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DROUGHT


DROUGHT
Photo Information
Copyright: Ingrid Shaul (ingridshaul) Silver Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 47 W: 8 N: 119] (329)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2003-07-27
Categories: Mammals
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-10-16 3:42
Viewed: 237
Points: 10
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This Sable Antelope is surrounded by grey, dry, hard soil - and is looking at the DRY RIVERBED on the left (10 o'clock of the photo).

Sables (males’ shoulder height 1,35 m, mass about 230 kg, both sexes have horns) are grazers and only browse to some extend, when the nutritional value of the grass drops off at the end of the dry season - and/or during a drought,when they have to compete with other grazers. However, in autumn browsers will have already eaten everything "eatable"...

The Sable Antelope IS DEPENDENT ON THE AVAILABILITY OF WATER!

I photographed this animal in July (at the height of the dry season), and the first rains will occur in November only!

NB South Africa is situated in the Southern Hemisphere - where the seasons start six months after the Northern Hemisphere - i.e. Spring begins in September. Hoedspruit - in the summer rainfall area - does not get rain from April to November/December.

This Sable Antelope is in good condition and will survive - because I photographed the animal in the Airbase Game Reserve -
and the Air Force endeavours to provide food and water for ALL animals in their reserve.

In a drought year i.e. when the summer rains did not come - already at the beginning of the dry season (autumn) no grass is left,
and the Game Farms cull “cheap animals”. They buy food (Luzern and/or biscuits, similar to dog biscuits) ONLY for the more valuable animals.

If they cannot provide enough water for everybody, the animals die, the dead bodies adjacent to dried out waterholes, dams, riverbeds.

There is a saying in our area: in drought years the antelopes die, and the lion population increases and grows fat.
jmirah, Argus has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To pirate: Sableingridshaul 1 10-19 00:01
To Silvio2006: Sable Antelopeingridshaul 1 10-17 07:22
To ferranjlloret: Sable Antelopeingridshaul 1 10-17 07:14
To jmirah: Sable Antelopeingridshaul 1 10-17 07:11
To Argus: Sable Antelopeingridshaul 1 10-17 07:08
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Critiques [Translate]

Hi Ingrid
A fine capture of the animal in it's natural invironment...TFS
Jim

Hi Ingrig.
Excellent capture of this Sable Antelope and very interesting document.
Have a nice WE. Ferran

Ciao Ingrid, great capture of beautiful antelope with long horns, splendid composition with wonderful natural colors, very well done, have a good week end, ciao Silvio

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3833 W: 190 N: 11412] (35173)
  • [2009-10-17 6:23]
  • [+]

Hello Ingrid,
A very nice capture of a Sable Antelope buck taken from a great Lateral POV to show its features, including the long impressive horns, with excellent sharpness and colours. The presentation in its natural arid habitat is fine but maybe the composition is too central. It is nice to see more BG on the left in the direction he is looking!
Thanks and kind regards,
Ivan

Hi Ingrid
nice antelope, never got a view of it in eastern africa
imho the compo is a bit too much centered, putting the animal at the right third and giving even better view of the dry riverbed at the left (having by the same more space in direction of view) may have given a more dynamic compo
tfs
tom

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