Jane from Tarzan. As a male guide the lens that we view the world and our natural surroundings are so often different to Janes. She brings a different point of view and often adds an invaluable insight to a safari experience.

Congo, Odzala-Kokuoua NP, this true wilderness in the heart of Africa provides one of the purest immersive safari experiences. The unique animals that inhabit this part of Africa make every excursion all the more exciting in anticipation of something different. The night walks through the Ngaga forests are mesmerizing as you scan the trees for a variety of wildlife from angwantibos to African palm civets. The local people still rely on the forests where they live alongside the wide ranging Western Lowland Gorillas and Chimpanzees  

I had guests that on arrival wanted to see a kill. They had been on many previous safaris, never witnessing one. The subsequent two days were spent following a female cheetah with 4 cubs, being hungry the day the guests arrived, she provided the best opportunity as she needed to make a kill every second day at least. 

On the second afternoon, she was stalking a small herd of Nyala in an acacia thicket on the edge of a large river. The cubs were left about 50m behind and we had positioned ourselves on a little outcrop overlooking the scene. We briefly lost sight of her and suddenly the Nyala ran, they ran between the trees and we caught brief glimpses of her as she caught up with them. Then suddenly the entire herd reappeared and ran for safety, a few seconds later the cheetah appeared and lay down, she was lying on her one side and did not return to the cubs. A few moments later, blood started to pool below her, the cubs called and found her. She did not move, but licked them as they gathered around her. The blood pool grew in size as it seeped into the ground. Finally, she stood up and moved a little, we saw a deep gash on her should were a patch of skin the size of my hand had been ripped off. Blood was spurting out as she walked. We called the conservation team and left the area. The group of guests and I were in silence, we had not expected this result at all. Stopping for a morning coffee, the mood was tense as we all quietly knew that without intervention this cheetah family would not survive. 

After inspection we found she had turned too quickly on the Nyala and a branch had ripped her open. The conservation team did get involved, they stitched her up and she made a full recovery along with the cubs. This truly showed the one cannot predict the outcome of any event in the wild and just how quickly life can change.

Each option is intiging for me, as a photographer I always love watching Elepahants drinking and socializing at waterholes, catching those special moments often only seen at such places. Bird-watching in lush forests for me is thrilling as it can be incredibly difficult, as a fast flying robin whips past in the undergrowth, or by knowing the calls one has to intrepidly approach the source to get a view.

Tracking big cats for me just tops that list. On foot, the tracks show the past life of the cat, it’s actions and foretelling its intentions. Is it hunting, patrolling or looking for a place to rest. Leopards, in their secretive way, move silently, passing by unseen and unheard and tracking these animals requires patience, skill and a deep understanding of their behaviour. Tracking big cats often leads to other interesting encounters along the way.

Helping others to understand the true pleasure in nature through a narrow and broad perspective of worldwide wildlife areas, the greatness of each and the challenges to achieving holistic conservation, with a dash of humour and a sprinkle of …. 

The ability to communicate with animals. I say this not necessarily just to communicate directly with an individual animal but communities. This could provide a deeper understanding into how the social structures of animals work and to be able to empathise with them. Also I guess, to see which ones are really intelligent and if they do exist as we sometimes portray such as Scrat being rather mindless in Ice Age.

There are many funny experience, from baby elephants rolling around infront of vehicles just to show off then running back to mom, to lions getting stuck in trees and appearing far to scared to come down. Personally I do love watching birds that mimic. The diminuitive Chestnut-vented tit-babler sounding off like it is a Fish Eagle from deep inside a thorn tree, but my favourite was a Karoo Scrub-Robin mimicking a cheetah call and getting 3 cubs to curious walk over to investigate, even the mother cheetah returned the call, this went on for quite a few minutes as the bird hopped around calling the cheetah and they ended up moving in a large figure of 8 until they finally figured out what was happening.

I have never been one to pick a favourite celebrity, but in each field often there are people that you admire and look up to. This question for me poses an interesting dynamic. I feel that the celebrity I chose would in turn create a greater awareness for conservation. In this regard, I think Joe Rogan would be the celebrity. He has an incredible following on his podcast and taking him on safari would add an extra dimension to what he might relay to his listeners. He is thought provoking in his question and I would love to take him on a safari to Boma in South Sudan to see the relatively unheard of migrations of White-eared Kob and Mongalla Gazelle (the second largest mammal migration in the world) and the plight of the several ethnic groups that live within the park.  Then onto Odzala, as I have stated before, is just stunning and finish off in the Okavango Delta.

Pantanal. I do really enjoy seeing the large cats and to view a jaguar resting on the river bank watching carefully for an unaware caimen passing by.

As I slowly age and watch my son grow this question is one I pose to myself frequently, what legacy have I already started to leave and what would I want to improve or change? I would like to say that in each person I interact with especially on safari, to leave behind thought provoking ideas for them, to want to enjoy and see the pleasure in nature, to feel connected to it and change their lives to understand the importance of conservation and live it.