Our experience depends on what needs to be done at a specific time of the year. Our idea is not to give plan a specific experience and create a show for the students. We want the student to experience exactly what happens on a daily basis in our profession. Normally we do experiences that last 3 days each.

Please note that because our guests are important to us nothing is cast in stone, as we can change schedules as weather condition change as well as if emergencies occur.

The following Tasks are examples of activities available to the Student Experience guests:

Large mammal identification Experience:

This will obviously be done on a day to day basis as we drive and walk around to identify all the mammal species on a specific Game Reserve, from as small as a shrub hare to Loxodonta africana….the classroom will be the bush, and general habits and interesting facts will be discussed. You will be able to keep a detailed list of all your sightings and compare and learn as we go along….

Small mammal identification Experience

These little guys are hard to identify as they normally offer mere glimpses of their secret lives! We have, however an unique way to expose our guests to the fascinating world of small mammals! We will concentrate on a variety of habitats to identify elephant shrews, observe dassie rats in the rocky outcrops, listen to whistling rats and spot the small Mus minutoides! In addition to this, special Sherman traps (they are kept alive and released alive!) will be set at different times of the day and night to capture rodents in order to identify and map the distribution of rodents on a specific Game Reserve. This is a very important scientific project to gain information on these secretive creatures and to contribute to their conservation status in the area as a whole.

Experience on plants:

Guests will be exposed to the rich and diverse plant communities of the area and identification of all grasses, trees and forbs will be done on an ongoing basis. Uses and interesting facts such as toxicology will be discussed and shown….it will all be outdoors and hands-on!

Birding Experience:

Southern Africa is one of the richest bird life areas in the world and birders can pick up to 850 species, depending on the time of the year, of birds up in this area. Your expert guide will be used to either introduce keen birders to the fascinating field of birding or to assist advanced birders to extend their life lists and to interpret bird calls and discussions on breeding aspects, conservation and other important issues on an ongoing basis.

Nocturnal life:

Identify animals and follow them at night…..rare species normally not seen at day time! There are genets, bat eared foxes, springhare, caracal, African wild cat, brown hyena, aardvark and many more….

Game counts:

All animals drink water when it is available….in the safe environment of a close-by hide guests can sit and watch a host of animals gathering at the drinking place. Data sheets are completed and valuable information are gathered depicting times, numbers and interactions. In the quite times there are interesting creatures such as hippo and crocodiles to watch….who knows what can happen at a drinking place!

Game ranch management:

Southern Africa has many large and small conservation areas and has game reserves with a lot of routine work involving the day to day management tasks and behind the scenes which guests can be exposed to. We do not intend for guests to be part of the physical work but we will interpret and show how they work and why it is being done, such as the management and maintenance of erosion, roads, fences (electric). Opportunities will also be given to guests to learn basic skills in terms of handling a rifle safely and effectively. Whilst out tracking animals we might have to stop to fix something, e.g. a ball valve at a drinking place that needs to be reset or an electrical short on the fence…..

Tracks and signs:

In this part of the world things are happening every moment while we are out in the bush. Tracks and signs tell their own story and what better to have it evaluated and interpreted by the local experts who developed the art of tracking into a science of their own! The intention is that you should be able to tell the difference between the tracks of a black and white rhino, distinguish in which direction the elephants have moved, was the snake track across the road from east to west or from west to east……

Roughing it up:

During your student experience we will expose you to a camping experience in the bush, far away from electricity and telephones and running water….

Guests will be taken to camping spots on a specific Game Reserve and will be taught how to set up a camp with tents and limited equipment! We will not rough it completely, but guests will learn how to make a fire safely, how to prepare gourmet meals on an open fire or watch the local cuisine expert do it for you, how to handle dangerous and potentially dangerous situations in the bush as well as to interpret obvious signs of the bush such as tracks, dung and certain bird calls. We will set up the camp together, show you hippo paths and other big game paths and why we do not camp on these, select a shady spot and know where the sun’s path is……look at the stars, listen to the sounds of the bush….heaven on earth!

The following are specialised outings that are not part of the normal routine experiences and will be normally done as the demand arises during the year. Guests will obviously have the opportunity to participate on some of these experiences. Some of it might happen as a matter of urgency or will be totally unscheduled…:

Reptiles

A specialised workshop, three times a year, with a known expert such as Andrew Jackson will be given with keys being on the identification and handling of snakes and reptiles. During this time snakes will be captured to implant them with radio-transmitters in order for us to learn more of their habits.

Game Capture:

Guests are exposed to experiences that are normally only seen on wildlife documentaries and will be made part of the operation. Brief descriptions are the following:

White or black rhino capture Management options: marking and notching or capture and relocation.

We all meet at a central point within the working area: some guests will leave with the safari vehicle and one or two might be in the helicopter with the aerial team. There are always two teams: an aerial team consisting mainly of the pilot, veterinarian (Douw) and the ground team (JJ and Stefran) with the back-up equipment for capture and loading or marking and notching.

Generally the ground crew wait at a pre-selected central point and there is very good communication between the two teams by means of VHF radios….the helicopter fly until it finds its quarry and then the action start. The rhino or rhinos (cow and calf) are darted and guided closer to any access road where the ground crew would be waiting close-by. Generally the drugs take effect within 4-6 minutes and as soon as the rhino goes down the ground crew and guests move in to stabilize the animal….its eyes are covered with a cloth; ears are plugged to mute external noises whatever needs to be done gets done: with a capture the big equipment and crates are moved into position; ropes are tied to the animal and it is loaded into its crate through a very complicated procedure of various antidotes and stimulations.

When we do a marking and notching operation all the action is centered around the animal on the ground: transponders are placed with a drill in both horns, one is implanted in the body; ear notches are cut and blood is drawn for pregnancy status and a disease profile. Animal is rinsed with water to cool down if needed; antibiotic is given and dart removed and finally photos and measurements are taken before the rhino is woken up and released again. Ear notching is important so that specific animals can be identified and accounted for.

Elephant capture Management options: Capture and relocation (Bulls (2-4) or family group (7-10)

Radio-collaring

In essence the operation about ground crew and aerial crew stay the same as well as most of the other logistical exercises.

During a capture, the area where the elephants are darted is carefully selected as the equipment and people must be able to get to the sleeping animals. The darting of especially a family group is very technical is one have to keep all of them together and make sure big cows do not land on top of small babies. Loading takes place and the animals are moved to the wake-up crate where they are loaded over and woken up with the administration of an antidote. Cows and calves are loaded together and generally an exercise of the capture of 10 family group members would take roughly about 2 hours.

Bulls are generally caught on their own (one at a time) because of their sheer size and weight. Mostly only two will be loaded on a truck because of weight restrictions. The equipment used for this operation is essentially the same but just bigger and stronger!

Radio-collaring is done mainly to keep track of the movements of elephants which are used mainly for research projects or management purposes. The elephant gets darted and the collar fitted in the field and guests will have an experience of being close to one of nature’s real giants before its woken up and released.

Lion Management options: radio-collaring; marking and notching; contraception or capture and relocation

This is always work in the dark or if we lucky late afternoon stuff, the main reason for this is that lions are a lot more easily handled during night time than day time. The most difficult part of this exercise is to locate the animals to be worked on and various methods are used from using a carcass as a bait, call-up apparatus mimicking animals in distress and combinations of the above. Once the animals have been located, they get darted and whatever needs to be done gets done on them. Marking lions means they are branded with a hot iron or they get a radio-collar; contraception can be a vasectomy to the males or the implantation of hormonal implants in the females. Mostly only two animals are captured during a specific night.

A typical lion operation can be as short as three hours but it can also last the entire night depending how skittish or clever the animals are and where their location is.

Mass capture operation:

Mass capture is done to capture and relocate mainly antelope such as gemsbok, hartebeest and kudu, as examples. A specific site is selected where a capture boma (100 by 200 m) is constructed with special capture sheeting and poles and a group of animals is herded to the site with a helicopter. Once the animals are closed in the boma they are loaded onto a transport truck and tranquilised and relocated to a new area. Lots of excitement and action!

Cheetah capture:

Mainly done to monitor movement of animals and this is done by darting animals and fitting a radio-collar or by implanting a radio transmitter in the animal.

Giraffe capture:

A helicopter is used to dart the animal and a ground crew will help with ropes to secure and load the animal into a special trailer after which the giraffe will be moved to the transport truck.

Crocodile capture:

Crocodiles might end up in pools drying up in which case it might be needed to move them back to permanent water.