18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest Natural World
Risky thirst

A skinny Springbok antelope standing with all four hooves inside a waterhole in the Etosha National Park in Namibia. In September 2019 Namibia was still experiencing one of the worst droughts ever narrowing down the available waterholes to just a few. This wild animal was quenching its thirst despite running a high risk of getting killed by predators. It separated itself from the herd, chose a very rocky spot at the waterhole and climbed entirely into the water. Quite unusual, as his chances of getting quickly away were lowered by this behaviour.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 03.2019
Date Uploaded: 11.2020
Photo Location: Namibia
Camera: COOLPIX P900
Copyright: © Frank Proost