Ranger Morné is humorous, very friendly and has a personality that’s larger than life. He has an extensive knowledge of fauna and flora and is a fantastic member of the team. A quote he likes to live by is: “Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution.” – Harvey Specter (Suits)
Name: Morné Hamlyn
Title: Game Ranger
Started at Shamwari: 1 April 2017
Hometown: Hoedspruit
Previous roles: Trainee Guide at Mabula Game Reserve, Safari guide – Gomo Gomo in Timbavati Game Reserve, Lecturer at The Bush Academy – part of International Hotel Schools, Senior Guide – Kings Camp in Timbavati Game Reserve, Safari Guide & Lodge Manager at Uplands Homestead in Kwande Game Reserve, Operations Manager at Umlani Bushcamp in Timbavati Game Reserve, General Manager at Karongwe River Lodge part of Karongwe portfolio.
Qualification:
FGASA Advanced Field Guide
Trails Ranger
FGASA Advanced Rifle Handling
Hobbies:
My ultimate hobby is being able to spend time with my family. I have a few others that come close, such as photography and birding. I love Ethology, which is the study of animal behaviour and I enjoy walking.
Passion:
My initial passion is to provide for my family, and thereafter I have an absolute passion for sharing my gathered knowledge with guests visiting our wildlife reserves in Africa. I have always heard good things about Shamwari’s conservation ethics and that is what has drawn me to become part of the team.
Favourite part of the job:
My favourite part of the job apart from being out in the bush is seeing my guests leave the reserve with utter awe, happiness, and with an appreciation for nature. It often comes down to them learning to love a place that was once foreign to them and it’s about more than just being out on game drives and seeing the animals. They leave with a longing to come back.
“It’s really beautiful. It feels like God visits everywhere else, but lives in Africa.” – Will Smith
Favourite animal:
A Leopard
My reason being is that it is a very successful and adaptable predator.
Favourite animal in a sighting:
Elephants. I love the fact that elephants are always giving you an opportunity to study them because they are always busy doing something.
Most exciting encounter while on a game drive:
This past Sunday, I left Eagles Crag Lodge for my early morning drive and as I reached the open areas around our Explorer Camp, I caught a brief movement from the left of the vehicle. I stopped to have a closer look, and realised that it was a female cheetah running with distracting behaviour. This immediately alerted me that there were larger predators in the area.
I grabbed my binoculars and scanned the surrounding areas noticing that there was a lioness nearby looking in the direction of the cheetah. I noticed blood on the lioness and assumed that the larger predator chased the cheetah away from a kill. As I drove towards the lioness, I saw the cheetah in the distance trotting away with 3 cubs in tow. One cub was missing. As I got to the lioness I realised that she was part of the Northern Pride and they were lying in the thicket on the edge of the open area. They had clearly finished eating what they had stolen from the cheetah.
Once I left the lion’s resting, I drove up to a higher point to scan the open areas for the cheetah, as I didn’t want to disturb her while she was looking for the other cub. She trotted through the open area for a fair amount of time looking and calling for the missing cub before disappearing into the thicket behind the Explorer Camp. I left the area hoping that some closure would be found as to the whereabouts of the missing cub. Good news came the following morning when the female cheetah was found with all four cubs in tow!
