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Living in the bush 24/7 gave me the insight to be a better guide and a many great stories.   For the duration of my ranger’s training, I stayed at a tented camp in the middle of the reserve. This camp was surrounded by an electric fence for protection from animals and uninvited humans. Half […]

Upon my African arrival, the one year field guide/ranger program with six month theory training began with a vengeance. This was a full time endeavor!   Waking up in the dark and leaving at sunrise for a bush walk, was an incredible experience. We would walk for hours, stopping to learn about tracks, trees, flowers […]

The couple that owned the game lodge that I was employed directly after my ranger schooling, were in every way, much like the nursery rhyme Jack Sprat. “Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean. Yet between them both they licked the platter clean.” Opposites but best together. She ran the […]

In my previous post I used the word ‘Eco-reserve’. I would like to explain what I mean by this.   My interest has grown regarding total sustainability; living off the grid and being self sufficient. The goal for the entire reserve, lodge, and all housing is completely ‘green’ and Eco-Friendly.   Gardens at the reserve […]

African Wild Cats are beautiful long legged cats with stripes on their front limbs and tails. These cats are said to be the ancestor to the domestic cat. The wildcat eat mostly mice and rats but has been known to kill larger rodents. His nightly activity of foraging for dinner also includes romance! The female […]

Hyenas have a bad reputation. They are the scavengers of the bush and most of the time, people think of them at as filthy, mean, and sometimes even evil. Without hyenas the bush would be dirty and filled with disease. They clean up what other animals leave behind.   They are specialists; beautifully designed for […]

How to have a ‘Big 5′ reserve with none of the ‘Big 5′ animals? Buffalo are shot for their trophy horns. Lions and Leopards are being targeted for skins and bones. Elephants are being poached for ivory. The most heinous killing is for rhinos.   Can you imagine a world with no rhinoceros? Can you […]

Recently I was asked about hunting organizations and if big game hunting still exists. It very much does. Game hunting isn’t the most detrimental thing to combat.   To be honest I’m not entirely up-to-date on hunting bans. I will give you facts to the best of my knowledge. Hunting lodges are actually very popular. […]

I have been a vegetarian, by choice, since I was nine years old. I stopped eating meat because I didn’t like the way animals are treated before they are killed.   It is ironic that I have a niche business on the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The business is titled ‘This Little Piggy Went […]

Many Americans grow up playing sports. Baseball was the American game until recently when soccer exploded on the middle school fields of the US.   While raising cheetahs on a reserve, they first move from inside the house to an outside enclosure. Hunting for a cheetah requires stamina, a lightning fast response and skill. The […]