How I lived with lions in Botswana
Nicholas Frederik Bonnen Rossen, 26, is a freelance photographer and publisher. Born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, he is an avid travel, book and photography enthusiast. Rossen traveled to Botswana last year for Børsen, a popular financial newspaper in Denmark. The result is a captivating report with unforgettable photographs, which you will see below, and which almost cost Rossen his right hand. Here is what the photographer himself says about his close encounter with the lions of Botswana.
1. What made you go to Botswana and do this report?
I first heard about these guys from our mutual friend from South Africa.
2. I was immediately moved by their story. I knew they couldn't afford to hire a publisher, so I decided to use my connections with the Danish newspaper Børsen to volunteer their story to the world. The newspaper immediately agreed.
3. How did you live in the wild? How long did this project take?
I spent 12 days in a tent at Camp Modisa, 30 km from the Kalahari Game Reserve, 280 km south of Maun, the nearest town nearby. During the day it was up to 35 degrees of heat, at night the temperature dropped to -10. And not a soul for miles around.
4. The only thing that could be heard at night was the roar of the lions. This country is the size of France, and the population is like Copenhagen. One of the most remote yet unspoilt places I have ever visited.
5. The MODISA project was launched in 2011 by Mikkel Legart and Valentin Gruner. They now live in a safari hut 30 km west of the Kalahari Game Reserve. They want to "become leaders in the conservation of the Kalahari ecosystem" through three main goals: pacify existing conflicts with humans, scientific research and appeal to public opinion.
6. What challenges do you face as a photographer?
The only thing I didn't have to worry about was the lighting. It is just perfect at sunset and (especially) at dawn. But overcoming the fear was quite difficult. Photographing the lioness Sirga weighing 90 kg (and now all 130) is not a joke to you, but she was still a teenager! At any moment, one could expect that she could accidentally hit you or even kill you.
7. It is also difficult to photograph because they are very inquisitive - they want to smell everything. Involuntarily begins to tremble and pray. Also, looking at how this lioness constantly jumped on the guys and knocked them to the ground in the game, I always thought that if she did the same to me, then the camera would be the last thing I would worry about. Therefore, I often went out “in the field” in order to photograph her and the guys as often as possible.
8. Were you afraid to be so close to the lions? It seems Valentin and Mikkel have earned the trust of these beasts, but what about you?
I can’t describe how exciting it is when the three of you, unarmed, are face to face with six large lions, and there is not a soul around.
9. And yet we never approached adult males closer than 5 meters for one simple reason: we remember that lions are very brave. But the strangest thing here was just that the lions were afraid of Valentin and Mikkel, so that every time they approached them, the lions roared and ran away so that their heels sparkled. This is something unimaginable. But I'm sure I would like to relive it.
10. What equipment did you have?
Funny, I've had a Canon DSLR and a Leica SLR, but I've photographed lions the most with my tiny Canon S100. That's all. Sometimes the camera is not the most important thing.
11. What do you think about the MODISA project? Will their intervention in the lives of lions benefit the animals?
I'll leave it to the experts to decide. After my report, they were invited to Copenhagen for a conference on September 26, so I'm looking forward to the public's reaction. To be honest, I don't think these guys do anything incredible because they've been doing it all their lives. They devoted themselves entirely to living in harmony with the Kalahari.
12. If tomorrow you could jump on a plane and fly anywhere, where would you choose?
To Antarctica or to the South Pole - the only continent where my foot has not set foot yet.
13. What story do you dream of covering as a photographer?
I would like to meet with Fidel Castro tête-à-tête. This is my dream.
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15. What advice would you give to aspiring photojournalists?
I'm just a curious guy with a pen and a camera. My mother is one of the most popular and famous portrait photographers in my country. She first picked up a camera at 35 and is now 65 and a leader in her genre. It's never too late to learn. And also: lighting is everything, ask Rembrandt.
16. What happened to your hand there?
I was gathering firewood, trying to pick a branch from a tree, and I broke my arm - a double helical fracture. By the way, it is very painful and at the same time embarrassing. I only got to the hospital two days later and had to complete the interview with only my left hand. In the photo: Nikolai Rossen with a broken arm.
17. What projects are in the future?
I am now doing a report on a good friend of mine, a Georgian oligarch with whom I recently spent six days in Tbilisi, accompanied by his small army of bodyguards with AK-47s. This is definitely one of the busiest trips I've ever had. But they are probably some of the most generous and hospitable people I have ever met. I'm also going to Chile in December and New York in January, so if anyone has a really good photography story, I'm all ears.