Wildebeest in Motion

Whether big or small, all animals have a strong instinctual drive to protect their young. This image was taken in the Mashatu Game Reserve (Botswana) and captures a group of wildebeest moving quickly across an open plain toward a more protected area.

The much larger adult wildebeest took up positions both in front and behind the young calf in an effort to keep it safe. Predators, such as lions and packs of wild dogs or hyenas will often try to isolate the vulnerable and the young from the larger adult group.

Much of the animal world is made up of predators and prey, each having to eat for itself or to feed their young. The race to survive is one of the most primal activities to watch and in this instance, I used a slow shutter speed - panning along with moving wildebeest - to convey the sense of urgency and concern of the situation.

Click here to discover more wildlife photography from Canadian visual artist Christine Lundvall.