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MAKGADIKGADI
DANIEL CROUS
A young photographer from Maun, Botswana. He grew up in the Okavango Delta while his parents managed safari camps. A sincere interest in the natural world and photographing it came from an early age and has steadily grown into a profession. Daniel has travelled extensively worldwide and spent long periods of time in the wilderness areas of Botswana. He now guides photographic safaris into these wild areas and is a strong advocate for conservation through his photographic work.
You return again just after the first rains and find that gold has gained a host of companions. Near those same plains where meerkats play, a pack of wild dog pups tumble from the bush into the road. Each of them is a patchwork of browns and yellows, set against a blushing thicket of acacia so green it seems unreal. Above them, the sky rumbles with whites and blues and all of a sudden, right through them floats a bright yellow butterfly. Pandemonium as each pup attempts to catch the burst of yellow for himself.
Just as a puppy trying to catch a butterfly, no colour can be harnessed for oneself. We can only hope to visit those places that present them to us again and again. The Makgadikgadi is one of these places.
Top: As the sun grows warmer, colonies of Meerkats start to go about their daily foraging, this usually starts with some frolicking around the den – Ntwetwe Pan.
Above: Meerkats have long claws and strong arms to dig into the hard earth in search of food – Ntwetwe Pan.
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