Author: Bushwise

BY Brody Merles, Bushwise graduate

Camp manager blogs are written by our current students who each get a chance to lead and manage a group (of their fellow field guide students) for a period of one week.

I could almost smell the nervousness of my peers coming into one of the most important weeks of all our lives. It was finally the week we had all been working so hard towards, practical assessment week! It was finally upon us after a well needed off-week, which I’m completely honest probably should have been spent glued to a good book on animals of the Savanna biome. 

Instead, it was spent perusing the tree lines of Kruger National Park for any kind of fascinating life we could find – learning is so much more fun when it’s done practically! It was a week filled with excitement.

One-by-one, we all gave our best versions of a game drive that would hopefully blow the beards off our assessors’ faces (well,  at least my assessor’s magnificent beard) and one-by-one we were nailing it! My personal game drive ended up being the most fun I’ve ever had. Probably because I decided that morning that as long as I have fun and enjoy what I’m doing all my guests can feed off that positive energy and have a blast. 

This past week turned out to be a very productive one and has given me a completely different view of myself by showing me that I can actually achieve my goals and dreams. This week has also done wonders for my self-confidence (possibly a little too much, but hey let me have this one).  

All my friends that played a massive role in getting me to this point also have made gigantic leaps in their own ways, which really does give me that warm fuzzy feeling inside. It feels like we’re a big happy Bushwise family, even once we’re Bushwise graduates.

One of the most crucial lessons I’ve learnt, not only over the course of this week but the entire course thus far, is that everyone is different in their own way. This really means that we bring a different perspective to the overall work space. Instead of avoiding these perspectives, ideas or personalities, we should rather incorporate everyone’s personality into the family dynamics (dysfunctional, weird and crazy aspects as well). 

I found out I really enjoyed trying to get a chuckle out of the trainers with a well-timed joke here and there, whether it be a joke for Darryn or asking Francois a pointless question just to see the funny faces he would pull. Riaan was a gold mine of jokes that were carefully hidden by his professionalism. The dynamic personalities of everyone around me made for the best five and a half months of my life.

As the last day of being around these people and new found friends fast approaches, I have been feeling conflicted with my emotions. I look forward to being home with my family and friends, but then the realisation of leaving all these new found friends leaves me wanting to relive the last half a year over and over again. 

All this time I thought I was doing this course to become a Bushwise graduate and qualified Field Guide. I never thought I would end up leaving with so much more than just a qualification. I’m leaving with the experience of a lifetime, filled with memories with some of the most incredible and amazing people. 

In closing, for anyone that may be on the fence about whether the leap or not, it’s worth it. I can assure you that it is without a doubt worth it. 

I can’t emphasise how invaluable this journey has been for me. Yes, it has been a lot of work and it has been stressful at times. But it’s been worth it for this feeling of triumph at and the friends made along the way. And of course because of the beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and the incredible animals we got to see.

Wouldn’t it be great if you never worked another day in your life? Through a career in field guiding, this could be you. Apply today to join Bushwise and start your wild career journey.

#bushwise #qualification #safariguide #animals #tracks #apprenticefieldguide #safari #wilddogs #tracking #trackandsign #fieldguidecourse

Bushwise IFGA Safari Guide students forge their own game paths as they grow in their careers. Elmar Kleinhans shares his experience in the last few weeks of our six-month course. 

It was the last stretch of the course with only three weeks left before everyone headed off on their separate ‘game paths’ in the African bushveld.

With students doing drive assessments (our last assessment before becoming an Apprentice Field Guides), the stress and tension levels were high. In these drive assessments we must demonstrate all the things we have learned and experienced throughout the last five months. Things like how animals behave in their natural environment, how different plants can be used for many medical uses, and the different types of birds and how to identify them. 

We must put this vast knowledge into a three-hour game drive that is meant to be entertaining and enjoyable for our ‘guests’ and show them how we guide. It creates a lot of stress for us students, but it also makes it fun and interesting .

Once we’ve completed our practical assessment drive, along with our written assessment, we’ve earned the qualification of CATHSSETA Apprentice Field Guide. The next step is to prepare ourselves to fire a .375- calibre bolt action rifle in Advanced Rifle Handling (ARH). This step is very important for when we want to trail guide in the future. 

This is not an easy task as the calibre is big and packs a punch, while the rifle itself is very heavy, and it seems to grow heavier as you practise shooting at targets. We go through a few exercises that get cumulatively harder and harder. The last and hardest one is the lion charge because the lion target moves at a very fast speed (still much slower than a real lion), which puts a lot of pressure on the shooter as it gets closer and closer to you. At the end of the day, my arm was quite sore and weak after holding that rifle for so many hours.

Following our ARH qualification, the fun really begins. This is where we will experience the African bushveld from a different angle, not from the vehicle, but rather on foot. This training prepares us to earn our Apprentice Trails Guide qualification one day, through Bushwise and Lowveld Trails Co. 

During this training, we work to observe animals on foot without altering the animal’s behaviour in their natural habitat. We experience so much in the few days when we are out on foot in the bush between all the trees, insects and animals. And it’s amazing to look for animals and see how they act in the natural environment without a vehicle engine roaring.

After all of the intensity and excitement of these activities, we spent a day in Kruger National Park with our fellow students. There we can just enjoy a relaxing day in the African bushveld, talking about all of our shared experiences, memories, what we’ve achieved and where we’ve been placed. 

We head to graduation where we met other Bushwise students at our annual prize giving ceremony, and we got to know them and share our experiences and feelings about the course over the last six months. We had a lot of laughs together that evening.

After all that, the end of the Bushwise course is slowly crawling closer and closer as we reach a turn in our game paths. And it’s sad that the course is coming to an end, but I’m glad that I joined the course and I’m going to miss everyone at the end of the course when we all say goodbye to each other and everyone going their separate ways.

Find yourself immersed in the African bushveld soon, by applying for a Bushwise course. You could be walking down a game path soon, just like Elmar!

#gameranger #bushwise #fieldguide #safariguide #apprenticefieldguide #safari #fieldguiding #gamedrive #fieldguidecourse #studying #fieldguides

BY Jordan Fourie, current Bushwise student

Camp manager blogs are written by our current students who each get a chance to lead and manage a group (of their fellow students) for a period of one week.

What does Bushwise mean? Is it for a certificate that says, “you are a legal field guide” or is it just to learn about the bush and to become, in a sense, “bush wise”?

My Bushwise journey started out rough. Just before I was supposed to arrive on campus, I tested positive for COVID-19. My parents and I were distraught; we had just travelled 11 hours the day before only to find that I was not able to join my fellow students on campus. Postponing my course date would have caused more fees for my parents and I. Instead, the Bushwise staff went out of their way to find me comfortable accommodation and allowed me to start in a unique way, by quarantining first. I will always be grateful for that. 

That week was confusing for me. I had absolutely no symptoms, so it was as if I was just living a normal week. Being alone was great because I still Zoom-called into activities and I had one of the Bushwise staff to check up on me every now and then. That really showed me how important we students are to the Bushwise staff.

The Wednesday evening after my quarantining and negative test result, I finally joined campus. Being the only student to not be there from the start was hard, and I felt like an outsider. But the students and the trainers made me feel welcome and I slowly started to feel like a member of the Bushwise family. 

Studying came easy to me which was surprising because I was not very good with marks in high school, I was extremely nervous about the theory part of Bushwise. However, getting full marks for my first test took that fear away! I was in my element, having trainers that made it fun and interactive made studying that much easier.

I made major improvements in my driving skills as well. From getting used to the vehicles to being able to do a proper guided experience, I improved over time. Obviously I still have improvements to make, but I am getting there and that’s what matters. 

On my last practice drive, I encountered South Africa’s giant, the African elephant. While I have a healthy respect for animals, I‘m genuinely not afraid of any animal. However, being in front of a beautiful majestic elephant still sends shivers through my entire body! 

No matter who you are, whether you have no fear of anything, when an animal bigger than your vehicle stands in front of you, you become a mouse, powerless compared to it. Thankfully, this interaction (as with our other elephant observations) was peaceful and the elephant didn’t mind our presence.

So, to answer my question in the beginning, I think Bushwise is those things but also something else entirely. Yes, it includes becoming a legal guide, and yes, it’s helped me start to fully understand nature. But at the end of the day that is not all Bushwise is about. 

To me, Bushwise is a family and the experience is about the journey. As a student, you’re like the little sibling that needs to be protected but not held back, to grow as a person, to come out of your shell, and to learn how to act in certain situations. It’s about the memories we make along the way and developing a passion for nature. 

Through Bushwise we can become guides that make an impact on others, to help nature regrow and survive. If we don’t, the next generation won’t be able to see and experience the wildlife we have today. 

In David Attenborough’s words, “The fact is that no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth, living or dead, as we now have. That lays upon us, whether we like it or not, an awesome responsibility. In our hands now lies not only our own future but that of all other living creatures with whom we share the earth.”

Help protect our natural world for the next generation by starting a career as a field guide. Apply today to join a Bushwise course.

#bushwise #safariguide #davidattenborough #apprenticefieldguide #safari #gamedrive #elephant #fieldguidecourse

Bushwise student Rian Gouws talks about his choice to join the Bushwise IFGA Safari Guide course, and how it’s opened his eyes to many new experiences. 

Camp manager blogs are written by our current students who each get a chance to lead and manage a group (of their fellow students) for a period of one week.

My name is Rian Gouws and I come from Boksburg, a city near Johannesburg. In my younger life, I was surrounded by animals of all kinds, from birds to antelope, cattle and fish. My dad and grandad often took me out on weekends to go see our farm and go fishing.

One day, my dad’s nephew – who owns a game lodge  – came with us and told us many stories about what it is like managing a lodge. From then on, I have been excited by the idea of managing or working with animals and learning how they survived in the wild. He taught me how animals reacted to different situations and how to read their behaviour. 

So, I decided to join a Bushwise field guide course after school to understand animals and educate people about them. In the past five months, Bushwise has changed my view on nature and the world.

Starting out I was nervous because there was a lot to learn and a lot of theory to get through.  But I didn’t mind this  because all of it was done to educate me so I can pass on the knowledge to other people. Sitting in class and just listening to the trainers speak about their experiences motivated me even more. Being surrounded by trainers and students who share the same enthusiasm and interests as me has made just about everything about the experience even more enjoyable. 

Even when I’m washing dishes and taking out the dustbin on campus, I’m reminded that I’m in nature. Sometimes you can hear a hyena calling in the background or see a sable walking down to the dam to drink some water. I always like these moments because I feel part of nature then, just listening to what’s going on and observing my surroundings. 

Game drives were a whole new experience for me because I haven’t been on very many. Driving around and looking for animals was almost as much fun as seeing them because I made so many friends on those drives. We would stop at an interesting tree and listen to the trainers explain interesting facts and stories about this particular tree, which we will one day get to tell our visitors. 

I always like hearing about the beliefs behind certain trees, like how a buffalo thorn would protect you from lightning or how by eating a marula tree bark could determine the sex of your unborn child. I feel like it’s important to tell these stories so visitors can understand more about the people who lived here and how these stories form part of their culture.

One of my favourite experiences on this field guide course is when we came across a curious tree squirrel that was standing guard in the middle of the road. As we were observing him, he slowly crept closer until he was right next to the car’s front right wheel. Then, with an extreme burst of speed, he climbed onto a dead tree next to us and just stood there not three metres away looking at us. As he attempted to make a jump to the next branch, he decided against it … MID AIR. With a motion I’ve never seen before he made a backflip and landed on the ground. The whole car burst out laughing because when in your entire life have you ever seen a squirrel bail out of a jump for no apparent reason?

Being camp manager for a week was quite stressful because I had the responsibility of keeping everyone in check and it was up to me to try and resolve any problem that occurred or pass it along to the head trainer if it was serious. It was much nicer than I expected though, and the experience  taught me how to manage different situations and be more responsible.

Overall, I think this experience is so much better to live than to read about and is something everybody should do if they have the chance. It changes your view about life and your place in nature for the better. Bushwise has taught me so much and will continue to do so in the future. I can’t recommend them enough. 

Do you want to expand your knowledge of African animals and experience life on a field guide course? Apply today and pretty soon you could be here!

#bushwise #fieldguide #qualification #safariguide #apprenticefieldguide #fieldguiding #gamedrive #fieldguidecourse

Throughout his time on the Bushwise IFGA Safari Guide course, Kieth Windy has had some incredible wildlife sightings.

Camp manager blogs are written by our current students who each get a chance to lead and manage a group (of their fellow students) for a period of one week.

Studying at Bushwise’s Mahlahla campus has been a blessing because I have learned much more than I ever expected. It is mind blowing just how much information about nature we have learned, and the detail that is included with overall experience that the trainers provided. My mind has been opened to so many new facts about animals, plants and ecosystems. 

It has been a wonderful experience, from day one when we received the greatest welcome into the bush. Meeting the students with different cultures and traditions was the best experience and biggest learning curve. The respect everyone gave to all the candidates was a blessing. The Bushwise trainers have enhanced the experience, they are kind and caring, and most of all helpful to all students, providing sufficient information and attention to help each student with what they need. 

Our days are filled with so many different activities, and there have been so many amazing highlights along the way. One of these highlights was an experience that I believe was a once-in-a-lifetime wildlife sighting. It happened during my second time behind the game viewer wheel, when a spotted hyena – my personal favourite animal – popped out of the blue, making the whole group practice an emergency stop.

Another unforgettable moment was our group’s first elephant sighting of the course. After months of trying to track down an elephant to complete our big five sightings, the moment finally came. 

We had an elephant crossing that blew everyone’s mind. I felt this massive being approaching the car, at first I was a little apprehensive about the encounter, but then, with the help of our trainer interpreting the elephant’s behaviour, I realised that the elephant was gentle and meant no harm. I felt more relaxed as I realised it was just as curious as I was in that wonderful moment. As the elephant smelled the car, I was intrigued by her size and the way she moved so gracefully. It was an absolutely magical moment and I hope that she enjoyed it just as much as I did.

One other sighting I am incredibly grateful for is the moment when we unexpectedly saw a baby leopard. We were not even on an official game drive that day, but rather going to practise our 4×4 training (another highlight of the course). Not even a minute past the entrance gate, a student shouted “Stop!”, and we all turned to see what he spotted. Sitting low in the grass, blended in perfectly with its surroundings, was a beautiful baby leopard. 

It was unbelievable how close it was and it was fascinating to observe its behaviour. Of course, that was the day everyone left their cameras at camp, but it was a wonderful opportunity to observe the animal and truly appreciate how lucky we are to be doing this.

 Learning about all the different species of animals, from the big mammals and reptiles to the smallest amphibians and arthropods – as well as the abundance of trees, grasses and wildflowers – has been an eye-opening experience. Seeing how they all contribute to the ecosystem has really helped me see how everything is connected and how important every little component is. 

One of my favourite things to learn was track and sign. Being able to read the different animal tracks, including the behaviour through tracks, was fantastic. Knowing and understanding how to track animals in their natural environment was the best skill I have gained overall.

I am glad to be one of the candidates that had this marvellous experience, and all the incredible wildlife sightings, with unlimited information. I am proud to say I am a Bushwise baby.  

Do you want to make life-long memories and see incredible wildlife sightings while earning a valuable CATHSSETA qualification? Apply today to start your career journey with Bushwise. 

#gameranger #bushwise #qualification #safariguide #apprenticefieldguide #safari #fieldguidetrainer #fieldguiding #cybertracker #wildlifesightings #trackandsign #gamedrive

It’s not every day that a pack of African wild dogs appears in the middle of your game drive. Bushwise student Lauren Noakes shares her incredible experience observing these endangered canines.

Camp manager blogs are written by our current students who each get a chance to lead and manage a group (of their fellow students) for a period of one week. 

We have been treated to some spectacular sightings with Bushwise, but wow, have we had an incredible week!

To be perfectly honest, my purpose for coming out here was quite different to most of the other students. Having finished a zoology degree (with my final year spent researching Banded mongoose social behaviour) I travelled here with the aim of improving my communication skills and soaking up every possible piece of information about the African bush. But with every drive, I’ve fallen more and more in love with guiding. Getting to guide the spectacular sighting we had this week was what really solidified my intention to pursue this incredible career path.

It was halfway through my drive and I was making coffee at the drinks stop, congratulating myself on what I considered a pretty successful drive so far. Little did I know what was just around the corner! We set off again, and as we came up over the hill, I heard excitable chittering and chattering and saw a flash of white tails – it was a pack of wild dogs!

Following protocol, I quickly radioed my fellow guide: “All stations, we have a pack of wild dogs, just west of the 4-way junction, visual 5 out of 5”. Well, I say that. I think it came out more like: “HI, WILD DOG!!” Not quite as professional, perhaps, but I think it got the point across! My excitement only grew when we realised they were on a kill.

My radio procedure may have gone out the window, but my guiding skills did not! I quickly positioned the vehicle into a nice viewing spot in the shade, watching as the other students whipped out their cameras and began clicking away, capturing the carnage of the dogs tearing apart what was once an impala.

Wild dogs live in packs and are well known for their altruism and selflessness, allowing the injured, old or juvenile dogs to eat first, even before the alpha pair. We noted that the alpha female of this pack was pregnant, which was quite exciting as the denning season (the period when wild dogs give birth and reside in a den with the pups until they’re big enough to leave) is right around the corner. One of the dogs is easy to distinguish as it has droopy ears… we have creatively nicknamed this dog “Floppy”.

After the dogs finished, they moved even closer to our vehicle, sharing our shade and even scent-marking the front of our vehicle! Wild dogs are

incredibly social creatures, reaffirming their bonds and hierarchy through play. We got a front row seat of this behaviour, with the dogs practically bumping into our car as they bounded about.

Once things settled down with the dogs, we soon got to view the next step of the food chain – the scavengers! White-backed vultures swooped in by the dozen, eagerly waiting for the dogs to leave the carcass. The dogs seemed to love this, leaving the impala’s remains only to charge back to chase the vultures away, scattering them into the skies.

Vultures may be smart raptors, but not smart enough to outwit the hyenas that had been lurking around the outskirts of all the drama. Two individuals dashed in and stole the carcass, leaving the vultures looking very disappointed! These guys don’t deserve the bad press they often get from TV and movies, as they truly are fundamental to an ecosystem’s health. This is because they act as the cleaning crew of the bush, even being able to eat diseased carcasses, removing them from the environment.

After spending a few hours with the dogs, and being very late for dinner (although surprisingly no one complained) we set off for home. As if the day couldn’t have gotten any better, we also found two male lions on the way back to the college!

For me, there really is nothing more satisfying and fulfilling than watching the faces of your guests light up at a sighting – whether it’s their first safari or their hundredth – the excitement never gets old. We are so lucky to be heading into a career where we get to be the interpreters of this incredible biome, unlocking the door to the natural world for many people.

Would you like to feel the rush of adrenaline at a wild dog sighting, sharing that experience with your guests? Apply today and soon you could be guiding a safari in the African bushveld.

All photos by Louise Pavid.

#bushwise #fieldguide #safariguide #animals #apprenticefieldguide #safari #wilddogs #endangeredspecies #fieldguidecourse