Lesson 3 - Stay Safe

When in the African bush, whether in a vehicle or on foot, you need to stay safe and keep anyone with you safe!

Here is a lesson about driving in the African Bush and viewing "dangerous game".

Whenever you drive or walk you must ensure you think ahead, be aware of your surroundings and ensure you have an escape route.

When I was working on a private game reserve in South Africa, there was strict rules on how close you could get to animals, how fast you could drive, etc. One day I was responding to a call over the radio about a female rhino seen in the area and made my way into the area to see the animal. I was sitting there quite happily about 30 metres away downwind of the rhino with the sun behind me and the vehicle positioned on the dirt road so all my guests could get a good view and not blinded by the sun. When watching an animal it is your guests job to watch the animal, take photos whilst keeping as quiet as possible and have the experience of a lifetime! It is your job as a guide to talk quietly to the guests (if appropriate) about the animal and also keep an eye on what is happening around the vehicle. Whilst sitting there I heard a Red Billed Oxpecker flying up in the air the other side of my vehicle. I immediately looked closer and after a minute or two saw another rhino. This gave me enough time to start the vehile and move another twenty metres up the road and we watched as the male rhino walked past where my vehicle was originally. The male rhino will often follow a female rhino, especially if she is on heat, also a young male rhino will follow a female with a dominant male some distance away as not to upset the big male!!!

The lessons from this experience:

1. Do not become engrossed by what the animal is you are watching, keep observing all around you for other animals and ensure you always have an escape route if needed.
2. Use all of your senses to understand what is going on around you.

Lesson writen by Antony Wilson from wildlifecourses.co.uk who first got interested in guiding when attending our 28 Day Widlife course. You can see more information about this course by clicking here, or click on the menu.