Tracking a White Rhino: when My Heart was Faster Than the Shutter Speed

I've been interested in photography, especially nature photography, for over 40 years. Until I arrived in Zimbabwe in November 2009, however, the wildest thing I'd ever taken a picture of was the occasional deer herd that invades the backyard of my Maryland home on occasion.

Well, I found myself in southern Africa with a nearly new digital camera, and wildlife literally around every corner. I mean, there are impala and egrets on the golf course where I play; and more species of bird than I can count in my yard. Even along the road, monkeys and baboons are a common sight, foraging for food thrown from passing cars, and many of the hotels outside the major cities warn guests to keep balcony doors locked so the monkeys can't get into their rooms and wreak havoc.

What I wanted to do, though, was get some photos of the 'big five,' lions, elephants, Cape buffalo, rhinos, and leopards. The place has hippos and crocodiles as well, but for some reason, these two extremely dangerous creatures aren't considered worthy of being listed. I managed during a trip to the Kalahari Desert in South Africa to get lions and Cape buffalo, but the photos were shot from the safety of a safari vehicle, and in Zimbabwe's lower veld, I got shots of zebra, impala and other wild animals from a blind. I've gotten elephants, crocodiles, and hippos from relative safe positions at Zimbabwe's Mana Pools National Park and along the Zambezi River, and birds aplenty all over. But, there's one photo in my collection that stands out from all the others.

During a trip to Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe's Matabeleland South Province, I was taken on a game drive by park rangers who are working with an international NGO to preserve the country's declining rhinoceros population. We drove for several hours along the park's winding roads without getting a glimpse of one of these creatures. A ranger foot patrol left a message scrawled in the road, however, saying that a family of three were located in the bush, a few miles from where we were. The rangers then agreed to allow me to accompany them on foot as they tracked the three animals. After nearly two hours of arduous trekking, we came upon a bull white rhino that had split off from the cow and calf to lead us away. We circled this magnificent creature for thirty minutes until I was able to get a reasonably clear view from some fifty meters away. My racing and my hands not all that steady, I only managed to get off one shot before he noticed movement and started my way. We didn't wait around, but quickly made our way to the top of a large rock outcropping out of his reach. Rhinos have poor eyesight, and by keeping still and quiet, we gave him the impression we'd left the area, so after an hour or so, he left as well, allowing us to make a hasty retreat to the road and our vehicle.

I've done literally thousands of wildlife photos in southern Africa in the past two years, but none come even close to this one in importance or excitement. I've posted it on my Facebook page, my Flickr account, and included it in a photographic journal of my travels, "African Places: A photographic journey through Zimbabwe and southern Africa." It's not the best photo I've ever shot, but I don't think I've ever had my heart racing as fast as it did when I clicked the shutter for that picture.