Nick and Nick at Mfuwe Lodge

I've very lucky here at Mfuwe Lodge, that this fantastic safari destination surrounded by amazing wildlife, attracts some very interesting people who make their living from wildlife and the study of wilderness areas such as the Luangwa Valley.

Two such people I've had the pleasure to spend some time with this last week are Nick Mackman and Nick Garbutt.

Nick Mackman is a wildlife sculptor and artist, who for the past 10 years has been associated with the BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, in making one-off clay sculptures as awards for the winning photos. Her brilliantly life-like sculptures have been sold all over the world, and reside in the collections of big names including Judi Dench and John Cleese. She also makes some especially cute clay models of meerkats.Part of the reason she is staying with us now is to hand over three sculptures that Mfuwe Lodge commissioned from her last year: Our resident elephant matriarch 'Wonky-Tusk', an amazing Wild dog pup, and a Warthog complete with bristles.

Other Nick, Nick Garbutt has also been involved in the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, as a winner in 2000, with his incredible picture of this Bengal Tiger slinking off into the forest. As well as his photographic awards, Nick is pretty much an all rounder in the field of natural history (thus making him somewhat of a hero to me). He has published numerous books on wildlife photography, put together extensive guides on the animals of Madagascar, lectured all over the world, and also leads small groups of photographers into the deep jungles of Gabon, Borneo and India.