Privatization of Activities in Kruger Park

[Lisbeth]

Returning to the reason for SANParks letting go of the drives could also be a question of costs. Buying and maintaining a fleet of several dozens of vehicles plus employing a big number of guides is a costly affair. If they were earning money on these activities, I am sure that they would keep them

[Peter Betts]

..No good thing they are replacing non Professionals with FGASA guides

Now did you mean
"..No good thing, they are..."
or
"..No, good thing they are..."


and why would outsourced drivers be any better (based on the behaviour of some of the OSV cowboys)?

But I agree that with outsourced drivers that cheetah would never have run away. In a flash, it would have been encircled by radio connected OSVs with nowhere to go.

Great picture that you have. It is all about the moment.

..No doubt most of the outsourced guides would have at least FGASA 1 and be vetted by SANParks..> Yes I admit that with the Rag tag mobs of OSVs their bus drivers are literally that ..and radios are a menace..Thats why I go North to the OSV free Zone...Yes its not always all about the moment but rather GOOD planning on my Part studying where the light will be and using local knowledge by tapping into the research guys and some good Section Rangers ..before arrival in Kruger ..So its not about the moment all the time ..but rather observation of conditions over days in the same location ..ie we have 18 days on the trot at Shingwedzi in Nov and I am accumulating data already

[Peter Betts]

And it's all about the guide. We were watching a leopard right next to the road on the Red Rocks loop...also the only vehicle there. We could here a big truck approaching - also the afternoon drive vehicle. As they rounded the bend my dad waved his arm out the window and he slowed right down and stopped a respectable distance away. We all watched the leopard together for another 5 minutes or so until it decided to leave. The driver then came up next to us and thanked us profusely for warning him to slow down and giving him and his guests a fantastic sighting.

Lovely to hear this ..Flutts ...I too have had excellent guides particularly on walking trails