The Legacy Club

Night & Day: Adventures of African Wildlife

Six zebras stand and drink near a still pool of water — Zebras, South Rift, Kenya "They must be impressed with the beauty of their reflections." © Ken Coe

In celebration of the vernal equinox, talented photographer Ken Coe shares images that showcase the beauty of African wildlife at all times of day and night. See Ken’s striking work and read about it in his own words.

Into the light

"A stunning guineafowl? Yes!"

a vibrant bird stands at night — Vulturine Guineafowl Ol Doinyo Lemboro, Kenya © Ken Coe

Mmmm. So good ...

"Do animals feel joy? This photo leads me to believe they do!"

an oryx stands amongst grasses and eats — Beisa oryx Awash National Park, Ethiopia © Ken Coe

Lurking in the grass

"Some of the most boring creatures on earth during daylight hours, lions come alive at night. This male is in the midst of patrolling his territory."

a lion stands among grasses at night — Lion South Luangwa National Park, Zambia © Ken Coe

I see you!

"The proper way to capture the immensity of elephants is to get very close with a wide-angle lens. Here, I am sitting down next to the wheel of a vehicle, making myself as inconspicuous and low to the ground as possible. They still notice you and acknowledge you as they walk by, merely 10-15 feet away."

a herd of elephants walks and looks at a camera — Elephants Kitirua Conservancy, Kenya © Ken Coe

Lynx drinks

"Caracal, a distant cousin of the lynx, is rarely seen due to its retiring nature. I was very fortunate to have come across this one at a floodlit waterhole."

a caracal laps water from a still pool at night — Caracal South Rift, Kenya © Ken Coe

Bagheera?

"Melanism in leopards is extremely rare, but currently there are a handful of known melanistic (breathtaking!) leopards roaming central-northern Kenya."

"Melanism in leopards is extremely rare, but currently there are a handful of known melanistic (breathtaking!) leopards roaming central-northern Kenya." — Melanistic leopard Ol Doinyo Lemboro, Kenya © Ken Coe

Topi Chiaroscuro

"The tawny-orange/dark blue iridescence of topi is at its best some minutes after sunrise and some minutes before sunset."

a topi runs at night — Topi Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya © Ken Coe

Under the bright lights

"The day's last light finds the zebras crossing a dry lakebed."

zebras walk across a dusty landscape — Plains Zebras Kitirua Conservancy, Kenya © Ken Coe

A close encounter of the spotted kind

"It's as if this young leopard disembarked from a UFO and is about to abduct yours truly."

a lone leopard walks on a path toward the camera with dust in the background — Leopard Sabi Sands, South Africa © Ken Coe

Love on the rocks

"These lions were sunning themselves to warm up on a particularly cool early morning."

two lions sit atop a rock nuzzling each other — Lions Serengeti National Park, Tanzania © Ken Coe

A feline outline

"A magical moment when this female leopard walked right in between two vehicles so that the spotlight from one cast a perfect rim around her."

Leopard Sabi Sands, South Africa © Ken Coe

Dust, smoke, haze, elephants

"In the dry season in Kafue, distant wildfires create moody skies."

a herd of elephants walks across a dusty landscape — Elephants Kafue National Park, Zambia © Ken Coe

Plains black & white

"They must be impressed with the beauty of their reflections."

a herd of zebras drinks from a still pool at night — Plains Zebras South Rift, Kenya © Ken Coe

Ken Coe — Ken Coe Ken is a Legacy Club member, Gift Planning Emeritus Advisor, and the former Chair of TNC's Africa Council. © Ken Coe

Meet Ken

Avid photographer Ken Coe is a longtime supporter of The Nature Conservancy. He is a Legacy Club member and a Gift Planning Emeritus Advisor, as well as the former Chair of TNC's Africa Council. A passionate naturalist, he has traveled to the African continent an incredible 47 times, and today is focused on book and internet projects about his experiences there. He previously spent 30 years working in investment banking and management. Today Ken lives in Connecticut with his wife, Karla, and has two grown children.