Magical encounters - A pair of rhinos, buffalo and the sunset

Every picture tells a story - and each of my favorite bush photos has a magic all of its own. Sometimes it's the moments you don't expect that impress the most. An elephant suddenly emerging from the mist. A tiny gecko that settles on my tent under the cover of night. But one of my most beautiful and touching photos shows a female rhino and her little cub - a scene full of tenderness and at the same time full of powerful nature.

„Mum, please stay!“

I still remember the day we spotted the rhino couple for the first time. It was not just a lucky coincidence, but one of the real highlights of our many safaris. We found them in the middle of a large herd of buffalo - a fascinating sight, as rhinos and buffalo rarely come so close together. But this encounter was not the end of the magic: as we watched them, they came across a mother buffalo with her calf - a scene that united the interaction of the animals and their different worlds in one moment.

Female buffalo with offspring meets female rhino with offspring, Karongwe Game Reserve, Oct 2024

It was a moment that left us all in awe. The female rhino and her offspring moved past the herd, the little rhino, brave and curious, always a little way away from her mother. But as is so often the case in nature, the proximity of the mother was a source of security. The little one returned to her again and again in a hurry, as if seeking the protection of its strong mother. These tender moments between mother and child are so common and yet always special.

The photo: sunset, dust and unagitated beauty

A few days after this encounter, we found the couple again. After giving themselves a mud bath to combat the heat and parasites, they began to trot towards a nearby sleeping area. The golden glow of sunset bathed the scene in a warm, almost magical light. The dam, the dry grass, the dust - everything seemed calm and peaceful at that moment as they moved side by side into the dusk. The little rhino followed its mother wherever she went, and the picture I took at that moment captures exactly that feeling of protection, care and the simplicity of the bush.

I remember capturing the moment - the sunset in the background, the soft orange light framing the silhouettes of the two rhinos as they trotted off into the distance together. It was a quiet moment that bore witness to unagitated beauty. You could almost feel the warmth of the moment, the soft rustling of the grass and the scent of the earth warmed by the sunset. For me, this picture is a symbol of the silent connection between mother and child and of the unobtrusive but unmistakable magic of the bush.

Femal Rhino with offspring, Karongwe Game Reserve, Oct 2024

The adventure behind the picture

There is a little adventure behind every picture - and this one was by no means the exception. It was a journey of patience, bumping into them again and again and waiting for the perfect moment. We had spotted the rhino couple some time before and kept seeing them around the reserve.

It was fascinating to watch the little rhino gain more and more confidence - first a little bit, then another. It showed us how important patience is in the bush. For us as observers, who treat the animals with respect and attentiveness, but also for the animals themselves, who became more confident and familiar with their surroundings with each passing day.

A picture that tells more

This picture tells more than just a simple scene of mother and child. It reflects the trust and relationship that is so often visible in the bush. It reminds me of the countless moments we have been lucky enough to witness stories of the wild, big and small. From elephants striding through the mist to those quiet, intimate moments that show you how deep the bonds in nature really are.

And that's exactly why I love photography in the bush so much. It allows us to capture those fleeting, magical moments - moments that may seem simply beautiful at first glance, but on closer inspection tell a story that lasts forever.