In 1961, the song “Poetry in Motion” was released and subsequently flew to the top of the charts. With passionate, heartfelt lyrics such as “I love every movement” and “She’s much too nice to rearrange”; it instantly became a hit during the sixties.
The bushveld has its own version of poetry in motion and we’d never rearrange a single thing about our wildlife. The fluidity of movement among our wildlife is powerful, yet graceful. Just like words move and flow from stanza to stanza in poetry and song, so our wildlife moves from thicket to thicket. The subtle motion and often erratic movement of wildlife is the bushveld’s version of poetry in motion.
There’s a range of motion weaving in and out of the surrounding vegetation, all captured on camera by the talented Em Gatland. Stalking leopards, lion prides ambushing, kudu that think they’re Olympic high-jumpers and elephant calves with flailing trunks. These are the small moments in the bush often missed, but beautifully captured on camera.
Em Gatland has carefully photographed the Klaserie wildlife gliding past her lens. A buffalo’s bulk grazing techniques are subtle and here we watch the motion of the morphology of their mouth in action. The dazzle of zebra photographed is somewhat confusing to the eye. When zebra scatter in their herds, it is thought that their patterns create confusion in the eyes of predators. Em’s photo has given us insight into what a predator might see when the herd is on the move.
The next time you’re on game drive, look out for the small ways in which there is movement and motion around you. You’ll be surprised at the poetry in motion!
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