The Djuma Cam story
On August 17, 1998, Africam—Paul Clifford and Graham Wallington—launched the very first analog webcam at Djuma Bush Lodge with Jurie and Pippa Moolman. In those early days, the team experimented with what became known as the “trailer cam,” a CCTV camera mounted on a trailer equipped with solar panels and batteries. The video signal was transmitted via an analog microwave link to Djuma Bush Lodge, where a PC captured a still image every 30 seconds and sent it to servers in California.
Before long, the trailer’s wheels were removed, and the entire rig was placed on the back of an old game-drive vehicle affectionately called “Skadonk.” This made it possible to drive directly to wildlife sightings. One notable event took place when a pride of lions killed a zebra not far from camp. Equipped with a generator and lights on Skadonk, the team managed to broadcast their first live lion kill. Later, when the lions dragged the carcass out of view, Jurie had to reposition both Skadonk and a nearby Land Cruiser by moving them incrementally without ever stepping onto the ground. Every moment of this inventive solution—driving forward one vehicle, then the other—was watched live by viewers around the world, who relayed messages through Pippa.
In late 1998, after only a few months, the camera moved to overlook Gowrie Dam, where it has remained ever since. Over the past 27 years, multiple camera systems have been tested and refined at Djuma. These ranged from analog video sent over cables and microwave links to digital cameras carried by fiber optics and satellite uplinks. Experiments included 360-degree cameras, low-angle “eye level” cams, camera traps, and even remote-controlled cars equipped with cameras. First Africam, then WildEarth, and later National Geographic all used Djuma as a testing ground for a variety of new ideas.
Some of the earliest drones used to film wildlife were also flown at Gowrie Dam. In a few instances, these drones crashed into the water, and viewers watched live as they were retrieved—beyond repair—by team members wading into the dam. Djuma Cam was also the site chosen for the first remotely controlled, over the internet, “rover cam” that ultimately got a starring role on National Geographic television.
Through all the technical changes and trials, an online chat room has remained central to the Djuma Cam experience (and later, to many other nature cams). People from around the world gathered there—first on an IRC (Internet Relay Chat) channel set up by Africam, and also on The Boma message board. This vibrant community was among the very first of its kind on the internet, predating social media platforms like MySpace and Facebook by around seven years.
In 1999, Graham and Paul took things a step further by introducing a “Virtual Game Drive.” They used a technology called Slow Scan TV to convert images from a video camera on a safari vehicle into audio signals, which were then transmitted via VHF radio. At base camp, these signals were decoded back into images and posted as JPEG files on the internet. This made it possible to share images from actual game drives in near real-time, laying the groundwork for popular live safari broadcasts such as the Leopard Cam with Kim Wolhuter and National Geographic’s safariLIVE. Despite these successes, the original Djuma Cam continued its steady, day-and-night coverage, allowing viewers to stay connected to Djuma, its wildlife, and a growing global community.
Early analog nature cams lacked autofocus, and because operators were trying to zoom and pan a feed that refreshed every 30 seconds, the team had to design one of the very first autofocus systems for these cameras. Africam was also running a 24/7 online radio show at the time. Since most viewers had dial-up modems, Africam initially provided live audio alongside static images that refreshed every 30 seconds. The camera operators—or “zoomies”—in Johannesburg relied on wide-angle sweeps to stitch together panoramic shots before choosing where to zoom. Once the camera zoomed in, it would cycle through all the possible focus settings and pick the sharpest image based on file size. All of these engineering innovations were pioneered at Djuma and then replicated at other nature-cam sites around the world.
As the dot-com era boomed, Africam found huge success, but it later collapsed. Jurie, Graham, Paul, and a few others ran Africam for a time, until Campbell Scott and Jon Oliver took over. Eventually, Africam ceased broadcasting from Djuma. In the meantime, Graham and Emily Wallington founded WildEarth at Djuma and, with support from Telkom Media, launched WildEarth.tv on April 27, 2007. For a while, Graham and Emily commuted weekly between Johannesburg and Djuma to ensure the smooth running of a single safari vehicle and the Djuma Cam. With subsequent assistance from National Geographic, they expanded their efforts, and safariLIVE became highly popular on television, ultimately growing beyond Djuma. Throughout every stage of this growth, Djuma Cam remained a constant—broadcasting faithfully to a dedicated community of viewers who have continued to cherish this one-of-a-kind window into the African bush.