Barak Bruerd

Elephant Herds

Posted on September 12, 2009 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

The Chobe National Park, Botswana is one of the premier parks in Southern Africa.  Dry season, although not picturesque, affords incredible opportunities to see wildlife who flock to the Zambezi river to drink and cool off.  Today’s expedition brought us close to nearly 250 elephants along the water’s edge; among them new-borns and  adolescents.

Sharing…

Posted on September 04, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

The spring at this oasis supplies water for several thousand livestock a day; camels, donkeys, goats, and sheep.  It also supplies people.  Though it looks like dirt, most of the soil surrounding this spring is layers of dung built up over generations.  In the coming year Blood:Water will fund the rehabilitation of this spring.  It will be excavated by the local people, backfilled, and then capped with an outlet that will run “down stream” so livestock can drink without contaminating the water.  A separate tap will be made so that people can obtain water without fighting for space from the animals.

Jostling for a Drink

Posted on September 04, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Road to Manhood

Posted on September 04, 2008 by Barak in Asia | No Comments

Two brothers driving the family sheep to a nearby spring.  Although it’s easy to gloss over the simplicity of this story, it depicts something truly remarkable.  How many of us would allow an 8 and 10 year old wander miles from home unaccompanied?  How many of us would allow them to be in charge of a major portion of our family’s assets?  Livestock represent the entirety of a pastoralist’s wealth; it’s the only possession they have that is of material value.  And so on the shoulders’ of these two boys rests the family’s investments from which they will trade, buy food, pay for school, purchase clothing, medicine and anything else required for basic survival.  The journey to manhood begins early and is shouldered with an ease most of us in the West can barely comprehend.  I turned away to climb into my air conditioned Land Rover and grab a bottle of ice-cold water from the cooler.  They walked the rest of the way to the oasis and drank from a spring polluted by the feet of thousands of dusty animals.  It’s an injustice of immeasurable proportions.

Bond, James Bond.

Posted on September 04, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

I love this shot of Paul Wagner.  He’ll probably kill me when he finds it on this website.  But in spite of his rather unpresuming personality, I think this perfectly captures the nonchalant adventurer that smolders just beneath the surface.  Priceless.

Elephant

Posted on August 28, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Rhino Crossing

Posted on August 27, 2008 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Zebra

Posted on September 21, 2007 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Silk Worms

Posted on July 28, 2006 by Barak in Africa | No Comments

Cassowary

Posted on June 08, 2005 by Barak in Asia | No Comments

Dinosaur bird from the jungle.  We had these in PNG.  Didn’t realize they extended all the way up to SE Asia.  Wicked grumpy animals.