I’m thrilled and honoured to share that my image of a matriarch and her family has been selected as a Highly Honored Finalist in the Wildlife Category of Nature’s Best Photography International Awards. The image will be featured on the back cover of Nature’s Best’s Winter Special 30thAnniversary Edition available this December.

Life is best lived at a walking pace and best understood at a sprint. Zambian Proverb

“We should be kind to animals because it makes better humans of us all,” Jane Goodall.

“Want to meet our latest rescue?” Sophie asked. She cupped her hands, and a tiny striped face followed a by wriggling body slipped out of the folds in her shirt. A baby genet!

I love that my kids pick up my phone now and before they use it to play games and zone out, they are struck by the beauty of the Lion and are awed by nature! This somehow restores some balance for me.

If we are in conflict with nature, then we are in conflict with ourselves. Rohan Donovan

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.  Frederick Buechner

What might happen if we made space for wonder? If we stopped filling our minds to overflowing. And if we opened our souls to something bigger? Sue Hetherington

“Do you know why hippos open their mouths so wide?” asked Daniel, my Maasai guide. “No, why?” I asked, sensing a creation story in the making.

Our natural world can be a resilient engine of regeneration. We just need to give her some space, so that she can show us what she can do. Enric Sala

Celebrating World Elephant Day Part 2

Wonder and humility are wholesome emotions, and they do not exist side by side with a lust for destruction – Rachel Carson

I’m travelling this week and away from my computer and image archive. Harold Kushner’s “A Prayer for the World” feels like an appropriate repost. Peace is possible when we choose kindness, respect, and generosity.

Like all narratives, the strength of our tenderness reflects the strength and sensitivity of our storytelling. Olga Tokarczuk

The world spends more money on ice cream every year than what would be needed to secure conservation efforts globally. Enric Sala

“It’s your road, and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.” Rumi

A great guide, understanding animal behaviour and travel routes, and being out at dawn and dusk when animals are more active improve your chances, but there are never guarantees of encounters with wild animals. Sometimes we get lucky and animals share the road.  

I was surprised and delighted to learn from the Canadian Association for Photographic Art that my image Amboseli Reunion won Gold in the Monochrome category in the International Digital Salon Competition and my image Leadership won Bronze in the Nature category.

The Other Side of Fear is Awe

When the student is ready the teacher will appear. Tao Te Ching

We can judge the heart of a man by the way he treats animals. - Immanuel Kant

June 21st marked World Giraffe Day, a fitting choice to celebrate the tallest mammal on earth on the longest day of the year. Here’s a story about an encounter with orphaned giraffes I will never forget and the man whose loving kindness helped them return to the wild.

Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. Mr. Rogers

Feeling safe, being seen, loved and supported in early development is the best gift we can give a youngster. Elephants know all about this. Allomothers, or nannies abound in elephant society. They are the “other mothers” in a young calf’s life.

Moments of beauty begin to braid your days. John O’Donohue

This week’s inspiration comes from two writing friends who remind me that finding beauty is essential in our lives.