Jess Shillaw

Guest contributor

Jess was born in Kwazulu/Natal but grew up in Cape Town. Having an innate love for all things wild but getting to spend little time in the bush while growing up, she headed straight for the Lowveld after school. She completed a guiding course and spent a year guiding in the Sabi Sand Reserve. It was during this time that she realised that Londolozi was the place she really wanted to be, and in 2018 she successfully completed the Londolozi Guide Selection Course.

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Stories by Jess

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A Poem About My Love For Painted Dogs

Jess Shillaw December 4, 2023 13

Many guests arrive at Londolozi eager to see the Big 5 (lions, leopards, buffalos, elephants, and rhinos). However, there is such a variety of animals in the Sabi Sands that …

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The Healing Powers of Plants: Part Two

Jess Shillaw November 28, 2023 7

In my previous blog, I wrote about the healing power of a few plants that I have learned about during my time at Londolozi. This is only a tiny percentage …

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The Healing Powers of Plants

Jess Shillaw November 2, 2023 6

In today’s world, there are countless streams of information at our fingertips informing you on the newest miracle cream to avoid ageing, new fads, wonder diets and opinions on how …

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The Week In Pictures #617

Jess Shillaw October 6, 2023 4 17

This week was full of rare sightings for me. In the over five years of working here at Londolozi, this week was the first time I saw mating crocodiles, or …

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Two Leopards, A Warthog & A Hyena

Jess Shillaw October 2, 2023 2 12

Many guests have been fortunate enough to see many different habituated leopards at Londolozi, it is almost guaranteed that every guest who stays at Londolozi will see at least one …

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A Sunset With The White-fronted Bee-eaters: Where Do They Go As The Sun Sets?

Jess Shillaw August 1, 2023 1 9

The Sand River is the life blood of the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve, but more so than providing for the abundance of wildlife the scenery is spectacular. There is a …

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The Week In Pictures #607

Jess Shillaw July 28, 2023 5 18

Many questions have been flying around the Rangers’ Room this week… Where is the Ntomi Male? Where will the young male cheetah be next? What is happening with the females …

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The Dedication of a Mother Lioness

Jess Shillaw July 5, 2023 13

The Ntsevu Lionesses’ stories have been told by many rangers in the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve for many years. It is said that they are possibly some of the biggest …

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The Amazing Month Of May- My Highlights

Jess Shillaw June 3, 2023 2 7

May in the bush or Lowveld is usually the time of transition. Everything starts to transform from its summer forms into its winter ones. Whether it is the towering cumulus …

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The Coconut Scented Sage: Why Do Plants Smell?

Jess Shillaw May 18, 2023 6

Imagine a plant that smells like the perfect combination of spicy sage and fresh coconut. Well, on the open crests of the rolling hills at Londolozi, you might be lucky …

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Differences Between Dragonflies, Damselflies and Groundlings

Jess Shillaw April 18, 2023 12

“There are some four million different kinds of animals and plants in the world. Four million different solutions to the problem of staying alive” ~ Sir David Attenborough Over the …

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One Tree, Two Leopards

Jess Shillaw April 12, 2023 1 12

Late in the afternoon, after driving almost every road in the Nhlanguleni Female’s territory, Ranger Matt Rochford called me on the radio saying that he had found her. This was …

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A Leopard Tortoise Lays Her Eggs Right Next to Us

Jess Shillaw April 3, 2023 10

Sometimes, luck is truly on your side, and you can find yourself being in the right place at the right time. I recently wrote a blog about an incredible morning …

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Something Special About Being In The Right Place At The Right Time

Jess Shillaw March 30, 2023 6

There is this ideology about the bush that highlights the importance of ‘being in the right place at the right time’. It is a matter of seconds before things can …

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Does the Nhlanguleni Female Have Cubs?

Jess Shillaw January 31, 2023 14

Around three and a half months ago we saw The Nhlanguleni Female mating with The Senegal Bush Male, which means that due to the length of a leopard’s gestation period …

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