Lesson 1 - Listening

When in the Afican bush it is essential to use all your senses and become tuned into the environment you are in.

Here is a lesson about listening.

Whilst on a game drive in the northern Sabi Sand Wildtuin in South Africa recently, I stopped the vehicle to look at some birds that the guests had spotted. As we looked at the birds, some vervet monkeys gave their alarm calls from the tops of some knobthorn trees nearby. These alarm calls usually indicate one of the larger predators on the move, usually leopard, so I started the engine and drove quickly to a position where we could see the monkeys without disturbing them. We looked with binoculars and worked out which direction the monkeys were looking and then drove slowly in that direction looking carefully for the predator. We were surprised to come across a serval walking slowly along one of the bush tracks, scent-marking bushes along the way. We were able to follow this beautiful animal for about half-an-hour before it disappeared into thick bush.

The importance of stopping regularly to listen to what the bush is communicating to us cannot be over-emphasised. Sounds, particularly alarms calls, can lead us to all manner of interesting things, from snakes and owls to lions and leopards. Guides can play a very important role in interpreting the various calls that animals make and in doing so, greatly enrich the wildlife experience for their guests.

Thank you to Lex Hes from our 28 Day Widlife course for this lesson. You can see more information about this course by clicking here, or click on the menu.