Nature and animal photographer Benny Rebel is considered one of the best and most successful of our time. His photographs are unique and are characterized by unusual perspectives. And something else is special: Benny Rebel gets very close! So also to the cheetah Savanna, whose pictures are closely linked to a sad fate.
The spectacular pictures from the life of the cheetah female Savanna come from South Africa. There the big cat was raised by human hands in a nature reserve on the border of Kruger National Park. Animal photographer Benny Rebel was allowed to follow the life of the female cheetah up close for a full ten years. Year after year returned to the reserve. The story behind the pictures of the female cheetah Savanna is unique, because the big cat was considered a “part-time hunter”: Although it was successfully released into the wild, it always returned to the reserve and gave the purring pet there.
Family happiness with a tragic end
The cheetah became known beyond the country’s borders and attracted numerous tourists. But few people have felt as close to her as wildlife photographer Benny Rebel. When Savanna eventually had children, she took the artist into her small family: she let Rebel play with the four cheetah babies. Fantastic shots of the semi-wild cheetah family document the touching family happiness over several years. In order to protect the young big cats from other predators, they spent their youth in the nature reserve – until they were big and strong enough and could be successfully released into the wild.
Visually stunning family memories
Nevertheless, the day came in the wild when fate was not kind to them: In order to protect their cubs, Savanna confronted a pride of lions, which are the biggest natural enemies of cheetahs in the savannah. Savanna paid for this courage and motherly love with her life. A fate that also affected animal photographer Benny Rebel, since a family member died for him with Savanna. Apart from the grief, what remained were the priceless memories of the time spent with his extraordinary cheetah family. With his unique animal pictures, he lets us as animal lovers share in his memories.
Benny Rebel: CV and awards
Animal photographer Benny Rebel was born in Iran and has lived in Germany since 1987. At the same time, he uses his passion for spectacular animal photos to actively promote environmental protection. For this he traveled all over the world – but the focus was always the black continent. He has traveled 19 times to South Africa alone, where he met the cheetah Savanna. Benny Rebel’s passion for nature and photography has earned him numerous awards. In 2002/2003, for example, he was named best nature photographer twice in a row at the world’s largest photo competition, the Austrian Super Circuit. He has also stood in front of and behind the camera for numerous television productions.
On a photo safari with wildlife photographer Benny Rebel
If you want to create your own and perhaps similarly visually stunning memories of the beauty of the African continent, you have the opportunity to go on a photo safari with wildlife photographer Benny Rebel. He takes you on a journey to Africa and shares his experience as a wildlife photographer and ranger. On your trip to Africa you can experience the breathtaking nature of the continent and learn the craft of a professional photographer in a photo workshop.
You can find more information about Benny Rebel and his work on his homepage at “Benny-Rebel.com”.
