WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
By KISHA FERGUSON (continued from previous page)

 As a result the role of the ranger has become crucial. "Game rangers are pretty much the custodians of the last wild places. It's up to us to make sure people are educated. We teach and we help people to understand the importance of preserving these last few sanctuaries for the animals. The conservation side is one of the major parts of our work, in that we're educating people as to what is happening to the animals and how to protect them. In these last few centuries they don't have their natural roaming area anymore."

 And yet, it must be said, the action of tearing through the bush chasing animals does not seem very conservationist. It's like a game of beast spotting. John, an 11-year-old from Florida, constantly asks the other guests at Sabi Sabi, "What did you get today?" as if tags were awarded for every animal glimpsed.

 In the bush, the animals almost never come to you -- you have to go out looking for them. By understanding dung, or spoors, or by simply spotting them, a tracker's job is to locate the animals and get the guests into the best position to view them. Along the way, Lee's stories -- seemingly about every tree, berry, plant and animal we come across -- are interspersed with bush survival lessons. How the bark of the tamboti tree, for example, will poison your food if you cook with it. And how the num num berry is an exception to the rule when it comes to avoiding bright-coloured fruit. How to ensure that you don't just stumble upon a wild animal while on foot in the bush, and what to do if you do. (Just so you know: don't move if it's a leopard or a lion; if it's a black rhino, find a tree and get up it; if it's an elephant, don't even bother climbing the tree, it will just bring the whole thing down with you in it.) Lee constantly reminds visitors of the importance of being "switched on," as in aware of your surroundings.

 "With regards to the old saying that a little knowledge is more dangerous than none, I don't agree with that at all," Lee says. "I think having a little bit of knowledge will help you with the respect that is necessary to get by in a place like this. A lot of people that come here with no knowledge will have no respect, because they don't understand the dangers inherent in this type of environment."

Later that night... story continued.