I often get asked what I do between safaris, so I thought I would share a snippet to give you an idea. I was recently asked to speak to a group of children from my daughter’s school about what being a guide in Africa is all about. Well, the children were so intrigued and full of questions after I had spoken to them that the school requested I take the children out to experience a day in the wilderness.
I was astounded by how enthusiastic the children were about our discoveries, great and small and also the strong desire they already have in their young hearts to conserve wildlife and the natural environments they need to survive.
The ‘Little Karoo’ is the term for the area that we were in and it has some of the most beautiful semi desert landscapes in South Africa. Once out there in the field, it was difficult at times to get a word in edgeways, as there were so many little hands shooting up, followed by question after question from young and inquiring minds. It is surprising what you can find out there if you look closely… tracks, tortoises, birds and insects as well as an epic tracking session to locate a local herd of springbok, a medium sized antelope that lives in the area. The children found this all thoroughly exciting.
With 22 kids in tow, stealth was never an option, but many new and interesting discoveries were made and fun was had by all! It was very encouraging to see how enthusiastic the kids were about wildlife in general and all of the small components of the ecosystems. My daughter, Amy, said to me afterwards: “dad, these kids were really quite loud! I’m surprised we saw anything, but I think they learned a lot” …mmm, I wonder where she gets that need for peace and quiet from?