Myself explaining a flap-necked chameleon
Very often as rangers and trackers we are so busy working to enhance our guests’ safari experience that we very seldom have time to capture any memories of our own. Many rangers are very much involved in their photography being that we live amongst some of the most beautiful creatures on earth. But most photographs are not of ourselves but of the wildlife in front of us. Unlike our guests who come to Africa to experience the holiday of a lifetime, we are still working, regardless of how amazing our work is. We cannot stop to take as many photographs as we’d like as we are busy providing information or intently watching for behavioral changes. As much as we love our work and strive to be out in the wild as much as possible, we so seldom have anything to show for it.
This is where our guests come in. Many times our guests are snapping away with their cameras while we are explaining certain things or watching contently in silence. Guests very often include the ranger and tracker in their photographs without us knowing. The best reward of our job is arriving at work to check your e-mails and find that a previous visitor of Kapama has send through some memories of their stay in Africa. To see so many different photographs of ourselves doing what we love and out in the environment having sun-downers with the perfect background setting is a reward no ranger would say no to.
So, as rangers and trackers, we invite you to provide us with feedback and possibly photographs of your stay with us at Kapama as it gives us the motivation to keep providing you with an experience of a lifetime.
Cindy – Kapama River Lodge
01/03/2012
To those fellow rangers out there, we all know that being a guide can be fun and exciting but at the same time can be a serious pressure. First and foremost the pressure of working with animals that are potentially very dangerous while people lives are in your hands can make a ranger snap. One wrong move from a ranger can put many people in serious trouble. We permanently have to be alert and vigilant regarding the animal’s movements and behavioral changes. Also very often you get guests who visit various nature reserves around the world on a regular basis and the pressure to compete with world class rangers can be tough.
It was one of those mornings. My South African, French and Spanish guests were on their last drive before checking out and leaving Kapama. They had requested “The best game drive ever!” I was suddenly placed under pressure to fulfill their request and make their stay at Kapama River Lodge one to remember. I had no idea where I was going to begin. As I drove from the lodge I began to plan my drive and exactly what I was going to focus my attention on. On exiting the lodge I was lucky enough to find that the cheetahs had crossed the road not to long ago and we began our tracking. It took us about an hour and a half to finally locate them in which time we had been blessed with many sightings of beautiful birds, insects and close ups of most of our plains game. The pressure managed to ease. As we watched the cheetah, we noticed a very sudden behaviour change. They suddenly seemed focused and concentrated, ears perked up and eyes fixed in one direction. Nearby was a large herd of Impala oblivious to their presence heading their way. They started to stalk, sneaking off in opposite directions to surround the herd. The silent communication between these two cheetahs was exhilarating to witness. It was a very short stalk as three minutes later they sprang into action and started to chase the Impala. We watched in awe as the chaos unfolded in front of us. The apparent communication between the two could not have been too well planned as suddenly both cheetahs each stood clutching their own Impala between their jaws. Whether this was planned or pure chance we’ll never know. My guests were over the moon to say the least and truly believed that had had the ‘best game drive ever’.
At the end of the day, all dreams became reality. My guests were satisfied with their African safari experience and the pressure on me was lifted. What a day in Africa.
Tinyiko – Kapama River Lodge
29/02/2012
Very often rangers and trackers will work as a team in order to successfully track a particular animal down. As a rule on Kapama we are allowed three vehicles per area of where an animal was last seen. For instance this morning on drive two leopards, that are currently mating, were found near our newest camp, Southern Camp. Shortly after being found however they disappeared into the bush as most cats will do in the heat of the day. This afternoon several rangers had come together and agreed to circle that same area in an attempt to relocate these magnificent and illusive creatures.
It always comes in handy when you can cover an area quicker. Very often leopards, once located, will begin to move off. They are extremely shy animals by nature and not nearly and overly confident as lions. Therefore having rangers on the standby on the roads around the area helps to locate them quicker. Tonight we managed to track down the two leopards and as per usual they disappeared into the thick bush not far off the road. We sat in anticipation listening to them as they mated and growled nearby. After sometime we could no longer hear their sounds and realize they had moved off in the opposite direction. Rangers were already ready and waiting on roads we believed they might pop out on. Unfortunately for us they decided with all the activity of the vehicles not to show their faces again but all the vehicles could follow their movements based on their audio. Had they decided to resurface we would have been ready and waiting.
Cindy – Kapama River Lodge
28/02/2012
Yet another adventurous game drive on Kapama! There are so many different things to see on Kapama and so many can be seen on one single safari. For instance we came across a bull elephant that was browsing peacefully close to a water hole. There were a large termite mount in front of him and he was making his way to it. Then, all of a sudden, he carefully laid himself down on the slope of the termite mount and decided to take a quick “power-nap”. After a few minutes he stood up and continued his journey to the water hole. Something uncommon to witness on a game drive as elephants don’t often lie down. They are in fact too heavy and if they are down for too long they can actually crush their own organs. Therefore this was an extremely special sighting.
After that we continued with our drive and saw two male waterbuck proudly testing their strength against each other to impress a female standing close by. Some buffalo soaking in a waterhole basking in the afternoon sun, two very relaxed white rhino following the road towards a nice open feeding spot and so the list of endless opportunity continues.
And then to top off a spectacular afternoon while driving along towards a sundowner spot, a lioness with three young cubs came trotting up along the road. The cubs were trying their best to get the mothers attention. But little did they know she had other intentions for the night. She was eagerly looking for a safe location where she could keep her cubs while spent the night hunting in order to provide her cubs with food. We stayed fresh on her tail until they stopped at a waterhole in the road to drink. But the one cub was more fascinated by the black tip of the mother’s tail moving about as she drank. He gave one sudden leap for her tail and missed falling into the puddle of water. As cats are not fond of water the tiny cub was very unimpressed and disappeared into the long grass forcing the mother and the other cubs to follow. We watched as they vanished into the night and left them at peace to continue the drive. What a day of amazing sightings leaving us with an unforgettable experience.
Jani – Kapama River Lodge
27/02/2012
The sightings at Kapama have been fantastic the last few days. We also have been blessed with two new calves in the game reserve. I was lucky enough to see our brand new rhino calf about three days ago; the little guy is about two weeks old now. The poor little guy is still trying to get used to his long legs as well as his new surroundings. There are so many new things for a youngster to get used to when they first arrive in the world. From the new smells to the predators they have to beware of.
I also had the opportunity to see our newest little addition to the elephant population; the little one is too small for us to even identify the sex yet. It’s fantastic to see how elephants come together as a family unit when there is a new addition. My sighting ended with thirty elephants huddled around there new play toy with the sun setting in the back round, all I can say is gorgeous.
Darren Roux – Kapama River Lodge
26/02/2012
The choice is yours. To live a better life comes from the choices we make. We are very often fortunate enough to be given a chance to further ourselves, whether in a relationship, financially or more importantly in our careers.
Most recently I was blessed with the opportunity to move from being a tracker to becoming a ranger. Most people don’t realize that there is in fact a difference between the two careers. The studies we must undergo are completely different in each line of work. Being a tracker is a thrilling experience as there is no greater feeling of accomplishment when you finally find something you have been searching for. But the opportunity to become a ranger and experience a new side to this industry was one I could not refuse. I am grateful to Kapama for the opportunity to further myself, my knowledge and skills in this career.
As a ranger we get to experience different things such as working more intimately with guests and people interaction. Not only are we involved with the animals but with people as well. Often times can get tough especially in cases where guests struggle to speak English and we are forced to find other ways to communicate the wonders of the bush to them. Also sometimes guests come from very different worlds and might not necessarily have much in common with each other, and it can then become a challenge to entertain and keep all parties satisfied in their safari experience.
One thing I’ve learned through these experiences is that the beauty of this job is not always to overload with information, but to enjoy the serenity of the environment around us.
Good comes from joy in what we do.
Harry – Kapama River Lodge
25/02/2012
Kapama Private Game Reserve occupies a vast area between the northern Drakensberg mountains and the Greater Kruger National Park. It is the largest single-owner game reserve in the region, and is perfectly situated to receive guests flying into Eastgate Airport (Hoedspruit).
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