Neil Danton

One of the nicest shoots I get to do on a fairly regular basis is to document the new arrivals at Fota Wildlife Park. Here is the latest, a baby Lar Gibbon:

There’s usually two things you need for photographing animals, a big lens and patience.

I had to wait a while for mother & baby to emerge from their den, but had the close-up shot of baby fairly quickly. It then took quite some time to get a shot of mother & baby together. Due to the way baby is carried, I ended up with lots of shots where baby’s face was visible, or mother’s face was visible, but not both together that was clear enough that I was happy with the shot.

After a while though, when mother went to investigate some new leaves for breakfast, they moved into a good position and I had the shot I wanted. As soon as it happens, I just get a 6th sense that I’ve nailed it:

TTFN

…even the ash cloud.

Pedro and Mo are finally united in love after the ash cloud banjaxed their plans to be together.

Pedro moved to Cork from France and Mo was supposed to join him seven weeks later from England, but flight cancellations caused by THAT volcano’s ash cloud over Europe meant she couldn’t get out via Heathrow.

Two weeks after she was supposed to join him, they are finally together.

Pedro and Mo are…….. Black Howler Monkeys:

The Black Howler Monkeys are the first new species to arrive at Fota Wildlife Park in 2010 and live on a island opposite the penguins in the park.

The Black Howler Monkey is one of six species of Howler Monkey, who can be found in central South American bush savannah, deciduous and semi-deciduous forests. The male is black, while the female is brown or gold.

TTFN

Latest new arrival at Fota Wildlife Park. When I shot this for my client it (gender undetermined as yet) was only four days old at the time.

Took a lot more time & effort than you might imagine due a stroppy male Oryx (antelope) which kept chasing the zebra herd in the opposite direction to wherever I was.

It would have been a very pleasant walk if I wasn’t carrying 2 cameras, 16-35mm, 70-200mm, 400mm, 600mm and 2 monopods. Only used the 600mm f4 in the end, but I had to take the other equipment, you never know…

TTFN

…again.

See the previous Monkeying around here at On Safari

This time it was a newly born lion-tailed Macaque that I needed to capture for a press-release.

It took ages to find it though. Firstly it was pretty small, and a long way away as the Macaque community live on an island in the wildlife park. Plus, the mother was being pretty protective.

Finally though I got a glimpse of it (I say it, as the sex is as yet undetermined).

Fairly sure it was the mother at left, and the father at right, although it was a little hard to tell, as in a way that’s typical of a lot of primates, the whole clan seemed to get involved in baby-sitting.

The peek-a-boo moment below though was definitely with the mother.

TTFN

…well it’s like being on safari, except it’s only a few miles away from home.

Was recently at the Wildlife Park to get some images for a client’s press release of a new arrival – a baby Siamang Gibbon. Not the easiest thing to photograph, a near-black object in high-contrast sunshine/shade.

Baby on it’s own:

and baby with mum:

I guess some people just don’t like having their picture taken!

TTFN