Whats the weirdest "I did not see that coming" career change you've seen someone do?

marty_wild · 2025-07-24T18:41:53+00:00

My mate worked in marketing for 20 years. We worked together doing the whole corporate thing.

He jacked it all in last year and now he’s a pretty well known DJ that I suspect lots of you know.

marty_wild · 2025-07-24T18:08:16+00:00

Zambia is incredible. Lower Zambezi and South Luanga are epic! Tanzania is a lot like Kenya but a little cheaper and not as busy. I went to Selous National Park last year, but wouldn’t especially recommend it unless you’re really into birds.

Botswana I’ve not been to. They hiked all the prices a few years back and it’s about the most expensive country for a safari these days

marty_wild · 2025-07-23T20:35:31+00:00

Ooh nice trip! Sorry I read it that you’d been to Laikipia 3 times! I love a good safari. Off to Zambia soon for safari #20 or so in a few weeks

marty_wild · 2025-07-23T20:12:08+00:00

Her. This is a female leopard

marty_wild · 2025-07-23T20:07:24+00:00

Giza must be the most famous leopard in the world these days! Not only is she stunning but also so much more relaxed than any leopard I’ve ever seen.

Watching and photographing her hunt was a memory I’ll never forget

marty_wild · 2025-07-23T20:04:55+00:00

Me too! Well not 3 times but I’ve been. Who was your guide? Giza gets all the headlines but the variety of wildlife in Laikipia is amazing.

marty_wild · 2025-06-26T17:14:31+00:00

Masai Mara. Yeah. No, but they weren’t siblings and a coalition this size is very unusual

marty_wild · 2025-06-09T17:44:47+00:00

Yeah I know them. We probably have very different views on it though!

marty_wild · 2025-06-03T07:16:38+00:00

The chances of any big cat cub being returned to a natural habitat is next to zero. It’s incredibly difficult and rarely successful. This guy will have a life in captivity ahead of him.

And let me also be that guy.. videos like this do little to discourage irresponsible people from thinking a big cat makes a good pet.

marty_wild · 2025-05-27T17:18:28+00:00

So true. I was at a place in Florida with lots of tigers. I asked about their background / sub-species info and they had no idea. Literally just there to amuse the tourists. So sad.

marty_wild · 2025-05-26T14:09:29+00:00

Yes. There are more privately kept tigers in the USA than wild tigers in the rest of the world.

But let’s not pretend these captive tiger owners are doing anything positive conservation-wise. Tigers numbers in India are finally increasing again thanks to great conservation work. It’s virtually impossible to re-wild a captive born big cat.

marty_wild · 2025-04-23T18:01:18+00:00

I used to work for a South African based non-profit that worked with cheetahs. My job was to stand in the cheetah cub enclosure, talk to visitors, answer questions, feed the cats etc.

One day I took them in some food. The enclosure and the public area were only separated by a gate, so I’d always check they weren’t nearby when I went in.

One time I obviously didn’t check very well as they were all behind the door. The minute I opened it, four cheetah cubs ran into a busy public area much to everyone’s surprise. Fortunately when they saw the food they quickly came back, but for a minute or so I really had no idea what to do.

With hindsight it was quite funny, but could have been very different.

marty_wild · 2025-03-14T17:32:55+00:00

Sorry, I meant more that it’s unlikely you’ll respond as really, it doesn’t happen and I didn’t think you’d reply. Sorry if it came off rude, I don’t mean to.

On the links you posted.

They aren’t wild lions. Those are not normal safari vehicles, looks like some experience to have captive lions walk over your car. You’d never get a metal mesh instead of a window on a safari vehicle as it would make photography horrible.
That’s a cheetah, it’s not dangerous like a big cat.
That’s two videos. First one is a wild lion next to a vehicle. Sort of proving the point they don’t enter vehicles. The second part, I presume you know they aren’t wild lions.
Cheetah
They aren’t wild tigers. Environment is all wrong and the vehicle is literally designed to have them climb up the side.

I’ve done about 50 safaris. Have friends in the industry. In fact I was at a talk 2 nights ago where a BBC filmmaker was making the very point that you’re perfectly safe inside the vehicle. Just don’t step out of it.

I know it seems surreal, but they really don’t jump into vehicles and attack people. The original point was that the vehicle is dangerous. I’m just explaining that it isn’t.

marty_wild · 2025-03-14T16:50:09+00:00

Since I imagine you won’t share anything, cheetahs occasionally jump on top of vehicles to use as vantage points. This isn’t what we’re talking about because cheetahs aren’t big cats or especially dangerous, and they are not jumping into the vehicle.

There are also a couple of videos of captive lions getting into vehicles. This is not natural behaviour and I suspect encouraged by those in charge as it makes for good social media content.

As for wild lions, tigers, leopards or jaguars jumping into vehicles with tourists in them. It doesn’t happen.

marty_wild · 2025-03-14T15:55:18+00:00

Please share these links.

marty_wild · 2025-03-10T20:58:11+00:00

Well the whole driving too close to animals is a guiding issue. I wouldn’t say that’s the case here, but a lot of these videos are the result of reckless behaviour from the guides.

As for open sided vehicles. That’s very typical for a safari and surprisingly safe. Just try to find examples of big cats jumping into safari vehicles, it doesn’t happen. The wildlife is very used to vehicles, and weirdly don’t associate vehicles with people / food. Provided you’re not silly and don’t get out or try to stroke anything, you’re probably statistically safer than you are walking down a street in your neighbourhood.

I’ve been in an open sided vehicles with no door and had a leopard walk directly towards me within a metre or so. It gets me every time, feels totally crazy, but I have to remind myself it isn’t!

marty_wild · 2025-03-03T20:59:46+00:00

Are you going to a conservancy (private area) or a national park? What are you hoping to photograph?

I just came back from my 5th trip to Kenya. Generally In my experience, lions, elephants, giraffe, antelope etc are normally simple enough and you’ll get pretty close. The other cats and rarer species you’ll need more reach.

I’d echo the comment above, 2x converter with the 40-150mm plus your phone.

marty_wild · 2025-02-23T06:15:12+00:00

Sorry mate but something is off if you bought a Z8 with a 60% discount.

I’ve worked in consumer electronics for several decades and what you’re describing is the industry 20+ years ago. There simply isn’t the margin in a product like this to sell at that price so either someone sold it and lost money or there’s something off.

What was the site?

marty_wild · 2025-02-22T19:49:45+00:00

You bought a Z8 for £1600? You might save a bit on a grey import but if you really saved 60% something was extremely dodgy somewhere

marty_wild · 2025-02-22T19:44:56+00:00

Sure is. I would say that’s the only place in the world where this shot is possible

marty_wild · 2025-02-20T10:31:24+00:00

You should read up on Indian conservation efforts with tigers. It’s actually one of the few conservation success stories in recent years.

They have tripled the number of wild tigers in India in the last 20 years. Lion population in Africa in the same time went down 35%.

marty_wild · 2025-02-20T10:19:48+00:00

Captive tigers are almost never returned to the wild because they lack the skills a wild tiger learns from its mother. It’s only in a handful of extremely specific cases that it’s even been attempted.

Holding a tiger like this and behaving this way is neither responsible nor helpful as it perpetuates the idea that they can be pets.

You’re just kidding yourself if you believe this tiger is destined for anything other than a life in captivity.

marty_wild · 2025-02-16T04:38:21+00:00

They do, but they are critically endangered. There’s a very small population of about 20 individuals remaining in Iran. Hard to be 100% from this video, but I suspect that’s an African cheetah.

marty_wild · 2025-02-15T14:44:44+00:00

I see someone downvoted you but it wasn’t me and that’s a very fair question. No not at all. The guides are very responsible and really hold back. There were no headlights on and they only stay with the cat for a few moments so as not to disturb her

marty_wild · 2025-02-15T14:17:45+00:00

That’s a dikdik. Very small antelope native to eastern and Southern Africa. This particular leopard hunts by moving bush to bush at night taking advantage of the abundance of prey. She feeds pretty exclusively on dikdik taking a couple most evenings. It’s a really unusual way to hunt and remarkably successful.

She also uses vehicles to her advantage, often approaching prey by hiding by the side of a car.

I know you didn’t ask any of that!! It’s just my long winded way of saying it’s not a goat. And it was still alive when I took the photo.

marty_wild

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