Photo of the Day 347

Buffalo Carcass, Zakouma National Park, Chad, 2007

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Chad's Zakouma National Park, a rare wildlife refuge in tumultuous central Africa, comprises less that 1,200 square miles (3,100 square kilometers), but its permanent water sources attract an abundance of large and small fauna. This buffalo took its last breath near one of Zakouma's rivers.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Ivory Wars: Last Stand in Zakouma," March 2007, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 329

Carmine Bee-Eaters, Chad, 2007

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Colorful carmine bee-eaters set up a breeding colony in holes they dug in a dried-up, sandy riverbed in Zakouma National Park, Chad. During the day, bee-eaters catch honeybees and other insects, sometimes displaying them outside their holes to attract mates. At sunset the colony gathers and embarks on a mysterious, swirling flight. By nightfall the birds are back in their holes.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Zakouma: Eye to Eye," March 2007, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 318

Elephant's Trunk, Zakouma National Park, Chad, 2007

Photograph by Michael Nichols

A unique camera angle captures an elephant's trunk approaching a waterhole in Zakouma National Park, Chad. African elephants hydrate by sucking liquid into their trunk, then pouring it into their mouth. Adults will drink up to 50 gallons (190 liters) of water per day.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Ivory Wars: Last Stand in Zakouma," March 2007, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 294

Wells, Zakouma National Park, Chad, 2007

Photograph by Michael Nichols

Like petals on a flower, wells fan out from a central point in Chad’s Zakouma National Park. The wells hold water from the life-giving heavy rains that start every year in May, ending months of drought in central Africa.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Zakouma: Eye to Eye," March 2007, National Geographic magazine)

Photo of the Day 258

Sandstone Pillars, Sahara Desert, Chad, 1999

Photograph by George Steinmetz

Spires of eroded sandstone stand like ancient pillars in the red dunes of Chad's Karnasai Valley in the central Sahara desert. Fierce winds, punishing sandstorms, and occasional douses of rain are slowly turning these rock formations back into the sand from which they were made.

(Photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Journey to the Heart of the Sahara," March 1999, National Geographic magazine)