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Exhibition Member Highlights
Acrobat of Mana Pools
About the image
This is an image I had dreamed of capturing for a long time, as it represents witnessing one of Africa's greatest natural wonders and thousands of years of inherited behavior: the standing elephants of Mana Pools. In July 2025, I finally made this dream a reality. We found Boris, a massive bull elephant, walking through the "blue forest" of the Mana Pools floodplain. He is one of the only 8 known bull elephants who perform the act of standing on their hind legs to reach for food. We followed Boris for several hours, waiting for him to find the right tree. Finally, over a dry gully with the stunning blue forest and Zambian mountains on the background, the stage was set. Boris positioned himself under the shade of a massive winterthorn tree, dwarfing him in size, and lifted his six ton body onto his hind legs to reach the canopy. Time froze. It is one of those moments where you can't really believe what you are seeing, but it is very much happening right in front of you.
SPECIES:
African Elephant
How it was captured
Camera: Canon R5 mii
Lens: Sigma 60-600mm
Photographer:
Age:
From:
Lucas Vasques
22
Limpopo
About the photographer
Growing up in the Peruvian Andes meant staying very connected with nature. As I grew older and moved to the big city, I realized that I wanted the natural world to remain part of my life and to build a career around it. In 2023, I took a leap of faith and left Peru to study at Bushwise Field Guides in South Africa. This was a dream come true, introducing me to a deeper understanding of the natural world and the wildlife industry. I developed a growing passion for wildlife photography and have since traveled to some of the world's leading wildlife destinations and other remarkable natural areas. My goal with photography is to capture nature's essence, to tell the stories of the voiceless, and inspire everyone who witnesses its beauty.
PHOTOGRAPHER'S QUOTE
Wildlife photography is a fleeting moment in an untamed story.
CONSERVATION MESSAGE
This photograph reflects the importance of preserving wild areas, as you are not only preserving nature, but are also preserving thousands of years of remarkable inherited behavior unique to a place. The standing elephants still exist nowadays thanks to conservation efforts in Mana Pools National Park which have preserved the species and its habitat, allowing this behavior and lineage to continue.