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Thread: Casuality of battle

  1. #1
    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Default Casuality of battle

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    This hippo bull had lost the battle with another over territory & mating rights and was soon to lose his life, he had a massive puncture hole 20cm wide, just in front of the rear left leg that proved fatal.
    You can see how his belly as taken in a huge amount of river water. It's an endless battle on the river for these males all wanting to be top dog.
    I can't ever recall a hippo with more battle scars that was still alive.


    D3s 80-400 AF-S 1/1000s f/8 ISO400@ 400mm.
    H/H whilst on a walking safari in the remote North Luangwa NP- Zambia, slight crop for comp, curves, levels, lumo mask and selective colour adj in ACR, PS/CC.
    The blue sky colour/reflection in the river has already been toned down and does closely resemble the cool early dry season in the Luangwa

    C & C most welcome

    Cheers
    Marc


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    Seen this scenario more times than I can remember. It is amazing what those lower canines can do. I saw a female that looked like this once after she had been attacked by a Male. She survived the first attack but about two weeks later the male found her in another body of water and finished off the job.
    Harsh light was well handled. Nice to see a mixture of Ox-peckers on the Hippo...Just looks like it needs a slight CCW rotation.

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Thanks Dumay

    Quote Originally Posted by Dumay de Boulle View Post
    Seen this scenario more times than I can remember. It is amazing what those lower canines can do. I saw a female that looked like this once after she had been attacked by a Male. She survived the first attack but about two weeks later the male found her in another body of water and finished off the job.
    Harsh light was well handled. Nice to see a mixture of Ox-peckers on the Hippo...Just looks like it needs a slight CCW rotation.
    A male hippo chasing down a female and killing her would be rare occurence Dumay, I can't imagine why that would happen?

    I had already adjusted the slight CCW, as you'll find the river line is level


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    Hi Marc

    I do agree, it is a lot of battle scars. Interesting picture, in a documentary kind of way.
    Is sharpness or IQ lacking a bit here?

    TFS / Gregor

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    Lifetime Member Rachel Hollander's Avatar
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    Hi Marc - Interesting to see all those battle scars and the distended stomach. Oxpeckers add to the image. I agree that you handled what looks like harsh light well but the head does look a little soft.

    TFS,
    Rachel

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    Interesting image Marc, I like the detail and the story that goes with it. Well done.

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    Hey Marc...Yeah it is a pretty rare occurrence, the bull killed 2 females in a space of about 3 months...None of us had any explanation. A colleague and I had to remove the carcass of the first female from a water system, we were concerned it would affect the water as it was an artificial water source and it supplied the showering and lodge water (Not drinking water for the lodge ably the animals). The size of one of her puncture wounds was mind boggling...Like I say till today none of us had any clue as to why he attacked and killed females, especially the one he killed with the small calf. One of the guys actually watched him attack this one and by that evening she had passed away.

    Anyway, I still feel it needs a CCW rotation, its minor but it is needed...

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    Nice pic of a tragic event, Marc! I think that once one has held one of these massive tusks in your hands, these huge wounds make perfect sense!

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    Thanks folks.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dumay de Boulle View Post
    Hey Marc...Yeah it is a pretty rare occurrence, the bull killed 2 females in a space of about 3 months...None of us had any explanation. A colleague and I had to remove the carcass of the first female from a water system, we were concerned it would affect the water as it was an artificial water source and it supplied the showering and lodge water (Not drinking water for the lodge ably the animals). The size of one of her puncture wounds was mind boggling...Like I say till today none of us had any clue as to why he attacked and killed females, especially the one he killed with the small calf. One of the guys actually watched him attack this one and by that evening she had passed away.

    Anyway, I still feel it needs a CCW rotation, its minor but it is needed...
    That is an amazing story in itself, did you manage any images BTW? I wonder if there was some sort of brain disorder from the male to exibit this behaviour?

    Feel free to show me your CCW version, as it would leave the river line out of whack, the problem is the river water/flow line and sand line formation that conflicts with the actual river line, which is why you have to trust the river line for me.


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    Attached Images Attached Images
     
    Mark no images...Just of me and a mate taking the female out of the water.
    Reposted the image with 1,3 degree CCW rotation...I think it looks straight but now my mind is playing tricks on me.
    Last edited by Dumay de Boulle; 08-25-2014 at 07:26 AM.

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    Lifetime Member Marc Mol's Avatar
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    If you use the mouse/scroll wheel (on my OP), go to the river line edge and you'll find it's dead level, as I was saying it's the formation in the river sand and river flow lines that is playing tricks with the levelling.


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    Ok Marc...I suppose we will have to agree to disagree...The waters edge bends (Which it can) but if you look at the level of the water back and front leg you will see on my repost its straight (water levels cannot bend they can only be straight)....But its all good, thanks for sharing this cool sighting anyway
    Last edited by Dumay de Boulle; 08-25-2014 at 11:42 AM.

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    BPN Member Morkel Erasmus's Avatar
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    This guy had seen better days...severe wound that, can imagine the battle it must have been.
    Nice moment of natural history Marc. I agree the head/front quarters look a tad softer than I would expect - heat haze perhaps?
    I am with Dumay - yes it's a taste thing, but the river could well be going deeper into the scene behind him and my eye gauges his level first because of his orientation. I prefer Dumay's rotation (and could even rotate 1-2 degrees more CCW) but in the end it's your image.
    Morkel Erasmus

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    BPN Member Andreas Liedmann's Avatar
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    Hi Marc what a natural history document !!!!
    Good story around this , poor big guy , must be a tough life from time to time for these bulls.
    I think the whole image does look soft , but could be heat haze as Morkel think.
    Will not jump into rotation .

    TFS Andreas

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    Forum Participant edwardselfe's Avatar
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    Wow - he's beaten up bad! I won't add anything except to say that nature's a tough master!
    Ed

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    Story Sequences Moderator and Wildlife Moderator Gabriela Plesea's Avatar
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    Interesting capture Marc, loved reading your info as well as comments from the other members. Witnessed once a wounded young hippo who survived for some years in a human environment at St Lucia (world heritage site). She slept some distance from the lake, under the deck of a restaurant; sometimes she walked in-between people to get to the water, always trying to stay away from any hippo pod. She was affectionately named "Sandy".

    Not sure about rotation, as of tomorrow I am bringing my carpentry level from the tool box to make sure

    Kind regards,
    Gabriela Plesea

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