part 3: what it takes

Most women leave for work in the morning after a breakfast with a handbag containing a small make up bag, purse with shopping list, diary, sunglasses, keys and maybe a lunch box bag; they kiss their loved ones goodbye and off they go. I leave for work every morning having downed a tea with the company of a large backpack containing a first aid kit, camera, sunglasses, reference books and a hat, (to name a few of the contents), carrying a fully loaded .375 Parker Hale rifle. I high-five my tracker good morning, check the cooler boxes are loaded and jump into my Land Rover. It always surprises my guests how much I actually have to take but it is a job requirement and you can’t do the job if you don’t have the equipment and skills. So what does it take to compete with the big boys?

Albert Einstein said “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious”. Well, to compete with the boys you not only need to be passionate but exude passion. Fortunately I’m very passionate about conservation and wildlife and can hold my own in this regard. On the talents side of things you do need some special talents and skills. We’re all skilled in our field but to be ‘one of the boys’, you need to excel as a lady.

Take shooting as an example. I had the fortunate opportunity to shoot rifles from an early age. Whilst my efforts were initially confined to shooting potatoes and using a scope, at university I furthered them into clay-pigeon shooting where I eventually joined the university team. In the bush however you need to possess an Advanced Rifle Handling (ARH) qualification. In this qualification you are tested on loading and re-loading speeds, accuracy, distances, reactions to misfires and blockages and simulated charges whilst dealing with guests all within time constraints. When I did my ARH in Botswana, I was one of only 4 out of 17 to pass. Naturally there were comments about flirting my way through it and bias regardless of the fact that no amount of flirting could make one better at shooting a target. Had I known a way to flirt that made me shoot better and in better time, I would hope that I would have been be so kind as to have shared it with the boys, they could have done with the trick!

Driving 4x4’s in the bush, mud and rough terrain is regarded as a man’s domain. It’s been a well-kept secret as it’s not all that difficult once you know your vehicle and the limits that you can put it through. In two years, I’ve only had to get a replacement vehicle once whilst on safari – and whilst I received my fair bit of teasing and embarrassment, I by no means hold the reigning title for “Most likely to get stuck”. In all honesty, my biggest difficulty has been seeing over the steering wheel but with the aid of a few blankets, my height is nothing but a number.

Communication is supposed to be a woman’s strength in comparison to man. This is probably one of the most important skills to have because you not only have to communicate well with your colleagues but also communicate information to your guests in such a way that it is both interesting and entertaining. As with most “Durbanites” (those who come from Durban), we tend to over emphasise our vowels in comparison to international accents. This has gotten me into a temporary degree of trouble at times. By this I mean when I say things like ‘ice’; it sometimes gets mistaken for ‘arse’ and ‘dry wors’ as ‘dried horse’. The most alarming example is when I had some French guests who were adamant on sleeping with the windows open at night despite the air-conditioning system in place. Besides the monkeys roosting in the tree above their room that night, I told them that leaving the window even slightly open may allow other animals such as genets in. Having not yet seen a genet on safari, the guests were confused as to what exactly this was. With my best effort I decided to attempt “genet” in French. It was at this moment panic set in as all the guests wanted to know who “Janet” was and why she would come through their window at night. For the record, a genet is a small ferret like creature with somewhat of a leopard like coat pattern. South African men with their deeper voices might have one up on me here.

Knowledge is power and in the bush, one can use this to their advantage. I once had two South African guests who had travelled extensively throughout Africa on guided off-road safaris. Guests like this couple are always a challenge because they’ve heard the majority of information before and so impressing them with something new, is not an easy task. Luckily, I really enjoy the finer details of things and some of the smaller features of our ecosystems, so I had something to offer them. I was suffering a severe chocolate craving and without access to shops and too much pride to ask the chef who would surely say no, it was a tough time. My suffering must have been apparent for they quizzed me on how one goes about getting supplies. I told them it is not easy and shared with them my current situation. To my amazement they opened a zip on their bag and unveiled a slab of chocolate. They told me they had more and for every new piece of information I taught them, I would earn some. I don’t think I’ve ever been more enthusiastic about game drives and walked away with handfuls of chocolate by the end of the two days. A ladies touch conquers all.

Multi-tasking is of course a woman’s biggest skill and definitely one of our job requirements – which is why I personally find it so surprising that it is such a male-dominated industry! You have to drive, communicate over the radio, assist your tracker in spotting, have eyes on the back of your head looking after your guests, explain to your guests what is happening, plan your next route and next topic, avoid rocks/ tree stumps/ specific plants when off-roading, keep up with the animal, entertain, stay hydrated, remember to get the sundowner orders taken and packed, ensure you’re on-the-ball with your guests arrival/departure details, organise your vehicle for drop-offs and pick-ups, get all the relevant permits for all your equipment every three days and make it all look like a piece of cake, on sometimes only a few hours sleep, for 42 days in a row. Easy if you’re a woman? Not too sure it’s easy for anyone!

Being a game ranger is a fantastic job but like every job, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scene. The required primary FGASA training to ensure guest satisfaction and safety, new knowledge requirements for the new and different environments you land up working in, being ranger, entertainer, walking/driving wildlife encyclopaedia and safety officer are only part of the back ground scene activities. There are specific skills you need to fulfil to be successful and I believe a particular personality besides passion. There are pros and cons of being in the bush away from the family/city life for extended periods, times of chaos and times of quiet, the difficult and easy customers. Your willingness to adapt and keenness to take on ranging as a lifestyle however, is what inevitably leads it to become a career with some longevity and allows you to exude your passion. In the words of Nelson Mandela “There is no passion to be found in playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living”. It is sometimes tough and more so for a woman in a man’s world but the experiences and memories make it all worthwhile. They’ll be with me forever and it’s always a pleasure to expose and share them with others on safari.