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"In all things of nature there is something of the
marvellous.” (Aristotle)
Don’t know what to put into
that Christmas stocking that needs filling up in the next couple of months?
EcoTraining is ready with an array of courses at any of our wilderness camps
across Southern Africa and in Kenya to suit all preferences – from the more
serious that wish to enter the guiding industry on a full time basis to
discerning nature lovers. Visit www.ecotraining.co.za or send an email to enquries@ecotraining.co.za to join in the action! To pique your interest and
whet the appetite, read and take a look what happened in the last month…
TAKE NOTE
A picture is
worth a thousand words, or so the saying goes… And in nature never a more true
word has been spoken. You only need to look at an image of the natural world,
to be touched to the core and wanting to go and explore. The same applies to
moving images and the brand new EcoTraining tracking video. Go to www.ecotraining.co.za and have a look. We guarantee that you will be enticed to
come and learn first-hand the traditional art of tracking from authentic Shangaan
tracker instructors.
ON THE HORIZON
There are still some spaces left on the courses below in the next couple
of months. Experience things and gather
knowledge that will blow you away. From a handful of days to one year, the
choices are endless!
7 Day Tracking:
6-12
October – Mashatu; 4-10 November – Karongwe
28 Day Safari Guide:
11
November-8 December – Karongwe; 26 November-23 December – Mashatu
14 Day Conservation and
Research:
12-25
November – Mashatu
BEHIND THE KHAKI INSTRUCTOR’S UNIFORM: Lex Hes – Co-owner
of EcoTraining
Lex Hes has been involved in the world of
wildlife and conservation for close on 40 years. And as co-owner of
EcoTraining, he has been sharing and imparting his wealth of knowledge of
Africa’s wilderness areas. This with one goal in mind – raising and maintaining
the standard of nature guiding on the continent. Lex also leads tours all over Africa and is an author and nature photographer with
five books to his credit, among them the highly acclaimed Leopards
of Londolozi.
Q:
As a field guide, what are the highlights that make this career worth it?
Spending time in the peace of the wilderness
and observing the interactions of life, seeing the positive response of the
clients to what we show them.
Q:
What are the challenging aspects of field guide duties? Not necessarily the
challenges of encountering big game that deserves its own question!
Mainly dealing with people from all walks of
life and many different backgrounds and interests. Getting to understand
each individual to a point where they respond with enthusiasm and passion to
the things that I show them.
Q:
What was your first dangerous encounter with big game on foot with guests, and
how scared were you at the time on a scale of 1 – 10?
A male lion charging me, 10/10 scared, but I
stood my ground!
Q:
Field guiding is mostly about your guests on safari. What would your tip be to
a new field guide to advise him/her on handling their guests?
Be a good listener. Listen to what your
guests are saying to you, either directly or indirectly and respond to their
needs. Once you meet their needs you are a long way towards getting your
own message across.
Q:
Field guiding is a ‘career of passion’ for those that want to live in and work
with nature. It’s a well-known fact that the earnings are less than many
other jobs. Do you have any tips for field guides about how to get the best
financially out of this work?
If you love what you do, you’ll do it well and
other things follow from that. Look for alternative means of income:
painting, writing, photography, lecturing, consulting. Make the time and
effort to do detailed studies of some of the animals you spend so much time
observing with guests. Results of such studies can lead to all kinds of
things: movie-making, a book, and scientific papers. You can become the
expert.
Q:
What is the most interesting wildlife moment you have had back at camp, night
or day?
There are many! One comes to mind.
Walking guests to their room one night in Botswana, we came across a leopard
lying on the boardwalk at the door of their tent! The leopard would not
move, so we had to take the guests to my tent. I moved my luggage out,
gave them toothbrushes and they were to spend the night there without their luggage. I
went back to their tent to find blood on the boardwalk at the door. I
looked up into tree to see a red lechwe calf hanging over a branch directly
above their door. By this time the leopard had jumped off the boardwalk,
so I was able to move my luggage in and get their luggage. I spent the
night trying to sleep with the leopard regularly feeding on kill a couple of
metres from my head!
Q:
As a photographer, which is your favourite animal to photograph and why?
It is never easy to answer this kind of question
as there are so many interesting things to photograph. Favourites that
come to mind are meerkats and dwarf mongoose because of their busy life-styles
which can lead to interesting shots.
Q:
During your field guiding career, has there ever been an animal that you have
got to know particularly well and do you have any particular fond memories
associated with that animal?
In terms of an individual animal I spent most
time with a female leopard called simply “The Mother”. I observed her for
12 years and watched her raise 9 litters of cubs. There were too many
special moments with her and her cubs to highlight one, but generally it was
the times when she rested with the cubs as they played around her.
THROUGH THE BUSH TELEGRAPH
Office: The dedicated team at head office in Nelspruit is
ready to answer all your questions and queries. Don’t hesitate to contact them! For more information,
visit www.ecotraining.co.za or send an email to enquiries@ecotraining.co.za.
Camps: Every
minute on one of our courses in our wilderness camps in South Africa, Botswana
and Kenya is a learning experience, being constantly exposed to the bush. See
what transpired in the last month, it sure is a good indication of what will
probably happen in the months to follow…
Karongwe: The only guarantee in life is that there are no guarantees,
or something to this effect. And on an EcoTraining course you can surely count
on the unexpected to happen at any moment, to the delight of all involved.
This is
exactly what the participants on a 28 Day Safari Guide course experienced at
our Karongwe wilderness camp.
Massimo
Rebuzzi sent through this exciting update:
“We were looking for rhinos for a while until we came
across fresh tracks two days into the course. We ended up following and tracked
down a mother and her calf and stayed with her for a while.
We did a sleep out in the dry
riverbed of the Matumi river where we managed to get a friction fire started
with two sticks after quite a few blisters. I also showed them how to make bark
bracelets, wood whistles and snares in case of a survival situation, among many
other things.
We found a big male lion on a
zebra that he killed and had a good view. That same day we found a huge male
leopard on a wildebeest which he killed the day before. We thought he was alone
until he got up to drink in the open when a small female followed from behind
the termite mound. We were pleasantly surprised when they came out in the open
in the middle of the day to allow us to have a great sighting. They were mating
the whole day. We also had a good day view of some spotted hyenas at their den
with some cubs.
We decided to try track some
white rhinos on foot. We battled to find fresh tracks until we looked in the
river bed. Not only did we find tracks, but two rhinos walking our way, so I
briefed the students as to how one should handle the situation.
They kept coming closer till
I had to send the students to a safe zone behind a tree, and then they
picked up our scent and decided to run in our direction which made life a bit
more exciting.
When we arrived back in camp
that evening, the elephants were everywhere, throwing rubbish bins around and
forcing our staff to retire into the bathrooms for two hours. We had a
spectacular view while they mingled around camp then I had to escort the
students back to their tents. There was also a huge male lion which walked through
camp just before the elephants.
This afternoon we found a
female cheetah with her four cubs. She was very relaxed and let us watch as her
cubs played with each other on top of her.
Last night was the same, we
watched the whole herd feed through camp while we were safe on the upper decks.
They have been in camp almost every night, providing the students with some
amazing experiences.
I would say overall a great
course!”
Makuleke (Kruger National Park): A taste of life at EcoTraining’s wilderness camp in
the Makuleke concession in the northern Kruger National Park, through the
artistic eyes of Candice Wagener, a former professional field guide student… The ARH (advanced rifle handling) and trails guide
part of the course was held in this amazingly diverse area. It forms but 1% of
Kruger, but holds about 75% of the biodiversity of this natural treasure.
THE ARTIST’S
VISION
Is this how it’s really meant
to be?
Just want to try help them
break free
How much must one take
The truth, it seems so fake
A simple movement with the
brush
The artist has no time to
rush
You walk by, stop and look
Caught hanging on his hook
A line here and there
The canvas fills with tender
care
Still watching as the picture
begins to form
All you can make out is a
horn
The background comes into
play
His creation on display
In the street he paints
The audience grows as they
all
Decided stay
The last stroke of his brush
He stands and his painting,
now in full view
A mother and her child
At ease in the wild
The sun setting behind the
mountain
As they drink from the
natural fountain
Their horns look firm and
strong
Without them, it just seems
wrong
One day it’ll be too late
So why must we wait?
Kenya: Training
in action: Masai Mara style! EcoTraining has been the
leader in field guide training in Africa for longer than 20 years, and we are
still growing! Instructor Chris Stamper recently travelled to the Masai Mara
where he shared and imparted his knowledge at Alex Walker's Serian. Pictures do
indeed tell a wonderful story, take a look and if it tickles your adventurous
spirit, go to www.ecotraining.co.za,
and check out a whole array of courses on offer, you won't regret it!
From humble beginnings way back in 1993, when a handful of passionate individuals saw the opportunity to provide the tourism industry with qualified nature-guides, to the leader in this field today.
This is the
story of EcoTraining.
For the past
20 years, thousands of people with a deep love for nature, an appreciation of
all things wild and wonderful and a passion for conservation, have attended our
courses in wilderness camps across Africa.
And armed with this knowledge, they have gone on to make a difference
and spread the message of reconnecting with nature in a meaningful way.
Michael Clark, who trained
with EcoTraining more than 10 years ago, is currently in Nepal, training up
young Nepali naturalists.
Says Michael:
“The variety of subjects is
incredibly diverse and comprehensive, and the practical element provides you
with experiences that are hard to put into words. Anyone who is serious about a
career in ecotourism or simply wants a sabbatical from work, the experiences
you can have on a course can lead to a whole new way of life, and provide you
with memories to truly cherish.”
Like
Marc Lindsay Rea, who says he’s now living the dream, thanks in part to
EcoTraining who has put him in a very privilege position indeed, as a fully
qualified field guide leading people into the wilderness and onto memory-making
adventures.
“I
have such a thirst for acquiring knowledge about wildlife and nature from
around the world and I am lucky to have the privilege to guide guests through
these exciting places. I thank and appreciate everybody and every company that
has put in many long hours to help get me to the position I am at now. Thank
you!”
Yes, we are
essentially a field guide training company, training guides for the industry.
But with shorter courses and excursions on birding,
tracking, photography and bush survival, and from anything between four and 28
days, we are also catering to the tourist with a conscience.
Today’s tourist is a thinking
traveller who wants to have fun while gaining a better
understanding of the natural world. And this is where a company like
EcoTraining is stepping in and creating an experience with a difference.
Like Richard Schmid from Switzerland who was
born in Mombasa and spent the first seven years of his life in Kenya. He went
back to the country of his birth to take part in a 28 Day Field Guide course in
the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
For Richard there’s no other way to travel.
“I travel like this all the time, to go out
and actually do something, on a course like this to be directly and actively
involved in something. I now know so much more, my base of knowledge has
broadened considerably and I’m not regretting it for one moment. We have an
ecological responsibility and I think people are becoming more and more aware
of it all the time.”
Through the years the EcoTraining qualification have become the
trusted nature-guide training standard in the industry, giving people from all
walks of life and from all over the globe the opportunity to become one with
nature. We have trained all across the African continent and also in many other
parts of the world.
And our wilderness camps
in South Africa (Makuleke, Selati, Karongwe), Botswana (Mashatu) and Kenya
(Lewa), is where it is all happening. It’s in these simple unfenced bush camps in the
middle of these great wilderness areas participants truly get to experience
what it is like to live in wild places. Under the guidance of experienced
instructors, countless hours are spend walking or driving in the bush, and an
understanding of our place in the natural world is cultivated.
Africa indeed just has its
way with people. The continent’s wild and wonderful places lure people from all
over the globe, to come and explore and then to return wherever they are from
with vivid memories to last a life time.
You will get all this, and so
much more, on an EcoTraining course.
But don’t just take our word
for it. From the horse’s mouth, or in this case, Nick Baker, a former
professional field guide course participant:
“The beauty of this course is the
extended time one spends out there, nothing is rushed and every day one learns
something new, building a quite awesome knowledge base… I miss it today and
will miss it every day that I am not there. The experience is total and is
built of a complicated set of components, animals, birds, trees, plants,
insects, soil, water, weather, stars, sights, sounds, smells, magic… The bush does funny things to your head. It
has got inside mine…”
GREEN SPOTLIGHT: WALKING
FOR LIONS
Walking for Lions is a
(non-profit) organisation that was created for the main purpose to assist wild
lions in areas where they need it.
Walking for Lions stands for
the protection and survival of all wild lions. It is something that we can do
that will benefit the wild lions in the long term, and it stands for something
that we do, not gain or take from them, but try and provide it for them. We
will walk the path with them during their struggles and we will learn to
understand them more and more during all this worldly changes that we face.
One thing that stays consistent
in the world is the saying that (knowledge is power, and power is gained by
knowledge) and for this reason, we would like to make everybody more aware of
the constant struggle that lions face in the 20th century.
Our Slogan (Don’t Talk, Just Walk)
comes from our idea that it is always very easy to talk about things but very
difficult to act on them. We can only act, once we receive more support from
everybody that could possibly assist, and when you assist, it can mean from
providing your own experience, funds from organisation, donations or just
simply by word of mouth.
The aims and objectives are
simple and straight forward – to support and study the wild lions population
that are still currently surviving in small pockets of Africa and to ensure
their future survival for our future generation to enjoy and observe in
the same ways as we have done for thousands of years.
How this will be done is
another matter on its own and a challenge that not ONE person can do alone.
What makes us different from
any other organisation out there to help?
You will just have to wait and
see for yourself …
We have
always had a great relationship with a company called EcoTraining and after a
few discussions regarding lion conservation and conservation education, it was
decided that they would help us with some funds to insure we can continue doing
a proper Lion Density Survey and Education within Botswana. We would like to
thank EcoTraining for their moral support and financial support as this
means we can complete our surveys with much better results.
Some of the members of WFL have done EcoTraining courses years ago and through this platform it has helped us pass on the knowledge and skills to others. As we have always said; pay it forward, whether it is through funds, knowledge, skills or education as we can only save species when forces join.
Some of the members of WFL have done EcoTraining courses years ago and through this platform it has helped us pass on the knowledge and skills to others. As we have always said; pay it forward, whether it is through funds, knowledge, skills or education as we can only save species when forces join.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Like our official fan page on
Facebook at EcoTraining; and join our Twitter page @EcoTraining to get all the
latest updates!
Also visit us on www.ecotraining.co.za and if you have any questions or queries, send an
email to enquiries@ecotraining.co.za.
(Thank you to
everybody who contributed with photos and information!)
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