Blog - Wild Focus Expeditions

Adventure, Conservation, Endangered Species, Exotic Photography Expeditions, Wildlife

So Hard To Be Cool

Did you know that on June 23 (just over a month ago), the town of Verkhoyansk in northeast Siberia in the Arctic Circle reached a staggering temperature of 100.4º F (38ºCelcius)? This is the highest temperature in the Arctic ever recorded.…

Adventure, Covid-19, Travel, Travel During Covid-19

Plane Truth About Covid-19

Theo and I recently returned from our first domestic trip here in the US – which as we all know, is one of the most “unsafe” countries today regarding Covid-19. We had connecting flights to our destination on the east coast…

A small white rhino calf behind its mother

Conservation, Endangered Species, Wildlife

Covid-19’s Wild Effects

We are all drawn to nature photography for our very own personal reasons. Some are drawn for commercial reasons – to make money, others because they enjoy sitting in the peace and quiet of nature waiting for beautiful light, and others who…

Adventure, Blog, Conservation, Wild Focus Expeditions, Wildlife

What Is A Walrus?

What actually is a walrus? A walrus is a pinniped. What is a pinniped? It is an aquatic carnivorous mammal (such as a seal, sea lion or walrus) with all four limbs modified into flippers. The walrus is an Arctic species and…

Blog, Pantanal, South America, Wildlife

Polar bears, walruses, icebergs, glaciers – the Ultimate Svalbard Experience

“Wow”! This word says it all when describing the two Svalbard trips in May and June this year. Before the expeditions you always hope and dream of great polar bear sightings and of course encounters with other representatives of the…

Blog, Conservation, Endangered Species, Indonesia, Mammal

Jami’s successful expedition to document the new orangutan species on Sumatra

In my previous post I wrote about Jami's project to document a new orangutan species that was discovered on Sumatra only 7 months ago. I had no contact with Jami over a period of 8 days while she was searching for the new species with the help…

Blog, Japan, Travel, Wildlife

Japan’s Wonderful Winter Wildlife

Japan - Winter Paradise Japan in winter is a photographer’s paradise. Nowhere else can you get such great subject matter for artistic photographs that make for brilliant art work to decorate your house. Imagine white dancing cranes in fresh…

Blog, Conservation, Endangered Species, Indonesia, Mammal, Uncategorized

Saving orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra

Many of you have read my previous blog about Jami documenting a newly found orangutan species that was discovered on Sumatra six months ago. Isn't it amazing that we discovered a new great ape in the 21st century? I am personally blown away…

Endangered Species, Indonesia, Uncategorized, Wildlife

Tapanuli – A New Orangutan Species

I would like to share an exciting story with you. Many of you might have seen Jami's posts on social media about her campaign against palm oil and for the protection of orangutans that are highly threatened by the ongoing destruction of their…

Adventure, Blog, Wildlife

Japanese Monkey Business

When we left Hokkaido, we flew south again to Honshu, Japan's main island. We immediately were picked up by our chartered van and we drove almost four hours north to the Japanese Alps. We spent the next four nights in a traditional wooden Japanese…

Adventure, Blog

It’s Wild in Japan!

My last blog left off with the magnificent Steller's sea eagles day. We had so much fun that we went back again for more Steller's sea eagle action. They are so powerful and so fast, that you just shoot and shoot to get a better image than your…

Endangered Species

Winter in Japan

Like I posted on Facebook, I came on this trip with no little amount of trepidation. I had heard it was overly photographed, and stuffed full with photographers. I was in some small part dreading this because we typically go to places where…

Adventure

Breakfast with a Long Neck

Having breakfast with giraffes can be slightly intrusive if you haven't had your first cup of coffee yet. Our Kenya safari started off at Giraffe Manor just two weeks ago. Endangered Rothchild giraffes pushed their way in and over our heads…

Endangered Species

Every 15 Minutes

Elephant poaching is real. Some are saying that ivory is being used to fund Al Queda and other extremist terrorist group activities. Our Wild Focus Expeditions groups are able to experience the effects of poaching when they come to Kenya with…

Adventure

The Migration is Great!

Just a quick post while on the fly to say that the migration is peaking early this year. It is overwhelming to see over a million wildebeest plus other antelopes moving en masse. This is where the term "the grass is greener on the other side"…

Conservation, Travel

Baboons in full morning glory: Samburu, Kenya

I am back in Kenya after our amazing trip in Svalbard with Focus Expeditions. We are already looking forward to returning to Svalbard next May and September. It is a magical place. When I arrived in Kenya, I met our Kenya group at the hotel.…

Adventure, Conservation, Endangered Species, Travel

Dolomite Cathedral

On our fifth day we entered “Hinlopen Stretet” (Hinlopen Strait). The water was calm, the light was good but nothing prepared me for what was to come. We were told that we would come to a cliff with nesting birds (Alkefjellet - fjellet meaning…

Wildlife

White, Red and Blue Ice

OK. In Africa, photographers consider themselves lucky to find an African predator on a kill. In the Arctic, it is considered uber-lucky - and on our fourth day we were just that - uber lucky. We entered “BeverlySundet”, a northern sound…

Adventure

Two for One

By day two we had traveled north and started to head east around the top of Svalbard. We meandered through various fjords and saw lots of walrus - mostly females with young calves which was really special. We had some broken drift ice where…

Travel

“Ice, Ice Maybe”

It’s been a while since I’ve made a post. Yikes. The last 6 months escaped due to lots of office and road time. Theo and I are in Svalbard leading our first polar expedition for Focus Expeditions. We had an enthusiastic group of photographers…

Adventure

Curiosity from the Pack Ice

There are many ways to describe ice. There is an international ice nomenclature ice terms are arranged by subject under the heading of "Floating Ice." Sea ice, glacier ice, lake ice and river ice are the four types of floating ice. The different…

Adventure, Endangered Species, Mammal, Travel, Wild Focus Expeditions, Wildlife

Bon appetit or as the leopard says: “Bone up a tree”

We just finished a 3 week long amazing Wild Focus Expeditions safari in Tanzania and Kenya. It started with rain and tall grass in Tarangire National Park in Tanzania. Nobody had expected to find this scenic park about 2 driving hours south…

Endangered Species

You are in the BEST of hands today!

chttp://everwideningcircles.com/2016/02/15/lets-stop-palming-orangutans-off/ You are in the BEST of hands when you open this link to today's blog! Margaret Mead wrote, "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For,…

Endangered Species, Wildlife

An Extraordinary Trimate for the New Year : But what is that you ask?

A “Trimate” is a unique and wonderful phenomena that has occurred only thrice on this planet. But what is it? Well, there were three of them (thus the prefix “tri”). Now there are two. The Trimates are “the Founding Mothers of Primatology”.…

Tanzania, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ndutu, male lion with cub

Endangered Species

King of the Jungle? Maybe not for long!

Lion numbers are now down to a tenth of where they were 35 years ago. With only 20,000 left in the wild, are we going to sit back and watch them go down the same path as the tigers? From 100,000 in the1900′s, to less than 4,000 in the 1970′s.…

Indonesia, Wildlife

Profiling Today: Jami’s Observation

Once again, profiling has become a current topic of discussion in the United States and Europe due to recent events. Donald Trump has contributed much to this consideration. He asserts that profiling would for instance prevent crime. I…

Conservation, Endangered Species

Siswi: Queen of the Jungle

Siswi is the dominant female orangutan in Camp Leakey area where Dr. Galdikas has a hut and often works. She has released several orangutans here. Dr. Galdikas told me that Siswi’s mother was her “best friend”. Siswi was born wild and…

Conservation, Endangered Species

Highs and Lows

Today I am flying my drone from the boat to photograph the river with its close approximation to palm oil trees. We will then either hike or take a motor bike almost 10 kilometers (over 6 miles) to a huge area where primary forest burned down.…

Adventure

The day Theo was charged by a black rhinoceros….and he is still among us!

I try to keep it short this time… It happened in 1999 in Namibia’s Damaraland. The story could have turned out differently – so different that I would not have been here anymore to tell it. One has to trust a Trust. I do have a problem…

Conservation, Endangered Species

Klok Klok Klok…

The next day I flew to Jakarta, Java and changed planes for Pangkalan Bun, the capital of Central Kalimantan, Borneo. The fires have ravaged Central Kalimantan. They recently stopped burning (for the time being) after tremendous efforts from…

Adventure, Indonesia

Someone got a bath, but it wasn’t me :-(

I woke up on my last morning in Bukit Lawang early - ready to depart on a small mission unrelated to the story that I am working on. I am going to meet a team of scientists and park officials in the Sikundur field office to release a slow loris…

Indonesia, Wildlife

Jami goes APE for a beard!!!!

Doing field work sometimes means doing forest work. To enter the forest, we had to cross the river by zodiac boat. My tracker was carrying my camera gear with him which is a luxury that I am unaccustomed to. When I am traveling with Theo, he…

Adventure, Indonesia

Sumatra Morning Coffee

One of the best times of the day - morning coffee. Let me describe where I am having my coffee. My bungalow is built into a hillside on the edge of one of the last remaining rainforests on Sumatra - Gunung Leuser National Park. I am sitting…

Conservation, Indonesia

It’s Not Easy Being Green….

Today we drove over 3 hours from Medan to Sei Betung which is a part of the Gunung Leuser National Park. I am traveling with the SOCP (Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Project) team to visit their restoration site. On the way to the restoration…

Conservation, Indonesia

Jami: Another Day with the 52

I spent another day in the quarantine center again with the “52” orphaned and rescued orangutans. Some of the animals that live there have such sad back-stories and will have to remain there for the rest of their lives. But most will be…

Indonesia

Cutest little “monkeys”….errr….I mean orangutans!!!!!!

I have three nieces: Heather, Hannah and Heidi. From the day that they were born, I called them "my little monkeys". I still call them that because all though they are fully grown, they are as cute as can be. Well, the faces that you will see…

Indonesia

Precious cargo contained!

This trip has already started with lots of excitement. I arrived in Medan, Sumatra late last night. It is extremely hot and humid. I am so happy that my room has air conditioning (and wifi)! After I settled into my room I checked my email to…

Indonesia

Theo’s friendship with King Kusasi…and how they shared a brotherly drink

It was in the year 2000 when I met Kusasi, one of the most memorable characters in the natural world. He rose from a rescued orphan orangutan to king of the jungle around Camp Leakey in Tanjung Punting National Park located in the southern part…

Theo (personal)

How much stuff do we need? Theo losing the battle…….

I have declared war on advertisement! And it looks like I am losing the battle. I have advanced to an age where I deserve and highly cherish my afternoon siesta nap at home. Unfortunately my wife’s office is right next to the bedroom and on…

Indonesia

Orangutan Project: Jami

Days 1 - 3 After leaving New Mexico (and Theo and Gershwin) and then flying through Los Angeles, I flew via Tokyo to Jakarta, Java. I over-nighted in Jakarta after arriving at my hotel at 2:00am and then caught a flight to Bali the next morning…

South America

A place where you can hear silence

Do we still know what silence is? Do you believe “to hear silence” is an oxymoron? I don’t. Let me explain. I would like to start with a simple question: “Have you ever been to a place where there was no noise at all?” No traffic noise,…

Indonesia

Introducing PRINCESS!!!!!

Photo credit: ©Theo Allofs Yes, a real princess. She is the gorgeous red head in between my forest guide Kasri and me. She came out of the forest and grabbed our hands while we were walking. It's hard to see, but she has a young infant…

Indonesia

“Girl of the Forest”??

Today I spent my day packing for another trip. I am heading off to Borneo and Sumatra in Indonesia to photograph one of the most wonderful animals that I have ever met - the wild orangutan. In Malay, orangutan means “man or person of the…

Theo (personal)

Two of Two: Meet Theo (I am German, so my name is pronounced “Tayo”, not “Theeyo”! I am very sensitive about this)

I was born near the Neanderthal Valley in Germany, a fact my wife loves to use when introducing me. "Look at his forehead" she says and smiles, "don't you see his ancestry?" Years have gone by since my forefathers have left an important historical…

Travel

One of Two: Meet Jami

First blog entry: I am new at this and am frankly very nervous. I am told that this blogging thing gets easier with time. Well, I am sure that you...out there...will let me know either way. Yikes! But thanks in advance.... I am one of two…

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