The day of the jackal

We at EcoTraining spend countless hours pouring over books written by a variety of experts to try and explain animal behaviour to prospective field guides.  We have a huge wealth of knowledge at our finger tips with which to glean the plethora of information documented on some of the most iconic animals in the world.  However, despite Man’s propensity of recording field data from observations, animals do not always read the text books and often we are made to look foolish as they defy the preconceptions we have attributed to them!

The other day, a report about a male lion that had killed a bush pig, came through on the radio.  We rushed to the scene of the crime already deep in explanation as to the feeding habits of Africa’s apex terrestrial predator, looking forward to watching the ferocious feline demolishing his prey.  When we arrived at the location we found the bushpig completely intact, not even opened, and no lion to be seen.  Often predators will kill other predators as a means of eliminating competition and these victims are usually not consumed as they were removed rather than killed for food, but there was no viable reason that a cache of meat such as this would be left alone.  It was a gentle reminder from the bush that no matter how long you spend out here watching the daily lives of its inhabitants, nothing is ever set in stone!

I can offer no satisfactory explanation as to why the lion chose to leave his prize but nothing is left to waste in the bush for long.  Throughout the afternoon, the vultures arrived and began to consume the carcass, comically scrapping and flapping around as they argued over feeding rights.  We returned to the site at the end of our night drive hoping that the smell of decomposing flesh had wafted its way to the sensitive nostrils of the resident hyena clan.  It seemed however that the hyenas’ had also turned their nose up at the meal but not so a small group of side-striped jackals!

This diminutive predator is often overlooked in the food chain but plays a hugely important role in cleaning up the bush.  It is not as gregarious as the more common black backed jackal and thus their presence was a welcome sight to us all.  The temptation of a free meal overrode their normal normally nervous disposition and we were rewarded with a wonderful sighting as they wrestled with their porky prize! 

Side striped jackals are omnivores and can get their water requirements from eating fruits which enable them to be very successful in more harsh terrains.  They are also efficient hunters and regularly take small mammals, birds and even arthropods but an unattended carcass was a bonanza for them to enjoy.  We stayed in the sighting long after dark enjoying their antics as individuals argued over the choice cuts, prompting a long discussion over their feeding habits, role in the ecosystem and why the lion chose to leave its kill. 

For me, the true beauty of working in the bush is the fact that nothing is ever set in stone.  For a lion to pass up an opportunity to feed is unusual, but its decision benefited a whole host of less powerful members of the bushveld community.  Rules are made to be broken and trying to fathom the rationale behind these incidents is what makes this vocation so fascinating.  Variety is the spice of life, and we bush folk live our lives wondering what awaits us around the next corner and it is this excitement: the unknown commodity, that makes a life in the bush so rewarding!

Blog and photos by Ben Coley

Survival 101: What to do when you get lost in the bush

What do you do when things go wrong and you get lost while out in the bush? In a nutshell: Stop, stay calm and plan. Keep warm. Drink plenty of water and ration your food. Conserve your energy. 

Be determined to survive. Get help.

Actually there are a number of things, so let’s tackle this systematically.

The first and most important thing to do is to remain calm and THINK. Then make tea, tea and not coffee. Making tea requires a certain ceremony and if you can take your time and make tea, then you are in charge of the situation. Then take stock of your situation.  

The first option is to turn around and track yourself out of there. Your shoes have left marks on the trail; the tires of the vehicle have left two long lines behind the vehicle. The vehicle will not leave tracks on a tar road but if you are on a tar road then you are probably not lost.

If this still does not work then settle down and make a camp. Take out you little survival pack. What, don’t you have one? You should have packed it before the rest of your kit. Inside should be the following: a small bag or pouch with a lighter, some strong string, a knife and/or a machete; a small pot for cooking and boiling water; soap and a lightweight towel; water sterilizing tablets and coffee filters, to filter water not coffee; insect repellent; a proper first aid kit, not just a packet with first aid written on it.

The weather conditions will determine what type of protection you will need. Do a good job of keeping yourself warm and dry. Find and purify water or ration the water you have. Find fire-wood before it gets dark but use it sparingly. Have a pile of small sticks that you can throw on if there is a threat from animals. Feed the fire slowly, do not heap it up and then let it die down to almost nothing.

Stay near the vehicle if you are using one. The vehicle is easier to see than people on foot. You should have left a rout plan and return date with someone. Stick to the plan. Do not ever deviate from your plan. If you do not return by the set day then they will send people out to find you. You should know your equipment; know how to use it when it works properly as well as when it is not functioning properly. The boy scouts motto of “be prepared” says it all.

Look around you as you travel, look back at any junctions that you pass, see them from the return journey’s perspective. Learn to use your equipment properly and then practice regularly. Learn some skills and practice them regularly; learned skills are lighter to carry than a book. And very importantly – NEVER over-estimate your capabilities but be positive about what you can do.

Courtesy of EcoTraining instructor Mark Gunn - article written by Liryn de Jager

Do a course that suits you best!

Mike Kirby has started off as a Professional Field Guide student earlier this year. Little did he know that he would end up working as a back-up guide at our camps during his Lodge placement programme. Mike shares some great insider tips to those who are not too sure about what course to book!

"Doing an EcoTraining short course, a 55 day FGASA Field Guide Level 1 course or even a one year Professional Field Guide course is, in my opinion, the best experience Southern Africa has to offer.

It caters for a complete African novice to guides who want to further their knowledge. EcoTraining has a course catered for you!

During my FGASA Level 1 training, you got to understand how the environment works around you, from mammals to arthropods to trees.  Your knowledge and general understanding of nature in Southern Africa and any other place will grow tremendously.

I would also highly recommend the 7 or 14 day Tracking course, held in one of the four wilderness camps in South Africa and Botswana.  I was astounded at how much this course taught me and how much I can apply the knowledge and read the ‘stories in the sand’.

If you only have a month to spare, then 28 day Trails Guide course is on the top of my list.  You will be ttaying in the remote wilderness camps of either Makuleke, Kruger National Park or Mashatu, Botswana. The art of guiding on foot is learnt, as well as accessing places that no vehicle or tourist has even seen.

All of the courses can be done without pursuing a career in guiding. You can look at it as an educational holiday in some of the best areas Africa has to offer.

Personal highlights during the One year PFG course was: 

•           The remoteness of all the camps
•          Walking with elephant and lion
•          Opening my eyes to the little things that are quite often overlooked

The more you know, the more you appreciate nature and are breath-taken by what is going on around you in any environment."

Blog written by Mike Kirby

PROFESSIONAL FIELD GUIDE COURSE: Testimony that you’ll have the time of your life!

The time is NOW to make that jump into an adventure of epic proportions. EcoTraining’s professional field guide course will change your life and put you on a path sure to be more exciting than you can ever imagine.

The next one is about to start, in September, and for a limited period of time being offered at a special rate. Email enquiries@ecotraining.co.za and make sure that you are among the lucky ones!

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.

Here is his story, enjoy, and be prepared to book your place afterwards…

“When I was 11 my father went on a business trip to Phinda Private game reserve and returned home with a brochure of CC Africa. I was amazed by the images… From that day on I knew I wanted to work in the bush and become a ranger. 

So it was a natural choice for me to do a game ranging and lodge management diploma after school, which I passed with an overall distinction. During my diploma course I did two EcoTraining courses, at Selati and Makuleke. This was the first time I had actually spent a solid amount of time in the bush doing training. It was brilliant.

After my course and practical experiences at EcoTraining, I approached AndBeyond and passed their selection phase and relevant training and was offered a job at Madikwe Safari Lodge. Since starting my guiding career in early in 2006, I steadily climbed the ranks becoming a senior ranger, mentor, assistant head ranger and was then appointed as head ranger in October 2008.

For most of 2011 I spent my time working in Namibia at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge. I also spent time working in Botswana at Nxabega and Sandibe lodge in the Okavango delta for AndBeyond.

In 2012 whilst working as a ranger and a specialist guide at Phinda Game Reserve I was nominated by my peers to compete in the Safari Guide of the year 2012. I made it into the top eight rangers in the country and in the finals I won two out of the six categories we were all being assessed on.

I have completed my FGASA Level 3 and have also got my Level 2 trackers qualification. In addition I’ve got a full trails guide walking qualification with hundreds of hours of walking experience and dangerous game encounters on foot. This is one of my favourite ways of experiencing the bush and encourage all my guests to come tracking big game on foot with me.

After the competition Africa Direct noticed me and my skills in the bush and offered me a position to become a private, specialist guide in their company. I now get to travel all over Africa with my guests and am at the pinnacle of my guiding career.

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!

In addition to the bush I have a massive passion for wildlife photography. I have been placed first and third in two international competitions: Africa Geographic / Canon Field Guides Competition and Wildside Nikon All Africa Competition respectively.

I have travelled to a large number of countries around the globe but nothing compares to the excitement of travelling Africa. I am very serious birder and am called a twitcher by many of my friends. Because of my love for birding I have explored the remotest parts of Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia looking for all the special rarities.

In 2009 I founded a small non-profit organisation with the help of my work colleagues and some guests to support the Matetsi Community along the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. We helped 150 people for 3 years supplying them with vegetable seeds, clothing, toiletries and fishing equipment to try make living a little easier over that difficult time in the country.

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.”

(Thanks for sharing Marc!) 

THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE – ECOTRAINING PROFESSIONAL FIELD GUIDE COURSE – BOOK NOW FOR SEPTEMBER!

Yearning to break away and experience something truly life-changing? Want to understand the intricate inner-workings of nature and how all is connected? Have time?

Then book your place on EcoTraining’s professional field guide course and walk away with a deeper understanding of Africa’s web of life, a greater appreciation for conservation and an altogether different outlook on life.

The next course, starting in September, is filling up quickly and for a limited period EcoTraining will offer this course at a special rate (terms and conditions apply).

To join in the adventure of a life time and book one of those last remaining places, send an email to enquiries@ecotraining.co.za.

This course is not only for people wishing to enter the industry as field guides, but for anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of the African bush. 

For almost one year you will be exposed to diverse ecological and geological terrains, landscapes, wildlife species and so much more at our wilderness camps in places like Makuleke, Karongwe, Selati (South Africa) and Mashatu (Botswana).

After six months of theoretical and practical training, the lodge placement period will follow where interaction with guests from all over the world will certainly give you more memories to bank.  At the end of the year you will therefore not only be qualified, but will also have gained practical experience in the lodge industry. 

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:

“I was privileged to work in the Wilderness Pafuri camp in the Kruger National Park. Most of the employees are from the local Makuleke tribe and in many ways it felt like working in an extension of the local community with all the complexity, disasters, fun and frolics that that involved. It was an eye opener to say the least to be dropped head first into this, straight in to guiding paying guests, negotiating the workings of the lodge and above all trying to contribute something useful to the mix. My time there was awesome, not always easy but overall awesome.”

Candice Wagener McGuire echoes these sentiments:

“It’s not because life is like a holiday every day, even with the long shifts in tow. I guide because I like sharing my passion with those around me, I love seeing how the bush inspires every single being. My day is made when I see how people brighten up when they spend their holiday in the bush, how the smallest things put a smile on their faces. When I guide, I feel like I’m making a small difference to keep Africa alive in everyone’s hearts.”

These first-hand accounts will now most certainly make you send that email to enquiries@ecotraining.co.za to book a place on the next year course in September. You won’t regret it!

And in case you were still wondering, a final word from Nick...

“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…” 

BREAKING NEW GROUND AT SEGERA IN KENYA

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

It was in 1993 when EcoTraining took the first steps on the mission to up the standards of guiding throughout Africa, when the first courses were held in the Sabi Sands Reserve. And nearly 20 years later, the company has stayed on the dedicated path with scores of prospective field guides and nature lovers unearthing vast amounts of interesting facts about all things wild and wonderful.

From Mpumalanga training grounds have since been established throughout the rest of South Africa (Selati, Karongwe, Makuleke, Pongola), Botswana (Mashatu) and Kenya (Lewa Wildlife Conservancy).

And now EcoTraining has joined the Wilderness Collection (Wilderness Safaris) to give guests at Segera in Laikipia, Kenya the best possible guided experience.

For the last couple of weeks, six local guides have been undergoing training in all aspects of field guiding under the tutelage of EcoTraining’s highly experienced instructors. This process is on-going.

Instructor Mark Gunn found some time in between the theoretical lectures and practical exercises and used the bush telegraph to send through the following update:

“The training of the guides here at Segera is going on as per the schedule. The daily rain at about 13h00 is doing its best to put a damper on us, but we just adjust and get on with it. The normal daily schedule is therefore not always applicable. The roads are black cotton soil, so we cannot use them for fear of destroying it. A normal day begins with a drive and then a lecture. If rain threatens, then the lecture goes to the late afternoon slot and the drives are done in the early and late morning. The wind seems to have died down a bit; it is not cold but irritating. Even though Segera is home to a vast array of animal, bird and plant life, game is a bit scarce at the moment. However, that which we do see is utilized to the utmost.”

THE STORRO STORRO STORY: UPDATE FROM NAMIBIA (14 AUGUST 2012)

You can hardly get it any better than this – watching four male cheetahs for a good period of time, following the ‘brotherhood’ and observing their behaviour in their natural habitat. A great viewing indeed! This fortune befell the group of EcoTraining participants currently on their 28 day FGASA Level One field guide course in the Erindi Game Reserve in Namibia just a couple of days ago. Student Brannigan ‘Animal’ Wise, a manager/builder at the Hoada campsite at Grootberg, shares his diary of experiences so far. In his own words:

I recently came back to my motherland after a short service in "La Legion Etrangere" and some experience as a builder and construction worker in the UK. I fell in love with nature and Namibia all over again! I started working on a project of building a campsite for Journeys Namibia and soon I found out that I was nominated as a scholar for the Amarula Trust Scholarship Program.

I was the first student on duty and took everyone out into the reserve in the game viewer.  We left the camp at 06:00 and I thought I would have to cut my fingers from the steering wheel because of the freezing cold! Luckily it wasn’t long before the sun broke over the horizon and we were greeted by a confusion of bird calls. The morning drive was eventful and we circled the north eastern part of the reserve. 

Hidden (another student) was disappointed because we did not see any rhinos or lions making “storro storro” (mating) but I reasoned with him and assured him that the lions would still be “storro storroing” in the afternoon…

On the afternoon drive we headed for Kudu dam.  We had a lion sighting and it was my first ever, I was so excited! Unfortunately they had two young juveniles already, so we were too late to see “storro storro”.

We had many great sightings – hippos, blue wildebeest, crocodiles, African wildcat, gemsbok, kudu, giraffe, an eland carcass (killed by a male lion the previous day) ground squirrel, waterbuck, impala, springbok, black wildebeest and lots of birds, including a pale chanting goshawk. And don’t forget the lions!

There were also lessons to be learned on the drive (from instructor Ralph Kirsten) – how to identify black rhino signs by looking at its dung and the sexual dimorphism of different antelope.

I am looking forward to the rest of the course and also coming back for my Level 2!

NEWSLETTER: AUGUST 2012

 "Although human ingenuity may devise various inventions which, by the help of various instruments, answer to one and the same purpose, yet will never discover any inventions more beautiful, more simple or more practical than those of nature... " (Leonardo da Vinci)

Spring is in the air! Well, almost… And by all accounts it’s going to be a hot and sizzling time counting down to the end of 2012. The call of the African wilderness is louder than ever and EcoTraining is ready with an array of courses to suit all preferences – from the more serious that wish to enter the guiding industry on a full time basis to discerning nature lovers. Have a look what is coming up, courses on offer, what we’ve been up to so far and other interesting snippets.

WHAT’S COMING UP

If you have the urge to make a break and head for the bush, get yourself a place on one of the following EcoTraining short courses on offer in the next couple of months. Come on, you won’t regret it:

10 September – 7 October: Trails Guide – Makuleke: Explore the wilderness of this part of the Kruger National Park on foot where the majority of time will be spent conducting bush walks in big game country. It is open to anyone who wants to experience walking in a true wilderness area, while at the same time increasing your environmental knowledge and situational awareness.

20-26 September: Birding – Mashatu: For all the birding enthusiasts, this is a very practical course, designed to broaden and enrich your knowledge and skills by educating you about the fascinating world of birds and the interdependent relationships between them and other life forms.

27 September – 3 October: Tracking – Mashatu: To unravel the mysteries of nature even further, book a place on a unique seven day tracking course with EcoTraining and some of the most highly qualified trackers and trainers in South Africa. It is fun. It is hands on. It is life changing!

16 October – 8 December: 55 Day FGASA Level One – Karongwe/Selati: This one is if you intend to enter the guiding industry as field guide or if you’ve chosen a professional career linked to wildlife or nature. Every minute will be a learning experience, being constantly exposed to the bush.

LATEST NEWS

Camps: Every minute on one of our courses in our camps in South Africa, Botswana and Kenya is a learning experience, being constantly exposed to the bush. See what the guys and girls have been up to in the past month!

Selati: Albeit on the smaller side of the scale, they have a reputation as fearsome animals, not scared at all of taking on much bigger opponents. "They" are of course honey badgers. These little rascals have reputation of getting up to lots of mischief when everybody is asleep and supposedly not watching... Luckily a group of students at EcoTraining's wilderness camp at Selati decided to have a late night around the fire recently and had their cameras ready to capture the culprit red handed!

Karongwe: Nature is about all things wild and wonderful and about so much more than just the big and hairies. But let's face it, if any member of the Big Five is putting in an appearance, the nobody is going to say no, not the least a participant on an EcoTraining course! Just ask Candice Wagener, a one year professional field guide student: 

"It was a long day of studying and then the GVI guys (volunteer project also based at Karongwe) started going mad on the radio about ingala being in the area. So we decided to go for a drive and see if we can spot these lions ...

As we turned the corner, there they were, the two lions, Sorro and Lisa. We parked close by and watched them, all the while still keeping the bird list ticking. Then Dale says 'By the way, did you see the other two lions over there?' Heads turned, one was lying in the grass and the other walked out of a ditch. And then a fifth one made an appearance. Sorro and Lisa did their thing (some mating) and then Sorro didn't want his female companion to join the rest of the gang, proceeding with chasing one of the young boys off. It was the most amazing thing! Africa's big cats let us tag along on their afternoon agenda, fantastic!"

This was just the start of an amazing month at Karongwe. Camp coordinator Olga and student Martin Hooijenga sent through this exciting update recently:
“It’s day eight and we had a week of amazing sightings that gave our group already the status as the ‘Lucky Group’. Just listen to this – day two we Zero, the big male lion, with two females; day three the hyenas with the babies; day five a jawless but massive rock python. Day six and seven passed without anything spectacular, so thankfully all was back to ‘normal' for our lucky group on day eight…

Then, as quick as a flash, a leopard leapt into the reeds! I thought I was dreaming, too eager to see a leopard again, but seeing the response of the students I was clearly not… It was amazing! Shortly after we heard an elephant trumpeting from the same direction, apparently harassed by the leopard and trying to chase it away. That worked as the leopard jumped again, now out of the reeds into our direction but swiftly disappeared into the grass again…

Just as we crossed Spectra crossing, Scar, a male leopard, appeared, barely three metres from the vehicle, looking at us, a little bit disturbed but overall relaxed. We couldn’t believe our eyes! Like a real gentleman he posed a bit for the cameras and then lied down a bit further off. 

It sounded like we were photographing some movie star with shutters going off left, right and centre, click-click-click-click! A little later Scar moved off between the reeds and we proceeded on our way back to camp, full of excitement!

... We cheered to the ending of another great day in the bush!”

Makuleke: Our camp in this concession in the northern most part of the Kruger National Park is living up to its reputation as a true African wilderness with lots of exciting encounters. The courses are packed with excited students chomping at the bits to log their hours walking amidst the famed fever tree forest. Pretty spectacular!

Erindi Game Reserve (Namibia): EcoTraining has landed in Namibia! As part of our commitment to guiding excellence all through Africa, we have struck up various partnerships to improve the skills and knowledge of field guides. And now the guiding community in Namibia is part of this and benefiting from the years of experience that EcoTraining has in the industry. Ralph Kirsten is the instructor and MJ Kirsten the camp coordinator for the current course being run in the Erindi Game Reserve. 

Mashatu (Botswana): Communication with our camp on the other side of the border is not always the easiest. Go to EcoTraining – Ecotourism specials on Facebook, like the page and you will see what’s been happening in the Land of Giants.

“MEET YOU IN THE BUSH”

For almost two decades now EcoTraining has been training field guides, starting way back in 1993 with the first batch of eager students attending the inaugural course in the Sabi Sands reserve in Mpumalanga. Since then a great number has gone on to make their mark in the industry and are continuing to do great work all over the world. We want to hear from you, email liryndej@hotmail.com with your stories!

CONTACT INFORMATION

Go and like our new official fan page on Facebook at EcoTraining – Ecotourism specials.

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!)

"When we say meet you in the bush we really mean it"

ECOTRAINING STUDENT UPDATE:

By Lex Hes

I am lucky enough to have one of the best jobs in the world: guiding overseas visitors to remote wilderness areas in Africa.

On one of my recent trips to Zambia I visited Kafue National Park where we stayed on the remote Busanga Plains, one of the places in Africa for seeing the greatest variety of African antelopes: bushbuck, sitatunga, greater kudu, eland, common duiker, blue duiker, yellowbacked duiker, oribi, common reedbuck, puku, lechwe, defassa waterbuck, impala, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, blue wildebeest, roan and sable antelope all occur here.

Part of our trip was a balloon trip over the plains which ended with a short drive to a grove of trees in the middle of the plains.  As we approached the trees a young man came walking out carrying a tray.  As we drew up I realised that the tray had a pile of damp face-clothes for us to refresh ourselves and that the man holding the tray was none other than Carl Diakite, an EcoTraining graduate who has just completed his one-year course!

He greeted us all enthusiastically and led us into the grove of trees where a wonderful full English breakfast was served to us at beautifully-set tables in the shade of a grove of large Sycamore fig trees (Ficus sycamorus).  Carl, born in Cote de Ivoire, hosted us magnificently and in conversation over a cup of coffee after breakfast he told us that, after completing his course, he had been spending time in camps in the South Luangwa and at Kafue, where he had worked hard to understand what it takes to operate and guide in camps in such remote areas.

He has done so well that Wilderness Safaris, the top southern African tour operator, has offered him a chance to go to Congo Brazzaville in central Africa to help them set up and start operating their new camp in the Odzala-Kokoua National Park.  Here he’ll be exposed to a whole new array of wildlife including lowland gorillas, bongos, forest buffalo, forest elephants and red river hogs as well as over 440 species of birds including African grey parrots, blue-throated roller, Cassin’s malimbe and Congo serpent-eagle!

This is the most rewarding part of what EcoTraining does.  There is nothing better than arriving at remote wilderness areas and being met by graduates from our courses who guide and host us in such a professional manner.

Well-done Carl and we look forward to hearing all about Odzala-Kokoua in the near future.

For more information on the one year professional course at EcoTraining contact us at enquiries@ecotraining.co.za or visit our website at www.ecotraining.co.za

African elephant is two species

Genetic researchers may have resolved a long-standing dispute by proving there are two species of African elephant.Savannah and forest elephants have been separated for at least three million years, they say, and are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants are from the extinct woolly mammoth.

The researchers also made what they say are the first sequences of nuclear DNA from the extinct American mastodon.

The study is reported in the journal Public Library of Science Biology.

The debate over whether the African elephant is one or two species has been going on for about a decade.

Weighing in at six or seven tonnes, the much larger elephants found on savannah are about twice as heavy as forest-dwellers.

This, along with other differences in size and shape, has led some researchers to conclude there are two species - the savannah (or bush) elephant, Loxodonta africana, and the forest species, Loxodonta Loxodonta cyclotis.

The scientists - from the US, UK and Germany - now say they have proved the case.

"The divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of the Asian elephant and woolly mammoths," said Michi Hofreiter, a specialist in ancient DNA at the UK's York University.

"The split between African savannah and forest elephants is almost as old as the split between humans and chimpanzees. This result amazed us all."

The species is listed as Vulnerable but it's possible that if there are two, one would come out in a more serious category”

The researchers compared sequences of DNA from the nuclei of African and Asian elephants, and from woolly mammoths and the American mastodon.

All are members of the Proboscidae order of mammals.

The mastodon became extinct about 10,000 years ago - around the same time that mammoths disappeared from most of their range.

Although mastodon mitochondrial DNA has been sequenced before, the researchers say they were the first to do the analysis on DNA from the cell nucleus - in this case, using material from a tooth.

"Experimentally, we had a major challenge to extract DNA sequences from two fossils - mammoths and mastodons - and line them up with DNA from modern elephants over hundreds of sections of the genome," said Nadin Rohland of Harvard Medical School.

The genetic "distance" between the Asian elephant and the woolly mammoth turned out to be about the same as between the two African elephant species - which, the researchers say, proves the case for two distinct species in Africa now.Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News

Stripe bellied sand snake

During the trails guide course at Makuleke Camp in January this year, while studying in my tent, I heard a commotion outside. I went out to have a look and saw a male and female Chinspot Batis mocking a western Stripe bellied snake right next to the tent. All of a sudden the snake caught a Four Toed Elephant Shrew. The snake smothered the Elephant Shrew to death and tried to get it into its mouth, but the Elephant Shrew was to big. The snake took the elephant shrew into the grass where it struggled to eat it, later leaving it and moved on.

Usually Western striped bellied Sand snake prefers to eat lizards which made this a very interesting sight.

Ankia - EcoTraining Student