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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Why I Love Summer

Jess Shillaw February 16, 2022 13

We often get asked which is the best season to visit Londolozi and we all have our answers based on our own preferences. Each season has its pros and cons. …

General Nature Wildlife

What Does a Leopard and The Leopard Orchid Have in Common?

Jess Shillaw February 1, 2022 15

We all go in search of beautiful creatures or plants when we travel or simply just walk around a garden. Here at Londolozi during many of our game drives, we …

General Nature Leopards Wildlife

A Splash of Wild Dogs or Do Wild Dogs Swim?

Jess Shillaw December 13, 2021 11

As a ranger, we are not really supposed to just have one favourite animal but for me, I can’t deny it and not say that one of my favourite animals …

General Nature Wild Dogs Wildlife

Honey Badger In A Hole

Jess Shillaw November 24, 2021 15

Stopping in the early hours of the morning is vital, whether it’s for an impala or just to view the sunrise. Stopping can help you as a guide or a …

Featured Wildlife

What Nature Feels Like For People

Jess Shillaw November 18, 2021 8

Nature is inspiringly patient, it is as soft as the flow of a river, it is as hard as death, it is as quiet as termites building their mounds, it …

Wildlife

How To Find A Leopard

Jess Shillaw November 10, 2021 2 17

When looking for a leopard on one of our morning or afternoon game drives, many guests simply ask “Do we just look in the trees?”. While we are lucky to …

Leopards Tracking

The Spirits of The Leadwood Forest

Jess Shillaw November 3, 2021 14

In the Animal Kingdom, variation is the spice of life. Within a species, there can be many different morphs, mutations and differences in colour. Either where the animal takes on …

General Nature Wildlife

A Tracking Story From Advice Ngwenya

Jess Shillaw September 25, 2021 1 17

Many guests ask myself and Tracker Advice Ngwenya what our best sightings are. We always say it’s so hard to choose because in actual fact every sighting has been amazing …

Leopards Wildlife

Birmingham males chase Ntsevu sub-adults

Jess Shillaw August 23, 2021 10

Driving out of camp, our vehicle had the goal of an exciting morning of finding lions. We were lucky enough to find some tracks fairly early on. From that point …

Lions Wildlife

How The Wild Dog Den Really Made Me Feel

Jess Shillaw July 21, 2021 14

As many of you may have seen in our recent stories, the wild dogs are denning on Londolozi again this year! For those of you who did see it, you …

Wild Dogs Wildlife

A Full Day Out On Safari

Jess Shillaw July 8, 2021 1 11

As with most people that come on safari to Londolozi, the wilderness – or as we refer to it as the bush, is their happy place and being out on …

Leopards Wildlife

What Makes Crocodiles Such Stealthy Hunters?

Jess Shillaw June 2, 2021 15

I’m sitting at a waterhole watching the waterbirds wade along the waters edge as the swallows zig-zag low above the water swooping up unsuspecting insects. What seemed like a peaceful …

Wildlife

The Fascinating Anatomy Inside A Giant

Jess Shillaw May 5, 2021 24

Sometimes we sit and ponder just how unusual many of the animals we see out here are, whether it be the stretched out lanky neck and legs of the giraffe …

Wilderness teachings Wildlife

Hidden in the Dappled Light

Jess Shillaw April 29, 2021 25

The team were lucky to have found the Nkoveni Female and her two cubs in a thickly vegetated watercourse, and the next day we headed to the spot. Knowing that …

Featured Leopards Wildlife

A Leopard Cub’s Adventure

Jess Shillaw April 20, 2021 21

Many guests have asked me what do leopard cubs do when their mother leaves them at their den site? The mother leopard, in this case the Picadilly female will leave …

Featured Leopards Wildlife