Game Ranger Course - Kruger National Park - South Africa

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Our 2 week Game Ranger Experience will give participants a taste of what it is like to be a game ranger and will focus on some of the more interesting aspects of the job including the counting and monitoring of animals, the maintenance of fences, the supply of water, and how to measure the physical condition of animals.

Wildlife Courses details - Two Week Kruger Park Game Ranger Wildlife Course - South Africa

Game Ranger Course / Two Week Kruger Park Game Ranger Wildlife Course

Game Rangers are the custodians of our wildlife areas and are responsible for ensuring that our game and nature reserves are managed in a sustainable manner. For people to understand what a game ranger does, it is very important to understand ecology which is that which we teach in our Field Guide Training. Our Game Ranger Experience will give participants a taste of what it is like to be a game ranger and will focus on some of the more interesting aspects of the job including the counting and monitoring of animals, the maintenance of fences, the supply of water, and how to measure the physical condition of animals.

The difference between a true Game Ranger and a Field Guide:  Please note this to make sure you are attending the right course for the right reasons. A field guide is a person who leads tourists on trips into natural environments. Their job usually relates to ecology and nature. Field guides are open game-viewer vehicle guides in that they spend most or all of their time in wildlife areas and they often combine their driving activities with walking activities.   The main role is to accompany tourists in the bush and to interpret nature in a meaningful and interesting manner. During a field trip you are a guide, teacher, friend, game warden, doctor, and storyteller and sometimes cook for your guests!  The guide should provide interesting information about the environment in such a way that the beauty, joy and wonder of these natural areas are revealed to the guests. Guests should leave with a new awareness of nature and the importance of conservation having had fun developing this awareness.

The term game ranger has, up until recently been used in the safari industry to refer to field guides. Strictly speaking, a game ranger is a person who manages wildlife areas such as national parks and game reserves. His duties usually do not include guiding, but will involve such activities as game counting, fence repairs, anti-poaching work and all that outlined above in this course description. 

Itinerary - Game Ranger Course, Africa

• Learners fill in observation forms which contribute to the collection of data which can be passed on to the game reserve’s management for their own use and the learners get to contribute to the authentic operations.  
• Evaluating and monitoring all aspects of the ecosystem then applying management principles to ensure that the ecosystem is kept in balance. 
• Active counting of animals by means of road strip counts and learning about other types of counting such as aerial counts. 
• Learners are split into two teams to do 24 hour waterhole counts at two different waterholes.  This will be exciting as it will combine a sleep-out with 24 hour observations.
• Learners are taught basic veld (field) condition analysis, which involves the identification of plants.  
• There is a game capture activity involving the darting of large game. 
• An anti-poaching subject involves local Shangaan trackers who set up snare lines which the learners have to find in a competitive game between the two groups.

Adventure activities

The Two Week Kruger Park Game Ranger Wildlife Course includes the following adventure activities:

Counting and monitoring of animals, the maintenance of fences, the supply of water, and how to measure the physical condition of animals.

Included in your Wildlife Courses cost

Wondering what is included in your Game Ranger Course tour? Check out the list below.

• Lectures
• Game drives
• Walks
• Accommodation
• Meals
• Tea & Coffee

Excluded from your Wildlife Courses cost

While planning your Two Week Kruger Park Game Ranger Wildlife Course trip, take note of the following excludes:

• Transfers/transport to and from the camp, before and after the course
• Any accommodation before and after the course
• Beverages
• Laundry  
• Kruger National Park entrance fee (for Makuleke Camp courses)
• All FGASA registration, examination and moderation fees
All items of a personal nature, such as curios, gifts, clothing and tips
Flights, visas, travel and medical insurance (please note that emergency air evacuation is essential)
Email and telephone calls during your stay (charged out at cost)
Personal insurance cover for the duration of your placement which is expected to include cover for repatriation

Orientation & arrival

A qualifed instructor will brief you upon arrival.

Support

Throughout your course, you will have the full support and guidance of our coordinators and professional guides, who will provide you with competent 24-hour field support and assistance.

Accommodation

The sleeping arrangements at all our camps consist of 2 people sharing per tent.  Most of the tents are large walk-in safari style tents

Meals

Meals for the Game Ranger Course Wildlife Courses are as follows:

The day starts off with biscuits, fruit or cereal with tea and coffee at sunrise before the morning activity. A hearty brunch consists of fruit, cereal and a variety of cooked breakfasts. High tea before the afternoon outing consisting of sandwiches and snacks to give you energy for your afternoon activity before returning to camp in the evening for a hot plated dinner of meat, vegetables and salads.

B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

How to get there

Fly into OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg. Our Pathfinders booking agent will be in communications with you about transfers to the specific camp.

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