Barak Bruerd » Animals

Tikka

Barak — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 17:19:15 +0000

Meet our new puppy – Tikka

Elephant Herds

Barak — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 01:12:56 +0000

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…

Barak — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:58:34 +0000

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

Barak — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:54:55 +0000

Road to Manhood

Barak — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:37:03 +0000

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.

Barak — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:08:53 +0000

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

Barak — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:07:48 +0000

Rhino Crossing

Barak — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:54:11 +0000

Zebra

Barak — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 21:01:38 +0000

Silk Worms

Barak — Fri, 28 Jul 2006 07:22:00 +0000