RANGER LITE COURSE 23 MARCH - 01 APRIL2021 28 JULY - 06 AUGUST 2021 09 - 18 AUGUST 2021 - African Insight Academy

RANGER LITE
   COURSE
23 MARCH – 01 APRIL2021
28 JULY – 06 AUGUST 2021
   09 – 18 AUGUST 2021

This 10-day Game Ranger Lite Course offers a unique opportunity to learn a variety of skills
 from experienced guides that will enhance your knowledge and appreciation of wildlife,
   conservation and the African bush. The course incorporates unique opportunities for
participants to engage in practical hands on activities whilst being immersed in the African
                                           bush.

African Insight Academy Ranger Lite Courses take place on the 30 000ha Pongola Game Reserves in the
Zululand region of South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal province. Pongola is one of the oldest game reserves in
South Africa and incorporates a section of the Lebombo mountains, Jozini Lake at its foot and typical
lowveld savannah. The reserve is home to four of the “Big 5”, hippo, crocs and hyena, offering ideal
opportunities for this exciting practically based experience.

The course is designed for the active adventurous person looking for a
deeper conservation / wildlife experience. The content is very practical
and requires personal emersion and participation in all aspects. In
addition to learning about wildlife and the environment participants
will learn many skills and be involved in a variety of ongoing research
and conservation management projects.

Accommodation is a traditional tented safari camp supplied with
running water communal showers and toilets. All meals are provided,
with the exceptions of lunches on the travel days. Participants will be
involved in the preparation of meals and cleaning duties. Refreshments
are provided at meal times.

The days start early taking advantage of the cooler hours and the day’s
activities go on into the evening, free time is allocated over the middle
of the day. Practical working clothes, small day pack, comfortable walking shoes and a pair of binoculars
are essential equipment for this experience.

Participants must expect to spend a few nights “wild camping” in the bush where they will be responsible,
on a roster basis, to keep watch through out night to ensure the safety of the rest of the group.

Comprehensive packing and health and safety information is provided on confirmation of a booking.

Programme

Day 1
The first day is getting to the Game Reserve, settling in and a brief introduction and overview of the
itinerary for the next few days. The evening will be spent around the camp fire which provides the perfect
opportunity to get to know one another.

Days 2 – 7
The daily structure of the course will vary according to the time of the
year and programme for the day. However generally days are divided
into three activity session (2 in the morning and one in the afternoon
/evening. The early morning session will typically be part of a 3-hour
Bush Walks during which some of the basic skills sets which a Game
Ranger is required to master will be learned, such as:

   •    Tracking, signs and spoor identification
   •    Basic Bushveld Ecology
   •    Mammal Biology and identification
   •    Bird Identification
   •    Tree and plant identification
   •    Orientation and Bush Navigation

Being able to identify plants and animals is an ongoing process which
opens a door that provides fascinating insight into traditional local
culture and mythological significance of various species of plants and
animals. However, it is also important to learn identification
techniques and how this information affects management decisions.

The other two sessions involve learning practical ranger and game
reserve management skills through hands on involvement and
discussion. These include:

    •   Determining wildlife carrying capacity
    •   Game capture and other population control measures
    •   Eco-tourism vs hunting in conservation
    •   Vegetation management
    •   Wildlife monitoring techniques
    •   Management of endangered species
    •   Wilderness survival skills and first aid
    •   Poaching and counter poaching techniques
    •   Weapon handling and shooting (optional)
    •   People and conservation

Generally, we include a sunset game drive before dinner, which allows the opportunity to venture further
into the reserve. We ensure that all participants operate safely in the bush and rangers carry a rifle with

them on bush walks. A good ranger is an expert in animal behaviour and how to deal with dangerous
game; they know what signs to look out for to avoid any confrontation without having to use their rifle,
although the ability to handle one is essential in ranger training.

The bush environment, unlike the city, has no artificial light, making star gazing a popular activity when
enjoying an evening braai or a sleep out. Dinner will generally be enjoyed around a camp fire in camp or
on a sleep out in the bush. Clear nights offer the perfect opportunity for star gazing.

Sustainable conservation of a wildlife resource requires a good understanding of the local people living
alongside the game reserve. There is no better way to achieve such insight than going into the village to
and meeting the people and learning about their culture and socio-economic situation.

Conservation is defined as the wise use of natural resources and as a result of this may include harvesting
of the resource, therefore we will include a live demonstration of an animal dissection/necropsy with a
special focus on wilderness survival and animal appreciation.

Days 8 - 9     Umfolozi Game Reserve

An early departure for Umfolozi Game Reserve to spend 2 full days exploring this iconic game Big 5 game
reserve. During these two days the group will be accommodated in self catering accommodation.
Catering supplies will be provided but the group will be responsible for preparing meals.

On the last evening we will do a final wrap up and evaluation of the programme.

Day 10         Depart

After breakfast, we transfer back to Durban International arriving at approximately 13h00.

COST PER PERSON SHARING:                  R22,000.00
                          (Optional Pickup & Drop off in Johannesburg R750,00

INCLUDES:                                               EXCLUDES:
   • Accommodation on shared basis                         • Refreshments
   • Guides / facilitators                                 • Additional / optional activities
   • Transport (Durban airport return)                     • Lunch on travel days (Days 1 & 10)
   • All meals except lunch on travel days                 • Items of a personal nature
   • Entrance fees                                         • Laundry