Take a virtual game drive with Shamwari’s head ranger
Image: SUPPLIED
Some elephants are better at social distancing than others, prides of lions are useless, especially at mealtimes, and giraffes are fickle, moving from one group to another.
Though Shamwari Private Game Reserve is under lockdown, its animals are not and are going about their business as usual.
So is head ranger, Andrew Kearney.
He is still getting up early to offer game drives and guided walks, but instead of just sharing what he sees with the visitors on his Landcruiser, he is posting it on the internet for the world to see.
On his own initiative, and armed with just a rifle and cellphone, Andrew has, so far, posted six videos of his daily excursions around the reserve.
Though he is limited by the technology at his disposal and the fact that the large animals are sometimes just metres away — making loud explanations distinctly unhealthy — he still manages to cram a wealth of information and insight into each four-to-six-minute episode.
In the series so far, you can join Kearney to learn the basics of tracking, get a masterclass on giraffes, track a pride of lions to a kill, get scarily close to elephants, make a careful downwind approach on two white rhino, and outrun a leopard tortoise.
Kearney will be posting more episodes which will be uploaded to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, using #shamwari private game reserve.