A2A Safaris - field guidehttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/tags/field-guideenTracking Dream Team: Friends & Colleagues in the Bushhttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/tracking-dream-team-friends-colleagues-the-bush<div class="body text-field" property="content:encoded"><p>Much like the <a href="http://animalsymbiosis.weebly.com/nile-crocodile-and-egyptian-plover-bird.html" target="_blank">plover and the crocodile</a>, trackers and field guides have a symbiotic relationship where they rely on each other’s talent and skill for mutual success. We often mention our field guides on the blog but their tracking partners are equally important for ensuring an action-packed game drive.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15672" src="http://singita.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_13.jpg" alt="Johnson Mhlangu and Ross Couper - Singita Sabi Sand" width="863" height="403" srcset="http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_13.jpg 863w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_13-300x140.jpg 300w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_13-768x359.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 863px) 100vw, 863px" /></p>
<p>Tracker Johnson Mhlanga has been working with Ross Couper for four years, and together they are a dynamic pair of wildlife sleuths, taking guests on thrilling, twice-daily game drives in <a href="http://singita.com/region/singita-sabi-sand/" target="_blank">Singita Sabi Sand</a>. They are also known for their good humour, and Ross says that “when Johnson chuckles at something funny he almost falls off his tracker seat so I have learnt to keep the good jokes for when the vehicle has come to a complete stop!”</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15670" src="http://singita.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_11.jpg" alt="tracker_11" width="980" height="980" srcset="http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_11.jpg 980w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_11-150x150.jpg 150w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_11-300x300.jpg 300w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_11-768x768.jpg 768w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_11-360x360.jpg 360w" sizes="(max-width: 980px) 100vw, 980px" /></p>
<p>Ross has great admiration for Johnson’s humility, skills and experience, and together they have formed a great connection that allows them to navigate the bush by the shared memory of countless wildlife sightings. As Ross puts it so beautifully: “The history of our relationship is our compass.”</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-15666" src="http://singita.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_2-1024x704.jpg" alt="tracker_2" width="1024" height="704" srcset="http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_2-1024x704.jpg 1024w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_2-300x206.jpg 300w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_2-768x528.jpg 768w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_2.jpg 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></p>
<p>This collaborative approach is a critical component in a guest’s experience; the wordless communication between tracker and guide often leaving them quite bemused as they silently track down an elusive leopard, a lion cub or a pack of wild dogs. Johnson has a particularly keen eye for spotting animals in the distance, knowing instinctively what they are before the sighting is verified using a pair of binoculars. And unlike those of us who are a little less experienced in the bush, these are never mistakenly-identified rocks or bushes!</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15671" src="http://singita.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_12.jpg" alt="tracker_12" width="985" height="485" srcset="http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_12.jpg 985w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_12-300x148.jpg 300w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/tracker_12-768x378.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 985px) 100vw, 985px" /></p>
<p>As the tracking team venture out on each drive, Johnson’s contagious smile and quiet confidence warm our guests even on the coldest of days. They are a fine example of people who are friends as well as colleagues, enjoying each other’s company, sharing a passion and enriching the experience for all who are lucky enough to be a part of it.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-15814" src="http://singita.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Singita-Sweni-Lodge-Wildlife1.jpg" alt="Singita" width="1000" height="665" srcset="http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Singita-Sweni-Lodge-Wildlife1.jpg 1000w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Singita-Sweni-Lodge-Wildlife1-300x200.jpg 300w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Singita-Sweni-Lodge-Wildlife1-768x511.jpg 768w, http://469uj5355hpj1cwksq2n1n1a.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Singita-Sweni-Lodge-Wildlife1-320x213.jpg 320w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></p>
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<p><em><a href="http://singita.com/region/singita-sabi-sand/" target="_blank">Singita Sabi Sand</a>, which is a private concession that forms part of the greater Sabi Sand reserve, has been owned by the Bailes family since 1926. <a href="http://singita.com/lodge/singita-ebony-lodge-6/" target="_blank">Singita Ebony Lodge</a> and <a href="http://singita.com/lodge/singita-boulders-lodge-8/" target="_blank">Singita Boulders Lodge</a>, as well as exclusive-use property <a href="http://singita.com/lodge/singita-castleton/" target="_blank">Singita Castleton</a>, offer guests some of the most beautiful and luxurious safari accommodation in the world.</em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://singita.com/people-of-singita/tracking-dream-team-friends-and-colleagues-in-the-bush/">Tracking Dream Team: Friends & Colleagues in the Bush</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://singita.com">Singita</a>.</p>
</div><div class="field-tags field-items"><div class="field-label">Tags: </div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/people-singita" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">People of Singita</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/field-guide" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">field guide</a></div><div class="field-item even " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/ross-couper" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Ross Couper</a></div><div class="field-item odd " rel="dc:subject"><a href="/africa/blog/tags/sabi-sand" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Sabi Sand</a></div></div>Tue, 26 Apr 2016 08:00:36 +0000Anonymous1946 at https://www.a2asafaris.com/africahttps://www.a2asafaris.com/africa/blog/tracking-dream-team-friends-colleagues-the-bush#comments