Tracker Manual

Alex van den Heever grew up on a farm, and after studying Marketing and Business Management, he joined Londolozi Game Reserve as a game ranger. He dedicated much of his 13 years there to learning the ancient art of tracking, and has tracked many of the world's big cats, as well as grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park. In 2010, with the help of Mrs Gaynor Rupert (Chairperson of the SA College for Tourism in Graaf-Reinet), he established the Tracker Academy, a non-profit organisation for training disadvantaged rural people in the traditional skills of wildlife tracking, and ensuring that indigenous knowledge of tracking animals in the wild could be secured.

Renias Mhlongo is the Academy' s Lead Tracker mentor, and is based in the greater Kruger National Park where he has lived for 40 years. He was a member of the team of trackers who successfully helped settle the now-famous leopards of Londolozi in the 1980s.

Karel Benadie spent 42 years as a tracker and field ranger in the Karoo National Park. Using tracking-based evidence, he successfully collected data on the habits of black rhino for a respected scientific journal. He is currently the Academy's Lead Tracker trainer based in the Great Karoo.

Ian Thomas is an FGASA Scout, specialising in guiding, weapon handling and tracking. He is also a speaker, wildlife photographer and illustrator.