Sun sets on our time at Amakhala

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The last week was pretty hectic with mock assessments and getting ready for the final exams. Added to this four of us have started walking as lead rifle approaching dangerous game in order to build up enough approaches (and confidence) to attempt our Viewing Potentially Dangerous Animals on foot assessment. This is part of the Trails Guide and means you are qualified (after the required level of approaches) to lead walks in dangerous game areas. Being at the front, responsible for others’ safety, really focuses the mind. There is nothing like approaching a breeding herd of elephants on foot and knowing that if you get it wrong you’ll have a dead person or a dead elephant on your hands to get the adrenalin going and sharpen your senses. It definitely makes you feel humble and if you manage to approach view them and then back off without them noticing, the feeling is great. Walking also gives you the time to look around and notice the smaller things you usually might drive past.

The final weekend we took some time off and visited Addo Elephant Park for a night to test out the tent and also see a different park. Addo is mostly thicket but did manage to see around 200 elephants in various groups, the way back to camp on Saturday evening was interesting as we rounded a corner to see a large bull elephant coming towards us, and he clearly wasn’t too pleased at having us in his road and a swift reverse was necessary. We woke early on Sunday morning and got a call from Schalk to let us know we could help with the lion darting and transportation if we got back by 1 - so a swift drive back across the reserve, and a couple of elephant road blocks later we got back to camp just in time to head off and help dart 3 grown lion cubs who were due to be transported to another reserve. The darting went well, although I’m not convinced the vet used enough sedative as one lion woke up as we were trying to get it into the crate. It was a quick shove and Schalk pulling from the sharp end that got the semi-conscious cat in and locked up safely before it woke fully.

So that’s it now for FAGASA level 1 and Trails Guide, we are now qualified field guides (subject to moderation) so if anyone needs guiding during the next year let us know! The trails guide practical basically involved approaching two dangerous animals and demonstrating all the required safety procedures as well as taking account of wind direction, sun, other animals to get as close as safe for a good viewing. I was Sandra’s guest and she was mine. Sandra managed to get four rhino and one bull elephant in one approach as they were all feeding out on an area called Sunnyside West. Mine was a bit harder with an approach on a rhino cow and calf followed by an approach on a second cow and calf - (ok it was the same rhino which had moved a fair distance). The second approach got to within about 50m and was pretty adrenalin fuelled especially as I had to move the group back because the animals were feeding in our direction. While the wind was in our favour and rhinos eyesight it poor she definitely heard us and spotted the movement which made for a bit of excitement, and a slow silent retreat.

Overall it’s difficult to sum up our time at Amakhala in one sentence but eye opening, challenging ad extremely rewarding would definitely be in there. I’ll never look at grass or flowers in the same way and in future when anyone asks me to kill a spider I’ll definitely have to capture it and taxonomically classify it first. So now off to Mozambique via Lesotho and St Lucia Wetlands.

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