- From the editors desk - Last Month’s Top Shot Winner - Facebook Cover Shot Winner - Volunteer Encounter
- THAF Update - Community Focus
- Photography Reflections - Photography Focus
- Research Update - Research Focus
Welcome again to the latest edition! We have some fantastic articles this month from all aspects of lodge life. Read about our amazing local artisans, now exhibiting their wares in the Dumela shop, or about an individual project where we had a brilliantly enthusiastic group of young volunteers come over from America in a 3 day conservation intensive program.
We have updates from the volunteers themselves – why they came here and exactly what they put in and got out of the projects. You can also learn about our latest lion Mabande or the little guys with Macro photography, and don’t miss our Ranger’s Report from one of our student guides. If you are interested to keep you up to date with the latest news, you can subscribe by mailing: warthogpost@africanimpact.com
Covershot: 18th June 2016, Female leopard with her impala kill in Kruger National Park | Lilla Szanto
Coming to Africa to volunteer with animals was a dream come true. I The took a gap year after high school in hopes of fulfilling this dream. In high school, I volunteered in a variety of ways, from nursing homes to animals shelters to helping children. Even though I'm passionate about working with children, the elders, and victims, my heart lies with animals. Since I was five years old, I've been telling everyone that I want to be a veterinarian when I grow up. At the end of my senior year in high school, I interned at the local animal hospital where I witnessed multiple surgeries and assisted in daily check-ups. I wanted to gain more experience in the field of animal work so I believed that taking a gap year would grant me the opportunity to fulfill my dream of going to Africa and working with wild animals. I worked in child care and for a period at a restaurant to help pay for the cost of my trip. I was able to spend a total of an absolutely amazing nine weeks in South Africa.
I can honestly say that my time with African Impact was the highlight of my trip. I spent four weeks on the Large Predator Research Program, where I learned an incredible amount. The staff members are so inspiring, passionate, and dedicated to their work. Their constant positive energy is contagious and refreshing. Dumela works towards every aspect of conservation from education to physical work. Every day we learned a number of new things. I came to South Africa not knowing what my favorite animal was because I love all animals. Now, after being introduced to new species and learning about so many animals, I'm never going to be able to pick a favorite.
My favorite day at African Impact was on a Thursday during my second week. We went camping overnight on Wednesday in the reserve, Klaserie. The Thursday morning drive in Klaserie was full of sightings. We saw a favorite lion, Mabande with a kill after watching him stalk buffalo the night before. While leaving Klaserie, we saw hyenas mating. In the afternoon, we went to reading club at a local school where we tried out an Impact Brainstorming idea for the first time. Our idea is to educate the kids about a specific animal and then allow them to make an animal out of salt dough. The salt dough was a success and the kids loved it!
African Impact provides a rich experience because there are three projects in one lodge. Even as a researcher, I was able to improve my photography skills and go to the local schools. Traveling to South Africa has confirmed that I want to work with animals as a career and continue to volunteer in communities. The experience was so rewarding and I would recommend taking a gap year to anyone so you can try to further pursue what you love. I will always cherish the memories and friendships I've made during my trip.
No size difference exists between the sexes, which are physically similar in appearance. Body length measures 1.1 m and the mass is 4.3 kg. The coat is dark-grey in colour, and the tails are distinctive with long, white hairs. Legs are black and front limbs appear short.
Katie is a dynamic young woman from Hull, England who has been working towards the goal of coming back to South Africa from the age of 19. She acquired her BSc Wildlife conservation and ecology degree and made her way back to the place she now calls home. The only thing she misses now that she is in her new home is the Chinese food but we make up for it here in South Africa by having leopards. She embraces every day with a smile and the thought that she can go out and look for the elusive cat she loves so much. She is a good listener who gives comfort to those around her. She can often be found reading her book as she is obsessed with books and learning.
Two months ago the Dumela Bar was moved into what used to be the Reception to make space for the brand new project office. With the move the opportunity arose to expand on the bar activities by adding locally produced souvenirs to the assortment.
The first quest for local producers is described in the last edition of the Warthog Post. That story told about how we got in contact with crafters from the community we are working with. Now two months later we have a total of 6 local partners of which one is a weavers collective that employs ten local women. The first thing you see when you visit the Dumela Shop are the background stories of our contributors. Next to each
story a picture of the contributor can be found accompanied by a number that corresponds with the first number of the product code which can be found on the price tag. This way customers can easily find out who the crafter of their purchase is and what their stories are. The concept of the shop is that crafters can contribute their crafts to the shop for a set period of time, determined by the crafter. Our job is
then to try and sell their pieces of craft within that period of time and if we manage to sell their product they will receive their payment otherwise we will return their products. This way the crafter does not have any risks on their side and on the long term this system will tell us and the crafters which products are in high demand and therefore which ones the crafter can focus on to produce. The crafters we work with are not chosen by coincidence. All of our contributors are highly skilled but struggling to place their products on the market. Through our contact and the lessons we learn by selling their products at Dumela we can assist in their market development.
Currently our product range includes stone and metal sculptures, table cloths and runners of different sizes and designs, different types of rugs and carpets, bags and many other products. Our vision for the future is to find more ways to expose our contributors. With the knowledge we gain from selling their products at our shop we could eventually approach other lodges and markets,
and this will hopefully secure a sustainable income for the local crafters. For more information on what The Happy Africa Foundation is working on at Greater Kruger have a look on the THAF website. Here you can look for Limpopo, the province we are working in and the projects will pop up automatically.
I would also like to make use of this opportunity to once more thank everyone who was involved in creating the shop, to the volunteers who purchased goods at the shop and with their responsible purchase supported the local community and to all the volunteers who brought donations with to the Dumela Lodge. Your donations are very much appreciated!
Each zebra has a unique stripe pattern, a barcode or fingerprint so to speak. When young zebra are born, the female will screen her foal away from any other zebra until her own stripe pattern has imprinted on the youngster, ensuring recognition. The zebra has characteristic ‘shadow stripes’ between the black and white stripes of the rump which gives the body a dirty chestnut colour. The tail of a zebra is an incessant fly-swat. The whisk of black hair on the end is a useful device in this regard.
I was born in Kwazulu-Natal Hluhluwe. I did my high school studies at Siphosabadletshe. I work here in Greater Kruger for African Impact and I have been working for the company for 3 years now. I moved up with the team from Tanda pretty much a year ago. My occupation is maintenance; making sure that the lodge looks always nice and clean, and I can literally fix everything. I do security sometimes as well when I have to cover my colleague. Basically I am everywhere.
My favourite hobbies are music, singing. My favourite sports are wrestling and soccer. My favourite animals are cheetah, lion and elephants.
This month on our community projects we had a volunteer group join us from the USA for 3 days of community project work! When setting about creating an itinerary for the group it was very important to us that the volunteer time was spent learning and experiencing as much as possible of the community while also ensuring the biggest impact possible for the community. Therefore we created an itinerary which maximised volunteer experience and community impact with one action packed day! We kicked the day off with a bumpy dirt road to get us to our first location, Mathlathi Primary School. Our partners EcoChildren have created beautiful vegetable gardens which are bright and colourful which meant the classroom block, in contrast, was looking a bit dull and the school had requested this was brightened up with a fresh colour of paint! So the group worked hard each morning to ensure that the top of the classroom block was completely repainted in a new colour which was a fantastic achievement to complete! The group then had a short break for a Shangaan lesson with our Community Coordinator, Trico. He taught the volunteers greeting and some basic sentences in local Shangaan and he quickly put them to the test to ensure that they had the essentials before our afternoon activities! We then headed over to visit the Mapusha Weaving Co-operative, tucked away on the outskirts of Acornhoek. This Co-operative has been in existence for 40 years, started by the local Catholic Mission and then continued by the Co-operative members themselves
as they worked hard to produce incredible mats, table runners and carpets to order. These ladies are committed to their trade and very passionate. They work hard to ensure that their skills are passed on to others and their business keeps running to the benefit of all the cooperative members. These inspiring ladies welcomed the volunteers and took some time to show them the weaving process and then gave them the chance to try for themselves. Some of the volunteers showed great promise and the ladies were very impressed!
As a last stop on this community day we finished up with Seganyane Primary School, our usual after school club spot. We worked with Grade 4, 5 and 6 who do not normally get the opportunity to attend Reading Club which is a Grade 7 class. These students jumped at the chance and went to the library, selected books and read to the volunteers. The volunteers asked questions, tested understanding of the stories and corrected the pronunciation of words. This gives the students an opportunity to practice English reading and also ensures comprehension which is of vital importance for exams and further study.
In terms of impact, three days spent in community brought great results with the painting of a classroom block, which smartened up the school and helps to increase pride in the community; support of local entrepreneurs and trying a new skill for volunteers; increasing interest in English and improving comprehension for school students while also immersing volunteers with a glimpse of the local culture!
Leopards are master stalkers and they will painstakingly approach very close to their quarry before launching an attack. They rely on the element of surprise and their powerful bodies to capture prey, which is grappled with the fore-claws and then bitten on the back of the head or around the throat. Leopards rely on their good sense of hearing when communicating over long distances. They vocalise with a rasping call that sounds like wood under a saw. Leopards are excellent mothers and will leave their cubs secreted away in dense bush or up a tree in order to hunt for food to which they will then lead their off-spring. They do this until the cubs are about 9,5 months old at which time they may accompany the mother on hunts executing their first kill at around 11 months old. Leopards cannot fend for themselves until they are at least a year old and the female will accommodate her cubs within the confines and protection of their territories for at least 18 months (if not longer) and even tolerate hunting visits by newly independent sub-adults which may not immediately be able to set up territories of their own. Where there are cases of females’ territories overlapping, it is most likely between female relatives. They tend not to use the overlapping part of the range at the same time.
The classic saying, “time flies when you’re having fun” could not inHippo this has We be canmore showperfect how the instance. It was like I blinked an affectionate, not just aggresive and Thethe 4-week side,missed we can it. show industrious dung beetle working (the at flies photography courseaway offered here, incidentally, likecent an African Impact is point 100 per arrow doing. towardsIt’s the –I worth a subject program trained them myself), or a lonely that caters to every individual’s impala with a long way to go. experience and skill level, no matter what type of DSLR We can also create confusion camera you own.to make the viewer within the image look deeper, like a crocodile’s eye
The first week was seen through another croc’s mouth, information overload – tedious getting the audience to engage with but completely necessary. a photo, get them thinking. This is when we learnt about how a camera and whattogether, goes Bringingworks two elements into making awesome– here we can makean a suggestion that African Impact works with photo. Starting with the basics snakes – so you can see that such as ISO, shutter speed even and with few variables, photograph aperture we learntaabout how becomes morecontribute and more into these factors complicated. capturing the subject at a particular moment. Through This, for me, is part of my various activities we studied fascination with photography - the how changing three control we can these have over what we main can better want factors to communicate, by or simple worsen photograph inclusiona or omission. It’s also depending on the natural where we have a responsibility, in not only what we say,as but how we circumstances such lighting saywhere it. There nothe way we can get or weisas that perfect image, that puts an photographer is positioned toidea in another’s head with no confusion take the photo. whatsoever. Striving towards that
During thishowever, week we also keeps perfection, is what learnt about cropping and how the photographer coming back. giving your subject space in
the frame causes your subject to stand out a whole lot more. This surprisingly, is something few people actually think about but can improve the photo dramatically. The program Light Room is a major part of this project. This is where we edit our photos and bring to life the moment we have captured. Week one involved a whole lot of learning about what we were here for and how our photographs that we will take during the next month will make an impact throughout the country of South Africa and beyond. Week two and three were all about practice. Going on game drives, into the community, macro bush walks, bird walks and taking photos of anything and everything! The evenings of these two weeks would mainly consist of editing time and organising the endless number of folders on your hard drive -organisation is the key. These two weeks I feel like I really found my feet when it come to my photographs and my style. I now understood the capability of my camera and how to use it and how get the perfect shot. It actually
Light painting, or light drawing is a photographic technique in which exposures are made by moving a hand-held light source while taking a long exposure photograph, either Use what’s on offer. to illuminate a subject or to shine a Natural lighting is at always point of light directly the camera. going to be way better than Traditional light painting uses handheld lights selectively anything manto can illuminate or colour partsit! ofThe the manufacture, so use subject or scene. Light painting hours just after dawn and just requires a slow shutter speed, before sunset (the golden usually at least a second in duration. Light painting hours) give light withcan a take on the characteristics of a traditional beautiful, rosy quality (which ispainter. why most romantic shots A variety of light sources can be are set at sunset). used, ranging from simple ‘Bad’ lighting canphone, work matches, in your flashlights, candle, lighter, fireworks and so on. A favour. Atmospheric tripod is usually due to conditions cannecessary lead to moody the long exposure times involved. shots, so maximize any Alternatively, the camera may be definition inbraced overcast clouds placed on or against a table ormake other solid to suresupport. it doesn’t look Get your out. plane of focus by using a painted single subject. Then switch focus to Rim-lighting (a technique used manual. inSetstudio lighting using your timer – 2 tosetups 5 seconds ashould designated ‘hair light’ for be enough. Get your parameters – where does models) and silhouetting can your canvas lie i.e.: What the have a very dramatic are effect. outer limits of your viewfinder. Just can’t get into Prepbecause your light you painters. You will the right position doesn’tas to have to give clear instruction what you want the guys do.the If mean you should trytofor they have an idea of–what you want shot. Remember let nature to achieve, the results will be better. inspire you! So go out and get creative!
Baboons have a dog-like shaped head to which the species name cynocephalus refers, literally meaning ‘doghead’. Baboons can see in colour. This adaptation supposedly enables them to identify ripe fruit (although they are prone to taking green fruit as well). The fact that they have colour vision means that visual advertising is possible during the female’s oestrus period. A male baboon will simply recognize the readiness of a female to mate from the scarlet colour of the sexual skin around her rump. This changes to different shades of pink throughout her cycle, being brightest when she is on heat. Baboons have three priorities in a day. These are to find enough food and water, to find time to play and groom and to avoid predators.
amazes me how much you can improve by completely immersing yourself in an activity or skill rather then doing it every now and then.
throughout the month and having our final critiques. This was the week we tied the last ends in our journey to impact South Africa.
The lodge also offers weekend trips so you have options on your days off. One of my personal favourites was the ‘full day game drive in Kruger.’ We got picked up at the lodge at 5:30am and didn’t arrive back until after 5pm so a really long day – but totally worth it! The drive started consisting mainly of giraffes, zebras and elephants. We ate breakfast within 50 metres of a heard of elephants drinking at a waterhole then lunch with a lot of cheeky vervet monkeys. We then saw two white rhinos, lots of buffalo, 5 female lions, 5 cub lions and our very first leopard. By 2pm we had seen all Big 5, which was super exciting! One of my top highlights throughout the 4 weeks.
This whole experience is completely unforgettable and I’m quite sad to be leaving. My photography has improved dramatically and I have formed life long friendships with people all over the world and I can honestly say it was one of the best months in my life so far.
Then came week four. This week entailed all our final submissions. Putting together the best photos we have taken
The word “mantis” comes from the Greek mantikos meaning prophet. In point in fact, the Praying Mantid is named so due to its hunting style with forelegs clasped together in mock prayer, giving it a spiritual look. That aside, don’t be fooled by this serene pose as the mantid is a deadly predator. Able to extend their arms with lightning speed, their raptorial forelegs are equipped with sharp spines ensuring an even tighter grasp on their hapless prey. Couple that with binocular vision and the ability to detect ultrasound, a mantid in flight can essentially stop, drop and dive bomb away from would be hunters. And if that weren’t enough to impress you, mantids are unique among insects in that they have ability to turn their heads a full 180 degrees. Who says bugs have to be at the bottom of the food chain?!
Being a photographer means you want to show your audience something new; whether it’s something incredibly rare which no one has seen before, or to show a subject in a new and interesting manner… and one of the most interesting ways to do this is through the genre of macro photography. I see macro as a door to a different world and one that is often ignored by most. It’s hard to think that just by simply looking down and moving in close you can gain access to such beautiful, vibrant and interesting creatures.
things it’s difficult to see them with any importance or beauty – but this is where the real trick of macro photography lies. Getting down in the dirt, nice and low, and you’ll suddenly find that you can give your casual caterpillar or common ant a new form of representation; you’re giving the smaller things in life a podium to stand tall and proud where the rest of the world can see them in a new and fascinating light. Ants are no longer tiny, skittering pests but are immensely strong, powerful creatures that act as single parts of a massive colony.
Human beings always look at things from the same angle, often from the same approximate height, and as we look down on these smaller
Get in close on any spider and once you find the eyes you then pull out its personality; a creature of solitude weaving intricately beautiful webs
to catch its food. Of course, the closer in you get the more the colours pop, patterns stick out and camouflages blend. You’re seeing them from their level, almost as if you’re one of them, and that new perception is fascinating. You’re seeing these amazing creatures for how they actually are and not how you’ve always perceived them.
The best thing is that you don’t have to go far to get access to these exotic new creatures. Yes, going out into the African bush will find you superb specimens, but simply stepping out your backdoor and spending more time observing your own garden can lead to some interesting finds in the right time of the year. We are surrounded by these creatures, great and small, and it would be such a giant shame if they were continually ignored just because of the way we’ve always looked down on them. However, actually photographing them can be tricky. You need plenty of light (preferably natural), a fast shutter speed and you need to constantly be thinking about depth of field and how that will transform your image. Hot afternoons are great for active wildlife, but don’t forget those wet mornings where cobwebs are encrusted with dew and water droplets glide down blades of grass after rainfall.
Boomslang are easily recognized by their enormous eyes containing round pupils. They consequently have excellent binocular vision and are able to distinguish and identify immobile prey, a trait shared with the twig snake but otherwise unique amongst snakes. These snakes rely on cryptic colouration to camouflage themselves in foliage. The boomslang varies from dull barkbrown (females) to bright foliage-green (males). They will sway slightly to look like swaying branches. The boomslang has no English name but translated directly from Afrikaans it literally means ‘tree snake’ which is where it lives. To seem more intimidating to predators, the vine snake inflates its neck when threatened.
Meet Lilla, she may look like a super model but don’t let that fool you as this vibrant and talented 23-year-old happens to be our current Photography Assistant and will wade through anything to get that perfect shot. In her words “nothing is impossible”. Growing up in a small Hungarian village gave Lilla a taste for landscapes and wildlife, and with an older brother at the wheel, road trips were always an adventure. It wasn’t long before the streets of London came calling, drawing her into the world of photography, her escape from the ups & downs of every day life. Needing a holiday but wanting to make a difference, photography and Africa seemed to be the perfect fit. Oozing with confidence, this intrepid traveler, took the leap twice; once as a volunteer and more recently as part of the African Impact team. The rest is history…for now. Stay tuned, however, as it won’t be long before this passionate and determined young lady realises her dream of having her own gallery showcasing her amazing work! As Lilla would say “if it feels good, just
go for it!”
After months of waiting for his return to the area we finally have spotted our Big Ghost. Makhulu Spoko or MBL1 was one of the first leopards spotted when we started our research project and has since been our shining star in the leopard project. For the past few months we had tracked him through camera trap photos as well as tracks but each time he eluded us with sightings. But this month he decided to make his new debut a good one. As the sun was setting we were treated to 15 min with our beautiful leading leopard as he walked parallel with the vehicle through drainages and then slowly disappeared into the night. Makhulu isn’t the only leopard to have come back into his old territory. We have had a large uptake in leopard camera trap photos within the last month in many new locations. This is exciting news as we have identified a new young female previously unseen!
The start of winter brings out all sorts of interesting behaviors from our large cats. Mabande (KM8) has also been very busy recently. He has been seen
strolling through Klaserie lately making sure everyone around knows he’s the boss. We have monitored him during some of his territorial displays like scent marking, spray urinating, and roaring. All of these behaviors show that Mabande is staking his claim in the area and is starting to take over what used to be controlled by the Trilogy Boys. Not only has Mabande been seen exhibiting territorial displays but also he has mated with the Breakaway females! These girls have been very busy lately as we have seen the girls mate with not only Mabande but also KM3 (one of the Trilogy Boys) and just this week we witnessed a new male mating with one of the girls! These two new males recently entered the territory, and immediately caused some commotion in our Lion soap opera since they were unknown lions no one had ever seen before! Not only were they unknown, they also mated with the Breakaways. With all of this commotion happing with our pride dynamics we are in a flood of ID kits and sociograms trying to keep up with these ever changing lions.
Winter brings many other interesting sightings as well. All of our predators are sneaking out now and giving us some wonderful data in the process. On one drive in particular we had 9 different species of large predators including Wild Dog, Leopard, Lion, African Wild Cat, even Honey Badger! We can’t wait to see what our predator monitoring maps will look like with our wide range of species seen and density of sightings. Our series of interesting events has continued all month long but began with the volunteers witnessing a very rare sighting of hyenas mating and ended with 2 honey badgers playing.
Star shooting
This month has been full of new and exciting events as well as some of the most interesting behaviors we have ever witnessed. All in all this is wonderful news for our research as more and more predator data is being collected from all of our reserves in which we work and is leading up further towards our research goal and opening up more avenues of investigation and intrigue. As winter gets into full swing it looks like our data is only heating up!
Wildlife is not just about the animals, especially if you stay overnight in a Big 5 reserve. When it gets dark just have a look at the sky and wait for all the stars to come out; grab your tripod and a wide angle lens. Camera setting should be at around: ISO 1600, f4, 30.0 sec. If you have the chance try to find a waterhole or dam so you are able to get stunning reflections as well. Enjoy shooting.
The baboon spiders (of which there are many species) are Mygalomorphs which live underground in silk-lined burrows that afford them protection from the heat of day. They are nocturnal, rising to the entrance of their burrows at night where they patiently sit and wait to ambush prey. A rim of web spreads out from the lip of the burrow entrance and alerts the spider to the approach of prey. Baboon spiders eat predominantly insects but will overpower and consume other spiders, solifugids, scorpions, millipedes, reptiles and snails. Baboon spiders never stray far from the safety of their burrows unless in search of a mate. In this regard the male must be careful and he taps out a Morecode message in vibrations on the silk at the entrance of a female’s burrow so that she does not deem him a meal.
It’s been just over a month since a new male lion was first spotted in Klaserie on a buffalo kill. He was named Mabande, or for our research purposes KM8, and it has been fascinating to watch the many different behaviours he has exhibited in the last month. Our first sighting of this impressive lion was with a sub-adult buffalo that he had single-handedly killed, we watched him devour huge portions of the kill before nightfall. When we returned on our night drive we quickly realised that he was not the only hungry predator in the area, as we witnessed him chase off hyenas and jackals, although he was somewhat scared by the sudden appearance of two elephants!
Over the course of the last few weeks we have spent quite a while watching him in typical lion fashion, doing what lions do best – resting. It has been amazing to get the opportunity to observe him at close quarters during these sightings – his mane is incomplete with several bald patches which only adds to his character – we have grown very fond of Mabande! During one of these typical sightings, we were lucky enough to see a herd of buffalo come within 25m of him, totally unaware of his presence. This was a perfect opportunity for Mabande to potentially make a kill, and we got to witness him stalking the buffalo. Unfortunately, after about 20 minutes, they discovered his whereabouts and stampeded, so he was unable to make a kill – however, we discovered him the following morning having already finished a young buffalo kill he must have made during the night.
On several occasions we have seen and heard Mabande carrying out territorial behaviour – notably roaring less than 5m from the vehicle and scent marking. Mabande is new to the area and appears to be attempting to establish his territory here. We are very excited that the centre of his new territory appears to be close to Buffel Dam and the tented camp as we have seen him there on several occasions and have been awoken many times during the night by his roaring! We await with anxiety the results of a possible run in with the remaining Trilogy boys, the previous dominant males in the area who have just been seen again after several weeks with no sightings.
Mabande has also been seen mating with the Ross Breakaway females – A few weeks ago the photographers saw him mating with KF1 and this week he has been mating with KF2. Seeing him beside the females made us realise just how big and impressive he is! Mating is another sign that Mabande is here to stay, as long as he can retain his territory! During the past month we have seen Mabande on 12 separate occasions and spent over 8 hours observing him, which has given us plenty of excellent and interesting data… we look forward to following his behaviour for many more months to come!
Stacey is one of our fantastic Business Manager here. She was born in Cape Town and worked as an interior designer before starting an adventurous new role as African Impact Business Manager first in Thanda and then moving projects to Greater Kruger. Her favourite animal is the cat, be it a Big Cat or Izzie and Jane her own wonderful house cats! Staff members were asked to describe Stacey in a few words:
“Paintball sniper” “Best salad maker ever!” “Lady of the Lodge” “Lover of lists” “Expert spotter” “If there was some way to bottle and buy her calmness in any situation I definitely would!” “Inspirational”
My name is Willem Steenstra Toussaint and I am 21 years old from the Netherlands. I am also a guide here at African Impact. After having tried different studies in university I decided that it just wasn’t for me and I wanted a change of scenery. During my time of looking elsewhere and trying to find out what it is that I want to do; I found a programme that allowed me to become a field guide. I was very enthusiastic about being out in the bush whilst interacting with animals. Me and 20 other fellow students started our train in early July. We had 6 months of theory and gaining practical experiences in the way of game drives before we had to sit down for our final exams. Then I started work at African Impact on the third of December. When I joined African Impact, I clearly remember the first ever game drive I had to do on my own, which at the time was very daunting. I was so stressed out, I was probably the worst guide they had ever seen. But over time as I grew more comfortable with my colleagues and the volunteers I started relaxing and everything became way more enjoyable. We had all sorts of things to do as the guides at African Impact from doing bushwalks, bird walks and macro walks to tracking and game drives, we also had the opportunity to take the volunteers to their daytrips and the popular Panorama route is just amazing. I feel very fortunate to having met so many amazing people and having worked with such welcoming and exceptional colleagues.
During my time in South-Africa I’ve seen many amazing things and there is one in particular that stands out for me. As we were on a game drive on one of the reserves that we drive on we were checking out this beautiful white rhino cow and trying to get a bit closer to see if she was pregnant. As we were eying up the Rhino in front of us we were slowly but surely getting surrounded by other white rhino who were in the area as well. The whole experience of being surrounded by 5 rhino’s while they are sniffing your tires is truly amazing and something that I will never forget. The experience at African Impact is one that will surely change your life. Being it changing your few points about certain things or just developing a passion for the wild life. Coming out to South Africa was definitely one of the best decisions of my life.
Check out our newest submissions for this month on: africanimpactphotography.com