Ranger Jéan Taute is a senior field guide at Riverdene. Jéan joined Shamwari three years ago and is an avid birder! His friendly demeanour, enthusiasm and positive outlook make Jéan a great member of the team.
Name: Jéan Taute
Title: Game Ranger
Started at Shamwari: April 2016
Hometown: Bloemfontein
Previous roles: I previously worked at Amakhala Game Reserve and Pumba Private Game Reserve.
Qualification:
FGASA Field Guide
Specialist Bird Guide
Trails Guide
Biome Guide
Track & Sign level 3
Trailing level 1
Hobbies:
Photography, birding, reading and travelling.
Passion:
I’m passionate about birding and assisting other field guides in bettering their guiding qualifications.
Favourite part of the job:
Firstly, spending time in nature. However, my favourite part of the job would be taking first time safari goers out on game drive and simply changing their perspective on nature.
Quote:
“I just wish the world was twice as big and half of it was still unexplored.” – David Attenborough
Favourite animal:
African wood owl
This species of bird made quite an impression on me when I was still a student. I had a pair nesting in a tree outside my room and they fascinated me, keeping me up all hours of the night!
Favourite animal in a sighting:
Elephants.
They are always up to something! I love watching the fascinating interactions between family members especially once you start recognising certain characters.
Most exciting encounter while on game drive:
I was guiding out of Riverdene with my guests that were dying to see a leopard. We had been looking for the leopard for about three days and had almost given up hope. When suddenly, we rounded a corner and there he was! We were fortunate to be the only vehicle around and we managed to spend a good hour and a half in his presence as he sat peacefully.
It is, without a doubt one, of my favourite memories. We could just sit back, relax and enjoy the beauty of him and his surroundings. My guests were so chuffed!
