For many years Alex and Renias have taught traditional skills of tracking in South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, Peru and North America. Through their love for the ancient art they have had the privilege of tracking many of the world’s most charismatic animals – leopards, lions, jaguars, elephants, rhinos, grizzly bears, black bears and the grey wolf.
Alex van den Heever’s dream to establish a tracking school started when he was paired with Renias Mhlongo as his tracker at Londolozi Game Reserve in 1995. At the time, Renias, a highly skilled tracker, had been at Londolozi for 27 years.
In 2008 Alex approached Mrs Rupert, the Chairperson of the SA College for Tourism (SACT) in Graaff-Reinet with the view of establishing an institution where the fast disappearing traditional art and indigenous knowledge of tracking animals in the wild could be taught and trained in a formal education and training environment. In 2010 Alex with encouragement and support of Mrs Rupert founded the Tracker Academy – the first school of its kind in Africa.
The Tracker Academy stands as a division of SACT which operates under the auspices of the Peace Parks Foundation. Alex and Renias are the General Manager and Principle Trainer, respectively, of the Tracker Academy
The current state of trackers and tracking in southern Africa:
Traditional tracking skills have disappeared rapidly over the last 20 years. Trackers are poorly informed and as a result are not adequately remunerated. Many trackers are facing serious social problems because of poor education and health. Skilled trackers are the keepers of traditional knowledge & culture in Africa – this is being lost.
1. Local trackers are employed in the eco-tourism, anti-poaching, environmental education and research industries, earning an average wage of R1250.00 per month.
2. Approximately 2000 trackers are employed in South Africa – most are employed only in name or as part of a marketing exercise.
3. Only 19 trackers working in South Africa are qualified as Senior Trackers, with three qualified as Master Trackers – Nationally recognised
4. Most trackers have no formal education, no financial or English literacy.
5. Many older, skilled trackers are facing serious health issues, like TB and HIV.
6. There is very little published data on the intrinsic knowledge of experienced Senior or Master Trackers.
7. Many of the younger trackers have received only limited (or no) training from their employers.
8. In most cases it is the tracker who controls and provides the safety on a wildlife experience in South Africa.
9. Few skilled trackers can be found in the anti-poaching industry.
10. Employed trackers remain in their jobs five times longer than guides.
11. There are only five qualified tracker evaluators in South Africa.
Alex van den Heever has trained and evaluated trackers all over South Africa and is appalled at the lack of skills in the country.
Tracking
TRACKER ASSESMENTS
In order to develop the art of tracking as a modern profession very high standards are maintained. Trackers are graded in order to determine their level of expertise, so that they can be promoted according to different salary scales. This provides an incentive for trackers to develop their skills.
An intensive evaluation covers the fundamental principles of tracking as well as the finer details and sophisticated aspects of tracking. This is done on an individual basis, depending on the level of each candidate. The evaluation is in the form of a practical field test. Rather than pointing out details, each individual is first asked to give his or her own interpretation. Mistakes are corrected and explained continuously throughout the duration of the course. This process identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate in order to develop the potential of each individual in accordance to his or her level of skill.
The apprentice tracker is given a percentage obtained for the evaluation. The progress a tracker makes will depend to a large extent on his or her own incentive to practice on an ongoing basis. Someone who is not able to develop his or her own skills will never become an expert tracker. The evaluation is therefore intended to teach trackers how to develop their own skills.
The certificate issued is certified by Cybertracker & FGASA - Tracker levels 1, 2 and 3.
Level 1: 70 - 79%
Level 2: 80 - 89%
Level 3: 90 - 99%
Senior Tracker: 100%
The evaluation has two modules:
1. Track & Sign interpretation - where we test the tracker's knowledge on all tracks and signs that can be found in the trackers' area of operation - from insect to large animal tracks.
2. Following/Trailing - this is a test of their ability to follow an animal for an extended period of time, off the road. We evaluate the trackers' awareness, anticipation, and their ability to recognise tracks in varying substrate.
www.cybertracker.org for more detail on tracker evaluations.
