressive horns, although this young male hadn’t quite developed his yet. He was relaxing in tall grass but kind of looked like he was burrowing in the ground.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second

This one goes out to my friend Erik and all his friends back in Uganda. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting a troop of twenty three mountain gorillas in Uganda back in March of 2009. It remains one of my favorite wildlife encounters and I’d love to get back some day, either to Bwindi in Uganda, or to Rwanda. I was struck by the gentleness and familiarity of these giant apes, displayed here by this female in a very human pose.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/125th of a second

As a kid, I was a big fan of the “Lancelot Link: Secret Chimp” television show. I had the lunchbox and everything. Little did I know the abuse that Hollywood chimps and other show animals suffered in the name of entertainment. I finally got to see chimpanzees in the wild when I went to Uganda in 2009 and it was a great thrill to see them in their natural environment. This guy was photographed in Kibale National Park in southwest Uganda.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400m lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second