Category: Course updates

Photo by: Callum Evans

Some images in this article were taken pre-COVID-19.

BY: Tasneem Johnson-Dollie

What’s the African wild like in the spring season? Read these fun facts about spring season in the Greater Kruger National Park to find out!

If you’re looking to see the savannah buzzing like no other time of the year, visit South Africa during the spring season and set yourself up for a memorable time in the Greater Kruger National Park. 

While you’re at it, why stop at just a visit? Why not make the savannah your office for the spring season?

1) When are the different seasons in South Africa?

South Africa lies below the equator and the seasons follow the Southern Hemisphere’s schedule. 

In the African savannah, the wet, hot summer season spans December to February, with the milder temperatures of Autumn settling in from March to May. By June, the rainfall subsides and temperatures sink to winter-chilliness levels. The winter season sticks around until late August, before giving way to the spring season, which lasts from September to November. 

2) Where is the Greater Kruger National Park

The Greater Kruger National Park includes the well-known Kruger National Park in Limpopo as well as more than 180,000 hectares of land to the west of the park in Mpumalanga. This stretch of savannah is home to over 20 private reserves. 

Photo by: Callum Evans

3) What are springtime temperatures like?

Springtime in the Greater Kruger National Park falls in the heart of the dry season. 

But, while there may be little moisture in the air, temperatures in the spring season remain chilly – by South African standards – with lows of around 10 degrees celsius. On warmer days in the springtime, temperatures can reach highs of 27 degrees celsius. 

4) When is the best time to travel to South Africa and visit the Greater Kruger National Park?

You may have guessed it by now: it’s the spring season, from September to November. 

But, you may be wondering why spring is the best season to visit the Greater Kruger National Park if it’s chilly and dry? Let’s find out.

5) What’s so exciting about the African savannah during the spring season?

Photo by: Donald Fraser

One of the best parts of the spring season is that the dry weather makes spotting African savannah animals much easier, because there are fewer water holes around. The scarcity of water draws African savannah animals out of hiding as they seek out fresh water. 

During this time of the year, you may also see a wider variety of African savannah animals in the same spot at the same time – all taking advantage of the precious water on offer.

6) Which African savannah animals can I see during the spring season?

South Africa itself is recognised as a megadiverse country, with its seven different biomes acting as habitats for thousands of species of plants and animals. 

The savannah biome is home to some of the country’s best-known creatures, like the Big Five – lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and Cape buffalo – and an array of leaping buck, furry rodents and slithering serpents. 

As one of South Africa’s largest regions of savannah terrain, the Greater Kruger National Park makes a big contribution to the biodiversity of this biome. It houses over 500 species of birds, around 114 species of snakes, 147 mammal species and more insects than you can easily count.

Photo by: Donald Fraser

During the spring season, the colder daytime temperatures mean that reptiles are less active (they get moving after heating up in the sunshine). So, you may not see as many reptiles on the African savannah during this time.

But, bigger mammals will still be around in their numbers, and smaller mammals will start to come out of hibernation. So, in addition to the zebras, lions, giraffes, elephants, antelope, wildebeest, rhinos, warthogs, hyenas and African wild dogs, you could also get an eyeful of meerkats, dassies, weasels and savannah rodents. 

Read more about the African savannah biome in this article: All you need to know about field guiding and biomes of South Africa

7) Which plants can I see in the African savannah during springtime?

Towards the end of September, the Greater Kruger National Park starts to experience its first rains of the spring season. By the end of October, the African savannah is bursting with lush vegetation. 

So, if you stick around long enough, you’ll get to feast your eyes on a wide variety of plants in the African savannah too. 

From acacia and jackalberry trees to bermuda and elephant grasses, you may think you’re not in semi-arid terrain after all!

This showy greenery is a sign that the spring season is coming to its end. So, you could see the African savannah adorned with a sea of green spindles, broad canopied trees and bushels of thorny thicket.

Photo by: Donald Fraser

8) What are the best ways to experience the Greater Kruger National Park during the spring season?

With this region of South Africa housing an array of different game reserves, booking a safari holiday in the Greater Kruger National Park is easy enough. 

Going out on a safari with a field guide or game ranger is a great way to learn more about the area from a field expert. But, there are also ways that you can add to your own expertise as a wildlife enthusiast. 

Bushwise Field Guides offers in-country courses set in this region, and you’ll learn all the theory you need to become a certified field guide. Our courses also ensure that you’ll gain all the practical experience essential for anyone wanting to work in the African savannah.

With courses like these on offer, anyone who becomes besotted with the Greater Kruger National Park, and its plants and animals, can spend more time on the terrain – while working towards a career in the great outdoors.

Photo by: Ben Klunder

9) How can I become a professional conservationist in time for the spring season?

Bushwise offers CATHSSETA-accredited wildlife courses that can build on your employability as a field guide or game ranger in a big way. 

You can join our in-country field guiding course or internship and start your studies off this spring in the African savannah. This means you should be a certified wildlife conservationist by the spring season next year!

10) Can I make the Greater Kruger National Park my office during the spring season?

Once you’ve got your qualifications, you can apply to work at reserves in the Greater Kruger National Park and make the outdoors your office for all the seasons in South Africa – with the spring season being a highlight of course! 

Bushwise prides itself on offering the most comprehensive courses in the industry, and 100% of our professional safari guiding course students have gone on to secure work in the field (locally or internationally). 

Sign up for an in-country course or internship in the Greater Kruger National Park.

Photo by: Donald Fraser

BY: Tasneem Johnson-Dollie

Celebrate World Rhino Day by finding out which of the world’s rhinos you have the most in common with!

Completing our World Rhino Day quiz will also teach you some rhino facts and fill you in on more about one of the world’s most endangered species.

And this is an important first step for anyone looking to get involved in rhino conservation.

So let’s dash right in and see which of these horned-nosed creatures is a rhino after your own heart. 

The World Rhino Day quiz

Do you prefer the arid African outback, or are you partial to Asia’s forested terrains? Is lounging languidly in a water hole your idea of a good time, or would you rather be rolling in the dust? These are some of the differences between the world’s five rhino species. Let’s see which one you’ll be.

Answer these five questions and read through the feedback to see which rhino fits with your answer. At the end of the quiz, the rhino you’ve been paired with most will be your World Rhino Day matchup!

1) Would you prefer to live in Africa or Asia?

a) Africa

b) Asia

There are three species of Asian rhinos and two species of African rhinos. If you’ve picked Africa as your destination of choice, you’d be either the white rhino or the black rhino. 

If you chose Asia, you could be a greater one-horned rhino, Sumatran rhino or perhaps one of the Javan rhinos living on the continent. 

2) What is your favourite pastime?

a) Swimming

b) Sunbathing

c) Exploring tropical terrains.

Asian rhinos are really good swimmers and greater one-horned rhinos are probably the best swimmers of them all. 

In contrast, African rhinos prefer to soak up the sun after rolling around in the dust – it’s some of the savannah’s most sought-after sunscreen after all! 

And, since tropical forests are one of their preferred terrains, Sumatran and Javan rhinos would be a perfect rhino matchup if you’re an avid explorer of lush terrains. 

3) For your everyday attire, would you prefer a bulkier look, or an outfit that’s smooth and sleek?

a) The bulkier the better!

b) Smooth and sleek please!

One of the best-known rhino facts is that every rhino has really thick skin – it can be over five centimetres thick in some species. But, thickness aside, some rhinos, like Javan and greater one-horned rhinos, have bigger skin folds and look bulkier than others. 

Black rhinos and white rhinos have smaller skin folds, which make their skin look deceptively smoother. 

Photo by: Louise Pavid

4) Do you consider yourself a foodie, or are you a more conservative eater?

a) A foodie for sure!

b) I’m what you’d call a picky eater.

While rhinos are, in general, herbivorous, their eating habits differ according to the type of terrain they live in. 

Asian rhinos live in forests, are browsers and have a much more diverse diet, feeding on fruits, twigs and leaves. 

Javan rhinos are known to feed on 300 different species of plant life. 

And African rhinos mostly feed on grass and shrub vegetation, because they live in grasslands and shrublands. 

5) Do you prefer to be where the action is or are you more reserved?

a) Action all the way.

b) Reserved for sure.

The smaller rhino species – like Sumatran rhinos and Javan rhinos – are much less bold than their bigger cousins – greater one-horned rhinos, black rhinos and white rhinos. Because of this, smaller rhino species aren’t easily spotted in nature. 

So, which rhino did you have the most in common with this World Rhino Day? No matter the outcome, you’ll have learnt a lot more about these thick-skinned creatures.

Here’s more on why knowing your rhino facts is so important. 

Why knowing your rhino facts matters

All rhino species are affected by climate change, habitat loss and poaching, and they’re all listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List. 

Two species of Asian rhinos – Javan rhinos and Sumatran rhinos – are considered critically endangered, as is the species of African rhinos known as black rhinos. 

The rarest rhino subspecies of all is the northern white rhino, of which only two individuals are left. While not all rhino species are down to single digits, all rhinos depend on rhino conservation efforts.

Growing your rhino knowledge means getting to know more about these creatures and the challenges they face. Rhino facts also put into perspective why rhino conservation is key right now.

You can keep building on your rhino knowledge on a Bushwise Field Guides course online, before setting off to sharpen your practical skills on an in-country course in the African savannah.

This way, you’ll be adding to your ability to raise awareness about rhinos in your community, and build on your potential to make an impact in rhino conservation worldwide. 

Check out our online Nature Enthusiast course and in-country field guiding courses.

BY: Tasneem Johnson-Dollie

World Rhino Day comes around on 22 September every year, and while it’s all about rhino conservation, there seem to be many different ways of celebrating it.

This day, to honour the rhino, was established in 2010. Since then, people across the world have come up with interesting ways to put rhinos in the public eye and boost rhino conservation efforts. 

Let’s take a look at why there’s a World Rhino Day and how people across the world are celebrating this horn-bedecked herbivore. 

Why was World Rhino Day established?

There are five different types of rhino and all of them are recognised on World Rhino Day. The following facts about rhinos are the reason why World Rhino Day was created.

Facts about rhinos

The rhino species found across the world today, and their conservation statuses according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), are:

1. black rhino – critically endangered

2. greater one-horned rhino – vulnerable

3. Javan rhino – critically endangered

4. Sumatran rhino – critically endangered

5. white rhino – near threatened.

So why are all rhino species at risk of becoming endangered?

Well, there are many factors that affect the well-being of rhinos, but poaching and habitat loss are some of the biggest challenges to rhino conservation. 

Rhinos are especially vulnerable to poaching because their horns are considered an important ingredient in some traditional medicines. For this reason, rhinos stand a better chance at survival if they’re placed in protected reserves. 

Other interesting facts about rhinos show that these creatures were previously found all over Africa, Asia and Europe. Today, rhino species are only found in Africa and Asia. 

Because of this species loss, rhino conservation has been an important focus in countries like South Africa for decades.

By 2010, the decline in rhino numbers had sparked even more action by rhino conservationists. Part of this action was an announcement by the South African branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature: the organisation was launching World Rhino Day on 22 September that year.

How World Rhino Day promotes rhino conservation

Like many other annual conservation awareness days, World Rhino Day is an important event for growing support for conservation efforts. 

Because facts about rhinos paint a meaningful picture that can add to everyone’s understanding of the challenges facing these creatures, spreading this information is key on World Rhino Day. 

World Rhino Day adds to conservation efforts in meaningful ways by:

1. building on the awareness communities have about the conservation status of rhinos and the challenges facing them

2. filling people in on what’s being done in the way of rhino conservation and how these efforts are making an impact

3. getting everyone clued up on what they can do to add to rhino conservation efforts

4. spreading the names and contact details of organisations that contribute towards the well-being of rhinos

5. keeping us all up to date on the most important rhino facts.

And, because having an online presence means competing with top achievers in the conservation industry, rhino conservation organisations have pulled out all the stops so that they can stand out online and offline.

Here are some examples of how rhino conservation is promoted worldwide.

1) Making an impact with music

When you think about World Rhino Day, what emotions stir up inside you? 

Maybe you feel angry that rhinos are facing such big challenges? Or, you could feel sad that so many rhinos have been poached?

Don’t carve those feelings in stone just yet, because World Rhino Day has a way for you to support the cause you care about, through music!

You can find the World Rhino Day playlist on Spotify and sing along to tons of rhino-related tunes. By downloading these tracks, you’ll be adding to World Rhino Day’s online presence. This way, rhino conservation awareness can reach even more people online.

Ever heard of the song, “Let’s Party” by Rhinoceros? How about “Rhino skin” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers? Well, you’ll get to know these and tons more tracks while supporting rhino conservation by downloading the playlist.

Photo by: Donald Fraser

2) Keeping social media abuzz

And, speaking of an online presence, World Rhino Day has some tech-forward features that keep it ahead of the game.

Just search for World Rhino Day online and you’ll see worldrhinoday.org popping up at the top of your screen. 

This website is an excellent source of information about World Rhino Day and advice on how to get involved. 

More than this, the site also offers downloadable videos that individuals and organisations can share on their social media platforms. 

These videos provide anyone who is passionate about rhino conservation with resources that offer accurate and informative information. 

And some of these clips even capture the work being done by conservationists in the field and volunteers who are adding to rhino conservation where they live. 

These videos can give so many people a glimpse into what rhino conservation involves and even inspire a future conservationist or two. 

You can follow World Rhino Day preparations and celebrations on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter throughout the year. 

3) Old-fashioned footwork

And, to make sure that the festivities spill out onto the streets and catch the eye of every passerby, rhino conservation organisations also make use of traditional techniques to raise awareness.

T-shirts, posters, flyers, mugs: you name it and you can bet that rhino conservationists have dolled it up with a World Rhino Day emblem and used it to add to rhino conservation awareness.

These old-school tactics make it possible for facts about rhinos and rhino conservation awareness to reach individuals who operate off the grid.

What’s the best way to celebrate World Rhino Day?

This image was taken pre-COVID-19. 

Of all the activities taking place on World Rhino Day, what would be the best one for you to get behind?

You can add to rhino conservation in more meaningful ways when you learn more about these creatures and how to safeguard them.

Out on the African savannah, you can join a Bushwise Field Guides course and learn about rhino conservation while researching these animals in their natural habitat. 

In this way, you’ll be adding to efforts aimed at better understanding rhinos while also contributing to the conservation of African rhinos. 

And, while you’re at it, you can also get involved in any of the World Rhino Day celebrations taking place where you are! 

Find out more about Bushwise Field Guides Wildlife Research Expedition and see how you can get involved in meaningful efforts this World Rhino Day.

Photo by: Zlicke Slabber

BY: Ryan Mengel 

This blog was written by one of our trainers, Ryan. With years of experience in guiding, Ryan shares some of the ways nature fascinates him most.

Have you ever sat and appreciated the settling sound and sensation of wind moving through trees, disrupting the leaves? Would you say the trees are “talking”?

Photo by: Ben Klunder

This image was taken pre-COVID-19.

Plant communication is complex. And in recent years, incredible research has been done to help us understand the fascinating systems in the natural world. 

Plants have evolved and developed a number of ways to communicate, both with their own species and with others. Plants are known to communicate by releasing pheromones into the air. 

Amazingly, many plants are even able to recognise whether their neighbours are of the same species or a competing one. And, some plants are even able to identify whether they actually share a “kinship” or direct genetic relationship with their neighbours.

Plant roots share a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi. The fungi connects the roots of different plants, creating a mycorrhizal network, which allows them to communicate and interact underground.

This relationship creates an enormous “web” for communication, much like the world wide web we are so reliant on today. It not only allows plants to gain the nutrients extracted from the soil and detritus by the fungi, but they are also able to communicate various chemical and electrical signals.

So, the next time you feel a breeze or hear the trees “talking”, remember that you are only picking up a tiny part of the conversation.

Visit our website to join a course where you can learn more about plant communication.