Something a little different this week for our Photo of the Week. These lovely images were taken at Kariega Game Reserve recently by Africa Geographic blogger, Christian Boix. Although Winter is fast approaching it seems that there are still some gorgeous blooms to be found on the game park.

Undercover work by Karl Ammann in Vietnam and Laos showed that 90% of the rhino horn specimens collected was fake, leading to the conclusion that as these Asian economies grow, so too does the demand in rhino horn - so much so that the demand is more than can be met, forcing dealers to sell fake horn.

The Kariega Foundation Save the Rhino fund was extremely fortunate this past weekend to receive a massive handover of roughly R70 000 from Angie Goody, organiser of "Thandi's Fundraiser" in the Isle of Man.

Kariega Game Reserve was very lucky to recently have a wonderful wildlife sighting of the rarely seen Cape clawlass otter which was spotted and photographed on the Bushman's River, here in the Eastern Cape. It proved to be a very special sighting for the game park with a total of five otters captured on camera both in and out of the river. Usually these water-dwelling mammals are extremely elusive and when spotted, they are most often alone.

At Kariega Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape, safari guests are often lucky enough to see a herd of hippo in the river, their heads poking our of the water as they stand in the cool river. Hippo spend most of their days resting in the water, leaving only at night to feed at their preferred grassy locations...

Today is Earth Day and this week the Kariega Conservation Volunteers started an exciting new conservation project: planting of the indigenous Spekboom onto the game park, also known as the ‘miracle tree of the century’. This incredible plant will improve the lives of all animals on the reserve, especially our elephants and antelope, not to mention being great for the environment!

As a 9000 hectare private game park, Kariega Game Reserve must engage in continuous conservation management in order to ensure healthy and abundant wildlife populations. At Kariega, game capture and release is a big part of wildlife managament, as is acquiring new game for genetic diversity.

The flash of light temporarily blinded the killer showing him poised with weapon raised, ready to strike. As darkness flooded back, so his jet black menacing form disappeared, and had it not been for the captured digital image we might never have known of his presence.

The altruism of nature

This great shot of a male and female lion was taken at Kariega Game Reserve South Africa by ranger Brendon Jennings, who gave it the following caption..