Author: Bushwise

Bushwise’s Louise Pavid shares her passion for safari and wildlife through photography and videography. In this post, she tells us how this fascination all started – and where it’s taken her.

When I was a young and naïve eight year old I answered the same question most eight year olds answer: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I think anyone reading this will have similar memories along with memories of the outrageous occupations only eight year olds can come up with. “I’m going to be an astronaut!” “I’m going to be a doggy doctor!” “I’m going to be a dinosaur!” What was my answer? you ask. “I’m going to go to the Masai Mara and film the Great Migration for National Geographic!” I was quite specific about my goals, even at age eight.

Of course my parents smiled at me, gave me a hug and told me that I could be or achieve anything I wanted. Obviously they were encouraging me to be ambitious and to think for myself about my future, but I don’t think they ever believed it would actually happen.

Photo by Jamie Paterson

Fast forward 20 years and there I was, standing on the edge of the Oloololo escarpment. The sun rose over the incomprehensible vastness of east Africa’s Great Rift Valley. The red-flushed verdant ocean swelled and ebbed as the wind rippled through the red oat grass. The very grass wildebeest, zebra and Thomson’s gazelle travel 1,900 kilometres annually to feed on. It was like waking up in Disney’s The Lion King every day. And the best part was, I was there working on a live safari TV show for National Geographic WILD.

But this is not the start of my story, this happened somewhere in the middle of my journey with a wildlife TV production company that pioneered the live safari show format. Instead, my story begins somewhere far removed from Africa’s wilderness. It begins in the basement of a house in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs. 

I was three months out of university, Film and Media degree clutched in hand, ready to go out there and take the entertainment industry by storm! But I needed to start somewhere right? And one day I saw a very small classified ad on the internet. “Content Manager needed to help improve the quality of a live wildlife show set in a game reserve in South Africa. Send your applications to…etc” or at least it read something like that.  

I applied, I interviewed and I got the job! My first real job, my first real step into a career. Essentially what I needed to do was arrive at the basement at about 5:30am, watch the live safari show for three hours, make notes and give feedback to the field guide presenters, live broadcast directors and creative camera operators. Three months in and the top brass decided it was time for me and my content managing colleagues (of which there were two) to move to the bush, permanently. Needless to say, I never looked back.

I had somehow accidentally found my calling in wildlife. I’ve always loved the wild, I’ve always loved the animals of Africa, going on safari or family trips to the Kruger. But it wasn’t until I set foot in a reserve as an employee, and not as a guest, that I realised this was going to be my career lifestyle of choice.

The following five years were an adventure of epic proportions. We walked near lions, leopards, elephants, buffalos, rhinos, hippos and even wild dogs on foot with nothing but a stick for protection. We watched kills, we watched births, we saw new generations and said sad goodbyes to leopard legends. We worked hard and played harder, we were invincible. I found a family there, in that place that will always be my true home.

It was here where my own love of wildlife photography and film was born. I saw first hand how speaking about the various animal characters we encountered changed people’s perceptions and impressed just how important it is for us to protect our natural landscapes. I was inspired by my guiding colleagues and blown away by their photography artworks, likewise the talented camera operators whose filming skill easily matched up to those responsible for cinematic masterpieces like BBC’s Planet Earth. So I picked up my camera and started playing.

Snapping shots of elusive leopards, handsome nyalas and prehistoric crocodiles elicited a love of stills. I loved tinkering with my images, seeing what details I could enhance, using editing software and getting the image to a point where I was not only happy, but more importantly the image told the story I was wanting to share. I am by no means the greatest wildlife photographer out there and am quite happy to accept that I will never be the best. I’m okay with this because it gives me something to work towards, a skill to keep honing. 

Coming to Bushwise has pushed this development even further. Prior to starting, I found that I loved wildlife photography but had never given much thought to human photography. I’ve found snapping away at Bushwise and taking our social media followers on an adventurous journey with our students to be just as rewarding and in a way more fulfilling. More fulfilling because I know the work I do here actively creates opportunities for others to think about what they are passionate about, what they want to spend their lives doing as a career and where they can go to get the best start in a career working with wildlife.

Coming to Bushwise has taught me that there is more reward in training the next generation of wildlife custodians, conservationists, field guides, wildlife photographers and filmmakers. Using my art I am able to inspire and uplift in much the same way as I was inspired and uplifted. The feeling I get when students come to me with their images and videos, asking advice on how to improve them satiates a part of my brain’s reward centre I didn’t even know I had. I feel good every single day knowing that I am helping to make a difference, that I am benefitting both people and the planet, and that I get to share these experiences of the wild in a way that motivates ever more people to seek careers outdoors and in nature. 

Do you love taking photos and videos of wildlife too? You could gain these skills and learn social media tools through the Bushwise IFGA Safari Guide course. Apply today!

#wildlife #bushwise #wildlifephotography #photography #apprenticefieldguide #safari #sightings #fieldguiding #naturephotography #fieldguidecourse

Bushwise trainer Darryn Murray describes advanced rifle handling training scenarios and safety. ARH is an important part of becoming a trails guide.

“The name is Bond, James Bond….”

Hopefully we have all heard this line at least once in our lives? 

“James Bond, licence to kill…”

Well, when field guides are trained to use a rifle in order to conduct guided bush walks, we teach them the exact opposite! The first few rules that are taught include walk as though you are unarmed, don’t have the mentality of “Oh well, I have a rifle I can get myself out of any situation,” and lastly “you DO NOT have a licence to kill”.

Photo by Louise Pavid

In our advanced rifle handling (ARH) procedures and training, guiding students are taught how to use a rifle safely and competently, but most importantly, ONLY ever as a last resort.

Before being on a firing range with rifles and ammunition, students must pass written assessments and show that they fully comprehend the use and safety of this equipment. It is a big responsibility to carry a rifle in the bush, so it is essential that students have the necessary knowledge before undergoing practical training.

Each of the practical exercises will be explained below, along with an explanation as to why these specific ones are chosen.

Exercise 1: Blindfolded loading and unloading

The students are trained to load and unload their rifle with a blindfold covering their eyes. They have an allotted time of 14 seconds to load three dummy (non-live) rounds of ammunition into a bolt action .375 calibre rifle (or larger). The timer then stops and they are instructed to unload the weapon, check and then declare the weapon safe to the range officer, all while being blindfolded.

Photo by Leonard Doors

The reason we start this way is to teach the students that they need to be able to load the weapon without looking to see where the ammunition is. In a dangerous situation, there isn’t enough time to look anywhere else but at the danger in front of you.

As a guest you would be comforted knowing your guide is trained to react quickly and efficiently, without fumbling for ammunition or taking time to load the rifle.

Exercise 2: Grouping/accuracy 

The second exercise begins with the student being handed live ammunition by a qualified range officer for the first time during the assessment. The instruction is to fire five rounds at a stationary target 12 metres away. This doesn’t sound very far but nerves and pressure are always a tricky thing to deal with on assessment day. The target that the student is aiming at is roughly the size of a CD (10-12cm diameter). 

This is done firstly to see if the student is able to fire a weapon, and secondly to see the accuracy of the shooting on a target. This exercise is not timed. I’d like to emphasise that this is all done in a safe range with highly trained and experienced instructors. Safety is a priority for field guide training in all aspects of their curriculum and especially with rifles.

Exercise 3: Distance

Photo by Louise Pavid

The third exercise is to fire three shots at three different targets, one at 12 metres, one at eight metres and one at 4 metres. This exercise is timed as well as scored according to the points that the student receives for each shot at the three distances.

The reasoning behind this exercise is to simulate having to reload and fire at targets accurately in a pressure situation, but also to simulate having to shoot at a target that is approaching the shooter.

Exercise 4: Immediate action drill

The immediate action drill begins with the range officer loading two live rounds and a dummy round, in any order, into the student’s rifle magazine and placing it in a safe carry condition. Safety carry means that the rifle cannot be fired – if the trigger is squeezed, nothing will happen, as there is no cartridge in the chamber. 

The student begins the exercise by chambering and firing three rounds. When the dummy round is fired there is a soft clicking sound. At this point the student has to canter the rifle 900 from their shoulder, to safely eject the round onto the ground and continue with the exercise. Once the first three rounds have been fired, the student reloads three more rounds into their magazine, and fires one more to complete the activity.

This exercise is put in place to simulate a malfunction with the rifle or ammunition while out in the field. It teaches the student to clear the problem and carry on as one would when out in the bush in order to protect their guests.

Exercise 5: Buffalo targets

Photo by Leonard Doors

The second to last drill is two life-size buffalo targets placed at eight metres and four metres. The student has three rounds in their magazine. On the command “fire”, they have to fire a round at each of the targets, hitting an area roughly the size of a CD on the forehead of the paper buffalo targets.

This drill is not only about accuracy and speed, but also about the time constraint of eight seconds and the two scoring shots which will determine a pass or fail. The reason behind this drill is to teach the student to fire at different distances, in a short space of time on a “lifelike” target.

Exercise 6: Lion charge

For the last exercise in the assessment, the student simulates walking with guests behind them as though doing a bushwalk. The life-size lion target with a scoring zone on the head is set up on a sled and attached to a motorised pulley system.

As the student approaches the pulley system, the range officer starts the motor and the lion comes “charging”. The student needs to react quickly, shout “LION CHARGE” and fire the only live round in their magazine at the target when it is approximately five metres away. The rest of the exercise is completed with dummy rounds. The student fires a second shot as insurance, reloads two dummy rounds to fill the magazine again, the third shot is the coup-de-grace, before checking the corneal reflex, declaring that the animal is dead, putting the rifle back into a safe carry state and leading the guests out of the area.

Photo by Louise Pavid

This is the most realistic scenario of the whole process. All the other scenarios lead up to this in terms of difficulty, pressure and nerves. The target approaches at roughly 10 metres-per-second, giving the student little time to think, but just to let instinct take over and do what they have been trained to do.

None of the different exercises the students go through is to turn them into James Bond. The whole idea of the advanced rifle handling training is to make sure the guide and their guests are prepared should something go wrong while on a bush walk. Guides should never have the attitude of “I have a rifle so I can just shoot my way out of any situation” – it is very much the old adage of rather to have it and not need it, than to need it and not to have it!

As part of the Bushwise IFGA Safari Guide course, students participate in advanced rifle handling theory and preparation for their Apprentice Trails Guide qualification. Apply now and start your new career journey.

#AdvancedRifleHandling #gameranger #bushwise #safariguide #trailsguide #shootingrange #rifletraining #apprenticefieldguide #safari #fieldguidetrainer #tracking #trackandsign #gamedrive #ARH

K9 units play an essential role in anti-poaching, wildlife detection, human tracking, and conservation efforts in the Greater Kruger National Park. Bushwise videographer and photographer Louise Pavid tells us about the Bushwise experience meeting these important dogs!

When you think of the African bush, you think of the sounds of the wild: lions roaring, hippos grunting, hyenas whooping and a myriad of insects and amphibians singing their sweet songs of love. But when you’re at the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC), there are other sounds that might be added to the mix. Like the sounds of the hounds!

SAWC is home to the anti-poaching “Fast Response K9 Unit,” which serves the entire Greater Kruger area. This area spans over 3,440 square kilometres and contains the iconic African wildlife that tourists and conservationists travel from all over the world to see. 

These highly trained canines are part of protecting the charismatic wildlife that has captured the imaginations of people for centuries. Their intelligence and physical ability sets them apart from their domesticated brethren. Like most working dogs, they are highly trained and well looked after. In fact, they are taken such good care of that each dog has their own (impressive) food budget!

Bushwise Field Guide students were recently treated to an unbelievable experience – we spent the morning with the K9 Unit as they participated in expert training under the supervision of their amazing handlers. Being able to witness and be a part of something like this is a privilege I never thought I’d be fortunate enough to experience.

The day started with a short drive to the kennels where the dogs are housed when not working or training. We were shown around and introduced to the dogs in the facility. Once we were all thoroughly sniffed and woofed at, we set out into the reserve for the real fun stuff.

After a short chat with the handlers about what to expect while working with the dogs, we were split into two groups. One group walked ahead and left a “scent trail” for the dogs to follow. Exactly 10 minutes later the dogs were hot on their heels!

What we thought might be a brisk, but not too strenuous, stroll turned into what seemed like a never-ending run. I am not a runner, I do not like running and I believe that running should be reserved exclusively for life or death situations. Which, to be fair, is often the case with anti-poaching. About 15 minutes later the dogs had located their quarry and it was time for a short break before the next training exercise.

Up next was the scent training exercise. Tristan, the human “leader of the pack” explained to us that the scent dogs are specifically trained to detect rhino horn, ivory, and pangolin scales. He then walked behind a thicket and hid the prize that his dog, a beautiful Malinois named Torah, would need to find. It took Torah no more than 20 seconds to find her ball, filled with the scent of one of the above-mentioned endangered species. Tristan then performed the same exercise, but this time with the students. The students gave up after a minute, hurling wild accusations at Tristan, claiming he never hid anything for them to find. Tristan laughed it off, gave Torah the “soek” (meaning seek in Afrikaans) command and within 10 seconds she came bounding back, ball in teeth and filled with pride.

We then attended one more exercise, one that truly depicts the capabilities of the free tracking (off leash) dogs, which have proved to be a game changer when tracking down poachers. These dogs, once on the scent, can track at speeds much faster than humans, and over harsh bush terrain.

The pack tracking exercise took place right outside the campus gate. Across the valley Tristan pointed out the individuals the pack would be following. All we could see were a few hats floating through the grass more than a kilometre away. We were informed that the trail being left was 1.2 kilometres long and he asked if we could time how long it would take for the dogs to catch up to and find the pretend poachers.

The pack of six was released by six field guiding students. Within 80 seconds, we had confirmation that the dogs had found and trapped their quarry in a large marula tree. 80 SECONDS! It took the dog handlers about 15 minutes to lay the track and find a good spot to hide. The dogs accomplished their goal in 1 minute and 20 seconds – their ability to track, trail and find is almost beyond comprehension! 

That concluded our day with the dogs and what a day it was! Being fortunate enough to have exposure to this type of conservation operation is invaluable to a field guiding student. Not only does it highlight the effort that goes into protecting these natural landscapes, it also gives insight into the various career paths a well trained field guide can branch out into.

Did you know that field guides can go into all kinds of careers, like working with a K9 unit in the Greater Kruger? Apply today and jump start your conservation career.

#gameranger #bushwise #fieldguide #k9 #safariguide #k9unit #antipoaching #apprenticefieldguide #canine #safari #fieldguiding #tracking #cybertracker #trackandsign #gamedrive #studying #fieldguides

BY: Annie DuPre, CATHSSETA NQF2, Apprentice Trails Guide and Bushwise Copywriter

The first growl was so faint, I thought it was the wind. 

I rolled over in my sleeping bag, trying to block out the sound. 

The second growl was clear.

I bolted upright in my tent, listening carefully, trying to distinguish that uniquely cat-like sound from the rustling leaves and cracking branches taking strain from the wind. 

There it was again. Definitely a cat. Probably a leopard.

“Brad – are you awake?”

I heard his non-committal grunt. 

“Brad – there’s a big cat out there.”

We both unzipped our tents and stepped into the moonlit night, looking past the electric fence that kept us separated from the African bushveld. I could just see Brad shaking himself awake, reaching for the torch he kept on a table outside his tent. I made my way towards him, hyperaware that a two-metre fence was all that stood between us and one of the most dangerous carnivores in the world. 

The leopard growled again – I picked up my pace.

Reaching Brad’s side, I stared ahead into the darkness, following the glow of his torch as we scanned for our feline visitor. 

“There,” Brad gestured with the light. Two eyes illuminated in the rays, glowing red and staring into our souls. The leopard couldn’t have been more than 20 metres away. Knowing that a leopard can bolt at nearly 60kph – well – it wouldn’t take long for this one to be on us. Thank goodness for fences.

“Something must have aggravated him,” whispered Brad.

Our resident male leopard, whose tracks we saw wandering past camp nearly every morning, certainly looked a bit aggravated tonight. I tried to comfort myself that he wasn’t growling at us, asleep inside our tents, just a few moments ago. Surely there was something else going on. 

Brad and I settled into our camp chairs and watched the leopard. He paced for a minute or so, before turning his back on us and continuing his nightly ritual. And with his departure, it was time to head back to my tent, and reflect on how I, an American girl from Texas, found myself in the African wilderness, at night, facing down a leopard.

From policy to conservation

I moved to South Africa in 2015. At the time, having just finished my Masters in Global Policy Studies, I was out to change the world one policy brief at a time. I soon found that hours behind a computer screen, studying political leaders and analysing legislation, just wasn’t my dream. In fact, I was miserable. 

I’ll join ranks with everyone who has ever been on a safari to say this: African wildlife is mesmerising. Being in an open-air game viewer, driving through the bush and spotting animals, is the best thing in the world. Seeing lions, leopards, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, and hundreds of birds you’ve never seen before, is enough to convert even the least outdoors-friendly person into a lover of wildlife. 

So one day I asked myself the question that all Bushwise students at one time asked themselves: “Could I become a safari guide?” I imagined myself behind the wheel of a safari vehicle (I didn’t even know how to drive a manual), cruising down dirt tracks, showing guests the landscape, spotting elusive animals, observing wildlife behaviour, and making lifelong memories in the African bush. I started researching ways to make this hypothetical vision a reality. 

Sometimes dreams stay just that: dreams. You wake up one morning and splash water on your face and tell yourself to embrace reality. It’s a ridiculous idea, Annie, one that can’t really come true. At the time in a place where I was comfortable. I was in a relationship and living and working in Johannesburg. From the outside it certainly looked like I should stay put, not disrupt the status quo. 

So what did I do? I signed up for a field guiding course and I didn’t look back. 

As a foreigner, joining a field guide (or safari guide) training course is not only an incredible career move. It’s also one of the most eye-opening experiences you’ll ever have. You’ll be exposed to things that challenge your way of thinking, the way you understand the world, and the things you prioritise. You’ll study with people from all over the planet, who help you grow in transformative ways. You’ll find a whole new value in nature and wildlife. You’ll become a spokesperson for animals, defending those who have no voice. 

And you’ll want to share your knowledge with others – not just to educate them, but to connect with them – to show them how we play an essential role in protecting our one and only planet. You’ll have an overwhelming desire to protect species – from the tiniest insects to the largest elephants. Our ecosystems thrive in balance. We humans often throw that balance off, and it’s our role to bring it back to centre. 

Training to become a field guide will change your life. And you don’t have to actually work as a guide for this to be true. I’m an example of that myself. I did not use my training in a traditional sense. I never worked at a lodge. Instead of guiding, I went to work for a conservation organisation. And then another. And now, I work for Bushwise Field Guides as a senior copywriter, while pursuing a Masters of Science in Conservation. 

I’m continuing my dream of living a life connected to wildlife. It’s possible for you, too – all you have to do is make the leap. Pretty soon a leopard’s growl, or a lion’s roar, or an elephant’s trumpet, could be waking you up. 

Are you keen to change your life and study to become a field guide? Apply today – it’s the first step in your career journey.

Did this blog speak to you? Have you always wanted to work with animals – but aren’t sure how? Get started with jobs working with animals.

#bushwise #fieldguide #safariguide #leopard #apprenticefieldguide #safari #fieldguidetrainer #wilddogs #tracking #cybertracker #fieldguidecourse