In his blog post describing his best day of 2019 (so far), ranger Josh Attenborough hit the nail on the head describing the exhilaration of going out on a game drive with one of Londolozi’s veteran guides. But I can promise you, reader, that being on a drive with our rangers in training is a special privilege in its own right. With that, to borrow from Josh’s blog title, here’s the story of my most memorable game drive of 2019 (so far!).
Ranger Shaun D’Araujo and his guests look on as an elephant bull feeds off the lush reeds along the banks of the Sand River.
The sun had just come up as we set out from camp. We were only four in the Land Rover: trainee ranger Dan in the hot seat; Josh in the tracker’s seat up front; Head Ranger James, already grilling Dan with rapid-fire bird questions; and me, just happy to be there and fizzing with excitement as we headed into the bush.
The training drive, I’ve come to learn, is a vital component of Londolozi’s ranger training course. A training drive’s purpose is multifold: it’s a wildlife knowledge exam-on-wheels (courtesy of James or whichever senior rangers happen to be on board), a chance for the trainees to hone their mental maps of the reserve’s roads and landmarks, and an opportunity to practice the art of storytelling, of crafting a narrative arc to both individual sightings and the drive as a whole. All this while driving a two-ton vehicle through the bush AND tracking astonishingly well-camouflaged animals: no small task!
After bumbling around the bush for a bit, we stopped under an enormous mahogany tree and climbed out of the Land Rover. Dan and Josh pulled out the requisite morning safari coffee and snacks while James readied his lesson plan for the morning: a deep dive into Londolozi’s prominent leopard lineages. For the next two hours, the four of us leaned against the hood of the Land Rover as James walked us through the complete history of Londolozi’s leopards, mapping out the full family tree, sharing stories about particularly memorable individuals, and explaining how to identify a leopard from the spot pattern on its face.
Head Ranger James Souchon and guests get a memorable walk-by from the Ndzanzeni female.
Once we’d made it through the lineages, the sun was getting strong and we were all ready for a bit of wind in our hair, so we packed up the coffee and fix-ins, piled back into the Land Rover, and started to head back to camp. To my surprise, Dan turned to me and said “let’s try to find you that cheetah you were asking about, Michael.” Considering our long odds, I guessed there was no chance we’d see this most elusive of Londolozi’s big cats. Little did I know, another ranger-tracker team had spotted a young female cheetah earlier that morning and radioed in its position, and Dan was bee-lining to that spot in the hopes that the cheetah had settled down for a nap under a tree to avoid the coming midday sun. It wasn’t even ten minutes before James said animatedly, “It should be… right… there!”
We pulled into the shade of the tree where the cheetah was resting and sat with her for half an hour, taking in the scene and trading cheetah facts (well, three of them trading cheetah facts). For instance: cheetahs use their tails like rudders to stabilize themselves when running at top speed (over 60 miles per hour). We all learned from James the art of presenting a sleepy animal with contagious excitement: how to weave one’s wildlife knowledge and bush stories together to paint a picture of that same animal in action, on the hunt, making full use of its astounding evolutionary adaptations.
With the right story-telling, even a cheetah lying doing very little can be turned into an incredible sighting…
By now, the sun was high in the sky and beating down on the bush, and there was little chance this cheetah would rouse herself for a demonstration of her hunting skills. But just to be in her presence was excitement enough; without saying a word, the four of us agreed to just to sit and take in the sight of this inspiring creature, marvelling at the privilege of sharing the same wild home.
It is always a priveledge to see a cheetah and wild dogs. Always a wonerful experience to drive with the trainee rangers. We learn so much and it is great fun.
James, Thanks for a great story. We can only imaging the grilling that must be enured to actually get to drive guests! Who was the head ranger when you were in training and were there any memorable moments from any of your training drives??
Hi Guys,
Apologies, the story was actually by Michael Harmon but I put it out under my name by mistake.
My Head Ranger was Chris Goodman who is now Head of Technical Services… And wow, there were too many great moments to even pick one!
James, wonderful story – training drive stories – I have always wondered how the training works!
Most interesting to see the training and experiences of guide/tracker team. If only I were a younger man….
our best regards to James!!!!! and once more Iwant to point out that my email is now dina.petridis@vandergroen.be.
The blog has been sent to this email but the login seems not to be ready
Dina
It’s always a great day to be out “rovering “ through the veld/bush, but as you say, some days are really special. The sight of a cheetah is always inspiring as they are so much rarer in the Sabi Sand than other places in Africa, such as Kenya/Tanzania. I followed your blog with interest/excitement and then I reached the point where Dan asked about “ following that cheetah you asked about, Michael “? Was the cheetah called Michael, or was there another person ?… I had thought there were four of you- Josh, Dan, James S, and you, James T. Perhaps I’m being too literal….. good blog explaining further the intense training your new rangers encounter.
A nice blog Michael and how lucky for you that you got to sit and take in the beauty of a cheetah. Thank you for sharing with us.
Greay post … to see Cheetah …. Thanks
There is so much to learn and know in the bush and I am always stunned at how much both the rangers and trackers. Thanks for the inside look. Victoria
No one truly understands what time, information and work it takes to become a ranger. That one can see the exceptional wildlife along the way is a great bonus!
Thank you James for the clarification. I thought had mis- read something. Just had eye surgery so my reading isn’t there yet…..
Watching a cheetah hit top speed so quickly is a breathtaking experience. Remarkably athletic animal!