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Whisker Wednesday – With a twist!

techteam — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 11:56:32 +0000

When you hear the word ‘whiskers’ the mind tends to go to images of fluffy and hairy critters, but let’s take a moment to look at one of the strangest, yet one of the most interesting whiskered animals….the Naked Mole-Rat.

It’s difficult to know where to even start with this bizarre little creature. Naked Mole-rats are neither rat nor mole, they fall into the order of rodents. As the name suggests, they are naked, but they do however have sensory whiskers around their snouts, on their tails, and between their toes, these help the molerat to feel their way around in the complete darkness of their tunnels underground. These incredible mammals live most of their lives underground, moving around foraging for root materials and living in a massive burrowing network of tunnels.

NEIL BROMHALL / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

Unlike other mammals, the mole-rat has a social structure much more similar to those of bees and termites, they live as a caste system. In other words, there will be a queen, one dominant female being the only one to reproduce, all the other females in the caste system will automatically become sterile. The queen can give birth to up to 900 babies during her lifetime, she chooses a select number of males as her breeding partners and all the other males and females become workers or soldiers.
The workers will move around the underground tunnel network in search of roots, bulbs, and tubers, digging more tunnels as they go, excavating the tunnels with their huge rodent teeth, the workers are adapted to keep their lips shut while their teets are still able to move, allowing for the digging not to suck too much, they form a long line and dig the soil out to the surface, passing it from one to the next. If they find a food source they will bite into it and drag it back to the main chamber moving backward through the tunnels, over and past all the others behind it.
The soldiers are in charge of keeping the colony safe and will block off entrances into the tunnel system with their own bodies, ganging together to ‘plug the hole’ so to speak, preventing predators such as snakes to get into the tunnel system. With all the loose skin around their bodies, mole-rats can easily squeeze past each other inside the narrow tunnel network and they are constantly climbing over each other and squeezing through narrow pathways.
The Naked Mole-Rat shows almost no effect of aging, which is ironic, seeing as it gets born looking like an old man. This means that they will work just as hard and efficiently at the end of their lives as when they are in the prime of their lives. They appear to be immune to cancer growth, live with almost no oxygen, their body temperature changes as the surrounding environment does and they show little to no effect to a large variety of pain…a real-life superhero granted its naked, but still, pretty impressive creatures non the less.

Pieter Dunn

Lead Trainer Apprentice Trails Guide Course

Ulovane Update: October Semester Week 9

techteam — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 10:59:30 +0000

Apprentice Field Guides Week 9

Week nine, yes week 9, can you believe it! This week of the Apprentice Field guide course has been filled with final practical assessments, from a slide and sound observation in the classroom to final game drive assessments and field observation walks! A busy, exciting week filled with many incredible sightings that Francois has shared with you all below!

Our second last week here at Ulovane as Apprentice Field guides started with our field observation practical where we needed to identify plants, animals, animal tracks, bird calls, and any other signs of animals that were present. The night before and the early morning were saturated with rain and some of us were hoping that it would be postponed. However, to our dismay, the weather cleared up and we began our journey. After our walk in the field, we had an afternoon to study for our BIG slide and sound exam on Tuesday! This took us all a few hours to complete!

Halfway through the week, we gathered for a morning model game drive performed by Justin. I was surprised when I came into the lodge and saw a whole other side of him! He prepared an entire coffee table that was elegantly presented, and he looked very professional in his outfit. The vehicle was neat too, and extremely clean. The drive was incredibly interesting; I could see the knowledge and experience gap between how students conduct drives and how a professional guide conducts their drives.

We went onto the Canarvondale side of Amakhala Game Reserve, to view the recently released young female cheetah. After driving around and franticly searching for the cheetah, we saw her pouncing between bushes chasing after a common duiker. Although it was a chase, it looked like the cheetah was still learning how to hunt and figuring out her new environment! That afternoon we went on Mikaela’s last assessment drive, which went well and we all thoroughly enjoyed it. It was also the first drive on our diesel Land Rover “Theo” after he got a little upgrade!

The day arrived for my first assessment game drive, to which I woke at 4.30 to prepare for! I had cleaned my car the night before, but the rain came down quite hard too, so I dried the vehicle and covered the seats with towels to ensure the guests on my drive were dry.

I was a bit nervous at first when I did not see any animals during the beginning of the drive, but then I found topics to talk about and confidence grew as I started enjoying the drive more and more. On our game drive, we mostly listened to birds and tried to identify them. The other notable animal we saw on the drive were two elephants and later we saw the herd marching up a hill.

At my drinks stop I noticed that I forgot to pack in my tablecloth; without panicking I grabbed an unused towel and re-purposed it as a tablecloth in the hopes that my assessor was none the wiser, and I am pleased to say it worked!

At the end of the drive, we came back to bacon and egg buns waiting for us for lunch! I piled bacon on a bun and sat outside with my assessor ready to eat all my stress away just to find out that they were really impressed with my drive!

That afternoon I was the driver for my friend Anathi. We had it all planned out until she noticed that another vehicle was blocking the route we planned. We drove around a bit confused for a while after this, but still managed to conduct a game drive. We got soaked by the rain on our way back; I was surprised to not have hit any bumps as I could barely see through the rain!

The week ended with myself being the only guest on my friend Zolani’s vehicle. The drive was fun and interesting, we had lots to talk about and plenty to see. This week too, we said farewell to Piet, and our friend Mikaela left on Friday morning, which made the place feel a little emptier.

Francois.

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” –E.E. Cummings

Ulovane Update: Field Guides Week 2 & Trails Guides Final Week

techteam — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:53:15 +0000

APPRENTICE FIELD GUIDES

Our Apprentice Field guides have had a busy first two weeks to their course! It has been packed full of some more wonderful sightings and outings that have been had. Anathi is here to share her story of week two of their course with you all. Anathi is from the Addo area, here in the Eastern Cape and joins us through our relationship with Wilderness Foundation Africa.

My most outstanding moment of this week was when we went for our sleepout with our course instructor, Justin, onto a section of Amakhala Game Reserve that has no Big 5 game on it, Carnavondale. It was amazing to be out there, experiencing nature and the bush, sitting around the fire chatting about our favorite animals, and getting to know one another better.
The lectures and practical’s we have here at Ulovane are amazing, and one thing that I really like is that if you missed part of the lecture or there is something you did not grasp when the lecture was being given, the lecturers here are willing to take that extra step and help us understand. The care and warmth we are treated with here really make this place feel like home.
My favorite sighting that we had this week was when we saw a pair of Secretary birds on Amakhala Game Reserve, who were building a nest! We got to see one of them who had nesting material carried in the mouth. We witnessed them jumping from the ground to the tree, which was fascinating to see because their long legs mean they have to get a ‘running start’ before they get enough speed to get up into the air to reach the tree they were building the nest in! It was incredible to see.
The Apprentice Trails guide students were in the last week of their course, so we got to celebrate their graduation with them on Friday evening. Our group of five, hosted the evening, doing everything from scratch, including the menu, the décor, and all the cooking too. The theme we chose was “An English Summer”, and it really came together superbly, with everyone having a wonderful time. It has been a newly acquired skill I have gained since being here, as it was a great evening and a wonderful opportunity to mingle with the guests, making sure everyone is happy and has everything they need.
Anathi.

“Sometimes to change a situation you are in requires you to take a giant leap. But, you won’t be able to fly unless you are willing to transform.”― Suzy Kassem

APPRENTICE TRAILS GUIDES

Tim is here to wrap up the last seven weeks of their Apprentice Trails guide course. It has been a challenging year, but these six have pulled through together and have had some wonderful adventures, making memories that will last them their lifetimes!
The seven weeks of our Apprentice Trails course have gone by so quickly. We started with minimal knowledge of rifle handling and how to conduct ourselves whilst walking in the bush. We leave here having all grown in both areas. We have also become better guides by being exposed to the elements without having the safety of the game drive vehicle.
One of the best things about Trails is practically witnessing what you learn about in books, which makes me recall a particular instance of us viewing a herd of three male buffalo who were in a riverbed. They became immediately aware of our presence and one old, and very big male, known as ‘dagga boy’, decided to come closer to investigate what was going on! One of the other younger males was thrashing its boss (horns) in a bush, which as we learned in our manual, is a clear warning sign that it’s not happy. We chose this instance to leave the sighting!
This is what each of my fellow teammates had to say about their experience over the last seven weeks:
Tyler – “The goal I’ve tried to achieve since high school has now finally been set in stone, the achievement of the course has also given my life more fulfilment.”
Kian – “This course has been the biggest life lesson I’ve learnt.”
Simon – “It taught me many life lessons and how small we all are when we are in the bush!”
Dom – “It was a great life lesson for me and a great experience!”
Hannah – “The knowledge I learned in seven weeks is amazing! Trails taught me a lot about myself and grew my respect for nature.”
Myself – “I loved the course as it taught me greater respect for nature. I also improved my knowledge in tracking and birds thanks to Piet our mentor.

Proud of you all!

It’s been an amazing experience that we will all remember forever. We are so excited to start our next adventure together when we start our marine course next week in Kenton-on-Sea!”.
Thank you to Ulovane for the opportunity you have provided, I am grateful to be one of your students!
Tim.

“Wings are like dreams. Before each flight, a bird takes a small jump, a leap of faith, believing that its wings will work. That jump can only be made with rock solid feet.”― J.R. Rim

Ulovane Update: Trails Week 6 & Field Guides Week 1

techteam — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:01:05 +0000

Apprentice Trails Guides Week 6 = TRACKING!

The second last week of the Apprentice Trails guide course has crept upon us! Week six is always a long and busy week, but the Apprentice Trails students did a great job on their Cybertracker Track & Sign evaluation this weekend! Dom has written more for you all on this week.
This past week had already been planned for our group of Apprentice Trails Guides weeks in advance. Our second last week of the course was set to be focused on Tracking.
We all set out early on Monday morning, in Ulovane’s trusty Toyota Land Cruiser, with us being out and about before the sun snuck over the horizon. The day was set to be focused on all types of tracks, ranging from frogs to elephants. The day was a great opportunity for the photographers of the group to catch some wonderful shots! I felt that the tracking on this day opened my eyes to how small things should not be overlooked.

Tuesday was a day with questions on tracks that were generally easy, but our training coordinator managed to find the most unusual tracks in the most unusual places. The gate we use to enter Amakhala Private Game Reserve had a set of Cape Clawless Otter tracks, depicting the animal that went marching down the road. We all managed to improve with the tracks on this day. It was the first day I managed to achieve over 70% for a tracking assessment, which boosted my confidence to an extreme.
Wednesday was another early morning in the only province in South Africa that experiences all four seasons in a single day. The morning was rather chilly, and I feel made the brains a tad slower than usual, but after a few sets we managed to pull through and all showed signs of improvement. With the high morale from the days tracking, we all realised that we needed to study for the mock exam on Friday. This is when a saying that the three Grey High School boys remembered from the head of discipline kicked in, which is, ‘Head in Books, Hands-on Pens’. Hopefully, this paid off.

View from the Deck at Ulovane Campus

Thursday was set for questions from workbooks and studying for the mock exam. I don’t recall the camp being so quiet, due to everybody studying in all corners of the camp. The silence could have been broken with the dripping of a tap, or the click of a pen!
We all awoke before the sun and Fiery-Necked Nightjars, to try cram as much knowledge as possible, on animal behavior, into our fatigued minds. We waited anxiously for Melissa to bring down the papers that Pieter had made us fear as if it were a female White Rhino with her calf! The paper went rather well, after which we then decided on walking the beautiful campus of Ulovane Reserve to look for birds and some unique tracks. We were spoilt to a braai in the evening putting us all in good spirits for the tracking assessment over the weekend.
The weekend’s Cybertracker Track & Sign evaluation was a great learning experience. The group excelled and achieved outstanding results for a rather challenging tracking assessment. We can be very thankful that Taryn Ingram-Gilson from Down to Earth Nature Training, was our Assessor, as she continuously kept us on our toes with some unique tracks and great explanations on the tracks.
The nerves have started to sink in for all the students as our fun-filled course is coming to an end with a busy week of assessment trails walks and final exams ahead.
Dom.

“Dreams give you personality. They give you a reason to live.”
― P.S. Scott

Apprentice Field Guides Week 1 = Welcome to the Team

A very warm welcome to our October group of Apprentice Field guide students! An exciting and fun-filled first week they have had! From elephant herds crossing the open plains in front of the vehicle to a pair of mating lions and plant discoveries on Amakhala Game Reserve, the first week has been wonderful! Hein is here to bring you his experiences of their first week here at Ulovane.

One of the most exciting experiences in my first week here at Ulovane, was when I had a rare opportunity of viewing lions in their natural environment. It is the closest I’ve ever been to them! It really was a rare and unique opportunity that I’ve never experienced in my life before, it was absolutely breathtaking.
The lectures and theory that are given at Ulovane are amazing. One of the classes that we had this week, that was given to us by Ben, the landowner of Ulovane was an astronomy lecture. It was one of the most interesting lectures I’ve ever sat in! During the lecture, we were taught about many different constellations, but the one that really stood out to me was the constellation of ‘Scorpio’, with the most prominent star in this constellation being ‘Antares’. It is HUGE. This really made me think about the universe and the Galaxy and just how small we are in it!
Ulovane teaches so many great skills. Amongst them is the ability to look and listen to the bush, to let the bush tell the story for you. Ulovane has already opened my eyes to the amount of diversity of plants out there, and how they all work together with such synchronicity with one another. There are so many natural remedies and medicines that we in the Western world have forgotten about. I’m so grateful for this experience; the knowledge I have obtained already is absolutely priceless.
Hein.

“Even when you feel like you’re a very small flame struggling to flicker in the darkness, you are still radiant to a universe that needs you”― Helena Jayne Bryant

Ulovane Update: Trails Week 6 & Field Guides Week 1

techteam — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:01:05 +0000

Apprentice Trails Guides Week 6 = TRACKING!

View from the Deck at Ulovane Campus

“Dreams give you personality. They give you a reason to live.”
― P.S. Scott

Apprentice Field Guides Week 1 = Welcome to the Team

“Even when you feel like you’re a very small flame struggling to flicker in the darkness, you are still radiant to a universe that needs you”― Helena Jayne Bryant

Ulovane Update: September Apprentice Trails Guides

techteam — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 11:45:57 +0000

Apprentice Trails Guides Week 2

Where did two weeks of this course already go to?! Kian is here this week to bring you the musings and activities of week two of their Apprentice Trails Guide course
Week two of our Apprentice Trails guide course started off with another bang!!
We all set off early at 6.30 in the morning at the beginning of this week, to head to the outdoor Advanced Rifle Handling (A.R.H) shooting range. Our first day at the range was used to practice the drills for the exercises that we need to cover for the Advanced Rifle Handling qualification. This was the first time all of us had handled a .375 caliber rifle.
Shooting the rifles for our first time was something out of the extraordinary.

The next day came round, and this was the day where we all started shooting the rifles, going through the exercise drills, using live rounds. Excited and ready we all took on the tasks ahead. Dominic was shot of the day and passed his A.R.H with his first attempt on each exercise. This was a huge accomplishment!
Wednesday arrived, with a beautiful morning ahead of us. Two Field Guides from Amakhala Game Reserve joined us on the range to get their own A.R.H qualifications. Speaking to them about their careers really had us all certain that we couldn’t wait to get out onto walks. The day ended with Tyler accomplishing the exercises, as well as Andrew and Brad, the two guides from the reserve.
The tasks required to pass and obtain A.R.H put us all to the test. Handling the rifles is a responsibility and learning experience we will never forget.
The A.R.H week ended off with three of the six of us on our Trails course, accomplishing the task with the rest of us yet to come, on Monday morning.
This week has really taught us all so much and the progress we made with shooting was unbelievable. With some of us never shooting before to where we are now, is an achievement alone. We are all so proud of one another. The support throughout the week was always there, with everyone trying to keep each other on their toes.
We ended off the week with an amazing elephant sighting late Friday afternoon. On Saturday morning, we had the chance to do some work for the reserve, having a session of sustainable living, helping to repair one of the areas on the reserve that the elephants are very interested in, and unfortunately, keep ‘breaking’ in to – this time they pushed over a big milkwood tree which we had to move away from the foundation of the building.
On the way home, we were then treated to one of the best cheetah sightings since we have had since we being on Amakhala Game Reserve, absolutely blessed to be a part of this guide training experience. – Kian

People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built. Eleanor Roosevelt

Ulovane Update June Semester Week 10

techteam — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 13:41:22 +0000

APPRENTICE FIELD GUIDES

How we got to the end of these ten weeks, none of us are quite sure! It was a busy, fun-filled, and adventurous Apprentice Field guide course! Dominic has written a wonderful wrap-up of their time here!

The sad awaited packing that will take us on our return to our original paths, has finally arrived. The place we have called home for a full ten weeks will now only be remembered in memories and the stories told about our encounters.
Ulovane has offered a wonderful and exciting experience for the eight of us who were on the Apprentice Field guide course together. We are now well associated with one another and life-long friendships have been formed. All of us have extremely different backgrounds and this truly offered a unique experience, often resulting in remarkably interesting stories being shared around the campfire. One of the quotes used around the Ulovane Campus is that “You arrive as strangers and leave as family”.
To all the instructors who have shared their continuous knowledge and left us speechless multiple times with their unique interpretations of the natural world unfolding to our amateur eyes, we cannot THANK YOU enough. All the instructors were constantly willing to go the extra mile, paving new roads we were not aware of, to open new doors for us to truly reach our optimum potential.

Coronavirus and the lockdown implemented in South Africa only made us hungrier to strive for success once we all arrived. An inside joke shared by the students was that we are a lucky group, because of the animal sightings we have encountered, and we believe this is because of the wait we had before we could arrive here (due to the lockdown restrictions), but the wait was worth it for one of the most memorable parts of our lives thus far yet!
This inside joke has made choosing the best memory of the course extremely difficult. We have been fortunate to witness lazy lions lying around their waterbuck kill; cheetah gorging themselves on a black wildebeest; the entire herd of elephant making their way through our sleepout on Amakhala Game Reserve, as well as a testosterone-filled young male elephant charging a fearless female ostrich off her nest of eggs.

https://ulovane.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/VIDEO-2020-09-01-13-26-04.mp4

Our group of students has been given all the resources and training needed to operate as an Ethical Guide around Africa. Each student was able to offer a different experience on our final practical game drives and this may be due to the fact that we all came from different paths. Besides learning new theories and facts from guides, students were also able to share experiences and knowledge with one another giving a unique interpretation of certain aspects of work.

I would love to believe that all the students were able to learn new skills and will not be leaving as the same people that arrived. After interviewing the fellow students and asking them what personal growth they made and what they have learnt over the course, this is what they had to say:

Kian gave us an answer to the questions by saying that he had matured and become more independent.
Blanche said that she managed to gain good skills when it comes to teamwork and that she became more independent.
Reece said that he learned how to be more responsible and self-confident. As well as the master of birds himself, Piet, sparking a birding interesting in himself and Melissa helping to further ignite the passion for nature within Reece’s soul.
Tim said that he personally believes that his confidence has improved significantly and that he is now able to eat certain food items, such as chili!
Simon has said that he has made many personal growth achievements and that sleeping outdoors is not for the faint-hearted.
I believe that I have grown as a person, being able to share certain information a lot easier and not becoming tongue-twisted in my words, as well as truly confirming my calling in life.
Hannah said that her biggest aspect of personal growth was that Ulovane had given her a platform to express herself and reveal her increased passion for nature.
Tyler replied by saying that he really enjoyed the tracking aspects, making him more resilient and motivated and that he has built incredibly good friendships.

I would like to believe that the students have had an impact on our head instructor’s life too. After asking Justin, our head instructor, a few questions this is the feedback we were given.
Justin said that our group had influenced everybody around campus due to our energy and enthusiasm, making it a pleasure to teach and share knowledge with. Our thirst for knowledge made teaching enjoyable and helped grow his passion and interest through practical time experience.

Our journey may be coming to an end, although we aren’t away from our home away from home for long, and this has definitely created a grey cloud over our heads. Although the days may fade, the memories will last an eternity.
We are all fortunate enough that our intake of students would like to go onto the Apprentice Trails guide course, and we all cannot wait to create more memories as a group of friends.
Dominic.

The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience. Emily Dickinson

MARINE GUIDE COURSE

Wian has joined us here at Ulovane for our four-week Marine guide course. He has written a short account for you all on his experiences this far!

Where to start… From the day I arrived at Ulovane Environmental Training, it just felt like home! Everybody was so friendly and just became my family.
The opportunities they provide for us are so awesome; just being able to experience and to see how things work from another perspective. I am sure you have read in the previous week’s blogs, about our incredible boat trip out on the ocean, but I mention it again here as it really was so spectacular to see such a huge pod of dolphins and all the penguins on St. Croix. To learn about how they live and how they “operate”, and to receive all the information provided to us, was awesome.

The beach walks we have with Shani are so interesting! There is just always something to learn. My favorite thing about our whole experience thus far was definitely the snorkeling!! It is fascinating to see and know all the algae and the fish, even if we didn’t see fish that we learned about from our species list. It has also been wonderful learning about the shells and what their purpose is in the ocean realm.
When we have a short break, we tried our luck with fishing rods a bit and try our luck at catching, which we have been very lucky with on a few occasions, catching some stumpnose and blacktails! It was interesting talking to the locals and hearing what they had to say about the fishing and how bad it has gotten over the years.

Every time we went out walking for our beach observations, we would clean up a bit… It’s really so so sad to see what people really think of, and how they treat their environment, but hopefully one day we can help people open their eyes and we can all make a difference.
I’m really happy that I chose Ulovane and I will highly recommend them to anybody who is really passionate about nature.
Wian.

Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Benjamin Franklin

Ulovane Update June Semester Week 9

techteam — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 12:43:48 +0000

The Ulovane Updates, are not just for the students to keep a journal of their time with us at Ulovane they are also for all of you that have ever considered a life living and working on a game reserve. The students give an honest and open account of their weekly experiences and we hope that this helps give you an idea of what to expect while living and learning in nature, working towards the ultimate goal of being a field guide, conservationist, lodge manager, or even wildlife photographer.

Apprentice Field Guides Week 9

Our second last week of the course started off with our field guide observation assessment which was a walk through the Ulovane property, on a rather chilly morning, where we were asked 50 questions, on anything from botany, mammals, to birds and tracks and signs.

This week was the week for our final practical assessments, so on Tuesday morning, we wrote our final slide and sound exam. It is a big one to prepare and study for, as there are numerous sections covered in the exam – reptiles, arthropods, plants, grasses and flowers, mammals, and birds. It took about two hours to write!
I enjoy my own writing of stories in my free time, so in between classes or in the evenings after dinner, I will write my stories. On Wednesday night, it was pretty chilly, so I wrote a little bit, up to chapter two of the story I am busy with, and then lay in bed for a while listening to the quiet of nature, before falling asleep.

I woke the next morning to a beautiful, glamorous sunrise, rising and shining through a few fluffy clouds floating across the sky. There was a heavy mist across the basin, which is part of the landscape of Amakhala Game Reserve that we look out across from our deck of Ulovane. It is incredibly beautiful to see.
It is hard to believe this was my second last week in this amazing place. I don’t ever want to leave Amakhala, because it feels like home for me already. Especially the atmosphere here, where there are always kind, friendly people.

Our final practical game drive assessments were this week too! Due to the COVID pandemic, we didn’t have external guests on our game drives as we usually do, so we all took turns to be each other’s guests. The drive I joined was wonderful. Our guide stopped and he talked about the formation of the rocks, which was amazing how the high mountains were built during the pressure of the formation of the rocks. We learned about different types of rocks too, like metamorphic and sedimentary.

Friday was my turn for my assessment drive. I took the time to prepare for my drive so that I could make my guests feel as comfortable and provide as enjoyable an experience as possible.
I enjoy caring for people, and like the responsibility of ensuring a good time for them by providing and imparting the knowledge I have, as best I can.
Saturday was a hot day, and the game drives were wonderful with some great sightings being had.
I love nature, animals, and the bush! I have had the most incredible time here at Ulovane!

“Work hard for what you want because it won’t come to you without a fight. You have to be strong and courageous and know that you can do anything you put your mind to. If somebody puts you down or criticizes you, just keep on believing in yourself and turn it into something positive.” – Leah LaBelle

Marine Guides Week 2

Jesse recently completed all the components of his Apprentice Trails guide course with us and is now down at the beach campus in Kenton-on-Sea for the Marine guide course. He has written a short account of the goings-on of week two of their course!

Staying down at the coast is was a whole game changer! From the animals to the birds, all the way down to the soil. We have learned so much about the ocean wonders and its giants.
During our time here, we went on a boat trip to the ocean where we saw two different types of dolphins; namely the common and bottlenose dolphins! This was really amazing to see them in their natural environment. The guides on the boat were really happy and amazed too, to see the Common dolphins!

Back here at the beach surroundings in Kenton, we went onto a huge rock on the beach, from where we then spotted a whale. We even got to see some of the mammal behavior we learn about in our lecture, demonstrated by the whale, which was super amazing.
I really enjoy every lecture but my favorite of all was marine mammals and reptiles; these two stood out for me.

The weather here has had its up and downs but above all, we are still having a wonderful time. I only wish the marine course was longer.
I really enjoy fishing out with the guys and eating what we catch. We have been super lucky to have caught some Stumpnose and Blacktail! We had a lovely home-cooked Stumpnose fish n’ chips meal on Sunday.

The birds on the coast are super placid and much more interesting. I never thought a Goliath heron could get so huge – they are beautiful giants!
To conclude I am really having a beautiful time at the coast. It makes me think more about becoming a marine guide too.
Jesse.

“Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing; and dream while others are wishing.” – William Arthur Ward

Ulovane Update June Semester Week 8

techteam — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 08:16:35 +0000

Marine Guides: Week 1

Adriaan is with us here at Ulovane for our one-year course. He has successfully completed both his Apprentice Field guide and Apprentice Trails guide courses and is now on the Marine guide course with his three fellow students, at the beach campus in Kenton-on-Sea in the Eastern Cape. Week one of their course got off to a ‘swimming’ start!

The first day of our course included a beach walk to get into the swing of things, and to familiarise us all with our new surroundings and ‘home’ for the next four weeks! On the walk, we looked at some shells and a variety of tracks and signs left behind on the beach landscape.
Jesse and I tried our luck at fishing and managed to catch a Stumpnose!
The next day we had our first bash at snorkelling in the sea! We had a look at marine plants and fish that we could see, identifying what we could. We also got lucky and saw some molluscs and shrimp.
Our first marine exam was written on Wednesday, so we spent most of this day preparing for it. The next day, we went out for a walk along the beach and rock pools nearby the marine house, to collect some plant and shell samples that we find on our species list, that occur locally in this area we are studying in. We also started having a look at some of the marine birds, as there are quite a lot of them, that we have to learn by the end of the course. We luckily also caught a Blacktail fish on Thursday night!
We had a phenomenal trip on the boat with Raggy Charters, in Port Elizabeth, on Friday morning! The boat trip crosses a section of Algoa Bay, and we headed out to St Croix ‘Bird Island’ where we saw a breeding colony of the endangered African Penguins. We were also lucky enough to see some Cape Fur seals, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in their 100s, swimming right next to the boat – we even had a mother with her calf swim right near the boat!!! It was magical.

At the beginning of our weekend, we had a ‘snorkelling 101’ session with Brett, and afterwards, we studied for our Sunday exam, and then ended off our week with a braai on Sunday night.
Adriaan.

The ocean is this beautiful, unexplored place. Why on Earth everyone isn’t down there, I don’t know. Graham Hawkes

Apprentice Field Guides

Hannah and Tim are here to bring you the adventures and happenings of their second last week of the Apprentice Field guide course!

Our week began with a remarkably interesting mammal lecture. Later that afternoon, whilst out on a game drive, we had a fascinating encounter with two males giraffes doing something referred to as ‘necking’, on Simons mock assessment drive. We also had great sightings of red hartebeest, black wildebeest and some waterbuck in picturesque settings, as you will see from the photos!
The next day we covered our ethology lecture, in which we learnt about several things, like for example how animals communicate, how they congregate, as well as how they adapt to prevent predation. It was quite beneficial as we could then link back to the giraffe ‘necking’ sighting we had the day before, as they were demonstrating tactile communication. Our afternoon drive was filled with many amazing sightings in and around a beautiful section of the reserve. We saw a coalition of two cheetahs, a herd of ellies, as well as some other wonderful game, all in the space of an hour. This drive was by far our highlight of the week!
The middle of this week saw us writing our final Amakhala Game Reserve, Standards and Operating procedures exam, which was the determining factor for us being able to guide on the reserve. On Thursday Justin took us for a tracking class which was extremely helpful. He showed us all the tracks from invertebrates to arthropods, to birds and mammals. He also gave us incredibly good advice on how the art of tracking is a whole journey and not just about identifying various tracks. This brought us to our tracking assessment on Friday where we set off at 7;30am. We did two sets of tracks on the Ulovane property which was filled with great knowledge from Justin and Melissa. We had some very extraordinary tracks such as porcupine, brown hyena, lion and a monitor lizard, the signs we saw also included dung of multiple animals and the burrows they live in. This tracking assessment taught us a lot about ourselves and that we should always trust our instincts and gut feeling. Through all the tracks and sings that we went through that day we finally got the results of our days’ work. Three of us achieved the equivalent to a level one tracking qualification including both the authors of this blog. A few of the group came really close to this as well!
We ended our week with some of us bush clearing a bush encroacher known as ‘blue bush’ and some of us tending to the vegetable garden.
Tim: I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time learning at Ulovane and I’m so excited to start my Apprentice Trails course in September.
Hannah: My time at Ulovane has been unreal so far. It is unbelievable how much I have learnt about nature and about myself. My true passion for nature is shining through each and every day. I am so excited for the journey to come and to continue learning and growing.

“None of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful.” – Mother Teresa

Ulovane Update June Semester Week 7

techteam — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 08:44:31 +0000

Apprentice Field Guides

Dominic has written a wonderful concise account of some of his favorite moments thus far in their Apprentice Field guide course! Dominic is a local chap from Port Elizabeth, who matriculated from Grey High School last year and is now following his dream to become a Field Guide!
The wait to start the rest of our life seemed like an eternity. We finally made it to what we now refer to as home, Ulovane!

The last 7 weeks have been absolutely amazing, and we have been filled to the brim with knowledge! Ulovane has shown us the ropes in all aspects of guiding, giving us the best start that we could have asked for.
From our very first ‘Fact Uber’ in Ulovane’s trusty Land Rover, Theo, Justin continuously lead by example and gave us a wonderful drive. We saw the elephants for the first time and our guide and mentor showed us the required respect all animals need.
The most special and memorable sighting we have had of our ‘Fat Ninjas’, as referred to by Reece, a fellow student, was on our sleep out with the Apprentice Trails guide students on Amakhala Game Reserve. The elephants tiptoed into our camp while we were sleeping and we spent most of the night in the vehicle with our two Elephant Whisperer’s, Piet and Schalk, keeping the herd at bay. My highlight of that evening was when myself and Tim were on Night-Watch and we had just swopped with the previous team, when suddenly I could just hear myself thinking out loud, ‘Piet! Piet! Elephant!’ This call-out wasn’t one of the manliest moments I’ve had in my life this far.
On one of our early Funday Friday’s, Melissa asked us as a group, ’What makes a good guide?’ I struggled to find an answer I was genuinely happy with, and the question boggled my brain for a good while. To find a clearer answer, I contacted a young guide in the Lowveld. His answer was that a guided experience is when a guide shares factual information about nature and wildlife, in an enthusiastic way, to help further guests’ knowledge through the guide’s interpretation.
After my many religious Sunday phone calls with my parents, a question was raised, “What have you noticed about being away from the Windy City?” My answer hasn’t changed, and I don’t think it ever will. I replied by saying, “Four surrounding walls are a false sense of security that just isn’t for me. I need Nature and one day I hope to be able to say that Nature Needs Me!”

The family structure at Ulovane has taught me that friends can become family and that there is always a need for the special human beings in the guiding industry.
Dominic Cory.

“Do what you love and success will follow. Passion is the fuel behind a successful career.” – Meg Whitman

Apprentice Trails Guides

Megan joined Ulovane for our six-month course; having completed her Apprentice Field, and now Apprentice Trails guide course, she is off on the next four-week adventure for the Marine guide course! Megan has written a wonderful account of her time on Trails, what she has learnt, and all she has discovered about herself.

This was the last week of The Apprentice Trails guide course, we head off to the Beach Campus on Sunday for our Marine Guide course. I cannot believe these last 7 weeks have flown by so quickly!
It’s been an exciting seven weeks and an amazing experience, through which I’ve learned so much. Going on bush walks really allows you to appreciate nature so much more. Especially all the small things, like the calls of birds, to the insects and tracks left behind by animals; all the things you don’t really notice as much from a vehicle.
In my time this far here at Ulovane, I feel like I’ve really grown, especially through this course. I’ve learned so much about myself. My favorite part of the Trails course was definitely tracking!! All our little practice rounds with Piet and Shani were helpful and enjoyable. The encounters we’ve had on this course have been absolutely amazing. And I’m so proud of the guys for doing so well. Such an unforgettable experience.
As a final week to our course, however, this week was enjoyable. We had final assessment walks from Monday through to Wednesday and I feel as though they were some of the best walks I’ve had. We focused so much more than usual on the little things since we realised our walks were coming to an end. We had amazing encounters with dangerous game as well. I will never forget the warthog behind the bush that made me run for my life. So much for the rule of “don’t run”.
Scary how much noise a warthog can make, making us think there may instead be a Buffalo behind that bush!
The Advanced Rifle Handling (A.R.H) that we do on this course, helped me realise and learn where my limitations are, showing me both things that I am, and am not, mentally prepared for. It was a challenging time for me in the first two weeks during the A.R.H but Piet was a great help and I am thankful to have had him as a mentor. I’ve also noticed that I’m a lot more comfortable in my own skin.
I also have a newfound enjoyment, tracking! It was definitely not something I enjoyed at all but now I really do love and enjoy doing it. And I really hope I can try for the next level soon!
Trails also taught me just how much of a responsibility it is to go out there with guests, especially on foot, but also from a vehicle-based guiding perspective too. Learning more about these animals, especially focusing on animal behavior, has allowed me to gain so much more respect for them and I feel as though doing this Trails course has changed my mindset and it’s definitely something that will change my whole way of thinking for drives as well.
Trails definitely teaches you more about observation than Field guides does, and to use your senses much more, as, on a bushwalk, this is what you are reliant upon for both the safety of the animals and your guests.
We end our time on this course with our final FGASA Apprentice Trails guide exam being written on Friday, and then an extremely exciting ‘Mexican’ themed evening which the Field Guides are hosting for our graduation! I am excited and keen to see what they have in store for us.
Megan.

“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experiences that reveals the human spirit.” – E.E. Cummings