Will Burrard-Lucas is an award-winning wildlife photographer, particularly known for camera trap photos of African wildlife. In his latest series, which is presented below, the photographer was able to capture many rare animals - from leopards to lions, hyenas, zebras, wildebeest, and baboons - at the Shomphole Wilderness Camp in Kenya which belongs to the local Maasai community. But the story behind these photos may be even more astonishing than the photos themselves...
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Having spent a lot of time at the camp in the past two years, the photographer noticed how dozens of animals would be attracted to a small water hole during the evening hours. When he set up a camera trap on-site, he was amazed to see the variety of wildlife that would regularly return to rehydrate there. The terrain completely transformed during the dark.
That's when something clicked in the photographer’s mind, as he describes in his blog. Since the Maasai community uses tourism revenue to take care of the local environment and daily life, adding a new experience would certainly attract more visitors while also providing animals with water.
As a result, Shomphole Hide was born. This is a manmade watering hole located far away from other water sources in the area. The water is replenished with the help of a solar pump, so the watering hole is constantly full of fresh water.
Beside the watering hole is a hide made of two shipping containers with windows that allow visitors to observe and photograph the animals without scaring them. Burrard-Lucas took all of the amazing photos you see here at the Shomphole Hide. The initiative is a success! The animals enjoy a steady source of water and the people get to view and photograph a variety of rare wildlife. How heartwarming!
