Earlier this year, I travelled to the Makgadikgadi Pans region of Botswana to photograph some of the most charismatic (and cutest) creatures in Africa – meerkats!
Meerkats are members of the mongoose family and are found in the desert region of Southern Africa. They are social animals, living in large family groups. They sleep in underground networks and during the day they venture out of their dens in search of for food. A meerkat’s diet consists mainly of scorpions, beetles, lizards, eggs and small mammals.
Meerkats forage in groups with at least one sentry on duty at all times. They need to be extremely vigilant while they are out in the open so that they aren’t surprised by predators such as birds of prey or jackals. Meerkats aren’t very tall so they try to seek out the high ground in order to get a better view of their surroundings. The higher the vantage point the better so they will go to impressive lengths to find that perfect lookout post!
These meerkats are completely wild but over time they have become habituated to humans. This means it is possible to gain their trust and get really close to them. When people are around, these clever little creatures take full advantage of the situation and will sometimes climb on top of the nearest person for a better view out over the long grass. Sometimes they just decide that sitting on a warm human is more comfortable that sitting on the coarse sand!
Trying to photograph animals that jumped on me whenever I got too close was certainly a challenge that I wasn’t used to facing… not that I was complaining! For a behind the scenes look at this project including lots of amusing meerkat antics, check out this short 2-minute video.
One of the highlights of my time in Botswana was getting to spend time with some adorable three-week-old baby meerkats. These tiny babies first emerged from the den a day or so into my trip and after that I spent a lot of time with them so they became very comfortable around me. In fact, it wasn’t long before they were treating me like their own personal plaything!
Meerkats are charming little creatures and spending time with them is always a privilege. For more photos check out my meerkat image gallery. You can also get more behind the scenes photos and video by following me on Instagram.
Great pics. I like them so much 🙂
those are awesome pictures and trust was sure gained. those little meerkats are adorable.
Quite amazing and very pleasant. Lovely and cute animals.Would be very happy to meet them.
I really enjoyed the video. Didn’t know the Meerkats weren’t afraid of man. It was wonderful watching them running around you and climbing you for height so they could see far. What a great experience for you.
Dear Will,
Your work is fantastic! We’re proud of you!
God bless, Ray
I LOVE MEERKATS!!! Beautiful pictures and great video. Keep up the good work, and thank you for sharing your incredible talent.
Thank you very much for sharing these so beautiful photographs
Beautiful pictures and I loved the video. Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us online!
NO ONE CAN HAVE A BAD DAY WITH THE MEERKATS AROUND. LOVED WATCHING THEM WHEN ANIMAL PLANET HAD THEM ON WEEKLY. MISS THAT! THEY ARE JUST TOO CUTE!
love the video… such an adorable creatures, beautiful photos,
Absolutely adorable I love Meerkats they are so funny you are very honoured to be allowed to be their resting place ( On your back) gorgeous video thank you.
Ohhhh so cute. They surely bring a smile to my families faces! Lucky you getting to photograph them.
Congrats!!!, so beautiful!!!
Such cute photos of YOU, taking photos! I really enjoyed the way they trust you so much. You definitely seem like a warm caring person…..gentle with God’s creatures. Thanks for sharing your “joy” with us.
Look forward to spending more time on your Blog. Happy Earth Day too!
<3<3<3<3<3<3
You have earned their trust. You are both blessed to have each other.The planet would be a better place if more people shared your respect for its wonderful creatures!
Great story and amazing pics. Didn’t realize they were so small.
I love Lucas photos! Hes a great photographer who takes the time to describe what gear hes using in details pages. No many photographers do that 🙂
love story with animals and photography .
thanks for delicious moment . bye bye from Versailles in france !
What a wonderful video. Please make another