BEKS
BEKS NDLOVU was born in a rural village called Lupani which is situated
about half way between the Victoria
Falls and the historic city of kwaBulawayo. Growing up in the village and
spending much of his time with old African Ndebele folk for the first eight
years of his life gave him an insight into his cultural background and knowledge
of basic bush skills. After two years living in Bulawayo, his family moved to a
coal mining village in Hwange town.
When he went to high school he was sent away
to a typical old, military-type boarding school named Plumtree which is a small
Botswana/Zimbabwe border village, sixty miles South West of Bulawayo.
Durng his six years of high
school, he took up Falconry as a hobby amongst other sports, and it is from here
that his love for the bush grew from spending much time bird hunting, camping
and exploring in the Plumtree woods.
After completing his Cambridge advanced
level studies, he went straight into the bush and started working as a trainee
safari guide in the Gwayi Valley on the outer perimetres of Hwange National
Park in Zimbabwe. At the same time he spent time canoeing the Zambezi
River, where he was soon awarded the Prestigious award of River Guide of the
year in 1997.
He went on to join Wilderness Safaris that year and worked as a
guide in various National Parks around Zimbabwe including Hwange, Gonarezhou,
Matusadona and Mana Pools. He also hunted extensively for National
Parks and other safari companies particularly controlling problem animals
causing havoc in the local communities. In 1998 he was awarded his full
Professional Guides Licence after rigorous examinations, training and tutorship
from some of the best Professional Guides in the World.
Since then most of his
work has been in Zimbabwe, but also doing safaris and guide training in
Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Beks has travelled extensively in the
United States, the United Kingdom and Australia and has been to these countries
to market safaris in Africa.
He is also a very keen photographer and writer
having some of his pictures and articles published in well known travel and
outdoor magazines such as Getaway and the British magazine Country Life.
Today his specialty is in these tailor made safaris, and guides small groups
through-out Africa's most remote places. His passions and excitement for the
bush and its wild life wears off on all his guests that travel with him in
search for the ultimate African experience.
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RICHARD
RICHARD PEEK'S career really started before leaving school. At the age of 14, he was
involved with expeditions into remote areas of Mozambique, collecting and recording
specimens of Birds, Mammals and Insects for the National Museums of Rhodesia.
At the age of seventeen he left school with less than the statutory exam requirements
and, after a short farming experience, joined the Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Management as a Cadet. He stayed with this organisation until 1978—working initially as
Ranger then Senior Ranger. This period of his career gave him experience in hunting dangerous
game species, management of natural resources, anti-poaching and wildlife capture. An injury,
while capturing Black Rhino caused a slight change in direction for his career and after a full
University degree course, he became ecologist/biologist in the Gonarezhou National Park.
Later, in 1978 he was offered a position with National Museums and took up the appointment as Curator of Mammals.
After three years working in mammal research, during which time Zimbabwe metamorphosed from its pupae, change occurred,
which necessitated a further alteration in career. The change was to join a small Taxidermy studio.
Tourism at this point was mostly hunters looking for trophies and needing taxidermists to prepare their trophies.
The studio was later purchased from the owner and for the next ten years Richard and his wife developed and expanded
this business. During this time he was also involved with hunting and guiding professionally. He assisted the Hunters
and Guides Association with training and examining trainees for the tourist industry of Zimbabwe.
In 1991 they brought in a partner to manage the Taxidermy studio and Richard and his wife then launched
their next project. In 1989 they purchased a run down cattle ranch in west Matabeleland, converting it into a
Wildlife Sanctuary. Suitable game species were reintroduced and intensive reform land management commenced.
A lodge, Malalangwe, was built within the sanctuary to assist in financing the project.
The sanctuary has successfully rehabilitated orphaned and injured wildlife. Present research projects
cover subjects such as: browsing impact and response of Eland to plant defences, predation rates and success of nesting birds,
interaction between introduced species of herbivores and they are currently proposing to launch a study on Leopard and Cheetah within commercial land.
These research projects along with specialist guiding, wildlife photography and managing and directing their companies occupies most of his time.
Richard, 53, holds Bachelor of Science Degrees in Zoology, Botany and Field Ecology and Certificates in Capture and Chemical Restraint of Wildlife and his
Zimbabwe Professional Hunter/Guides Licence. Interests include, Wildlife Research, Wildlife Photography, Scuba Diving, Falconry and Travel, mostly for
purposes of photography and wildlife interest.
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RITA
RITA GRIFFIN was born on a farm in the green hills of Somerset,
southwest England. With growing up in country surroundings, her passion for animals and
nature grew. During her early teens Rita's family moved to Switzerland. There Rita was
obliged to learn the German language and complete her education and science studies. Soon
after Rita was drawn away from the snowy mountains to the hot plains and vast wildernesses
of Africa. Arriving in Zimbabwe in the early 80's, Rita started working in a research
department at the University of Zimbabwe in the capital - Harare. On following her real
interests, Rita would spend every moment she could get away from the city to the Zimbabwean
National Parks and wilderness areas - observing and marveling at this spectacle of true
nature.
Other nature areas invited Rita to further explorations and after extensive traveling all over the globe - in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Central America and naturally Africa ("from tip to toe"), Rita engaged herself in a demanding career in a research laboratory. Yet after a few years, Rita decided to return to Southern Africa - to another densely populated area, but this time it was not inhabited by people, but sustained large animal concentrations...
Botswana 1995, Rita obtained a "Professional Guides License" and started working for a renown safari company based in Maun, Botswana. The company offered high standard overland camping safaris to tailor-made game lodge safaris for the wildlife enthusiasts. Rita - fluent in German - specialized in guiding safaris for the German-speaking market. Her friendly and outgoing nature and her expertise on wildlife offered every safari guest a rewarding and unique experience. Her love and unconditioned passion of the Wild could touch even the wary client, enabling them to acquire affection and admiration for all wild beasts and birds.
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MICHAEL
MICHAEL LORENZ is passionate about wildlife, the wilderness and elephants in particular. Many share this feeling and have joined Michael on safari; often walking with a herd of African elephants through Botswana’s Okavango Delta.
Michael was born in South Africa in 1966 and knew from an early age that his true vision of life could only be found where he was able to explore the vast playground of the African wilderness. His bush career started in the Timbavati Game Reserve South Africa, where he trained under the legendary tracker, Jack Matabula.
Michael then moved to Botswana and became Assistant General Manager of a well-known safari company, Gametrackers. After many years of guiding professionally, he established his own business in ecotourism consulting and specialised guide training, before joining Elephant Back Safaris full time. For nine years, as Managing Director, Michael operated within a pristine wilderness concession of half a million acres in the Okavango Delta - home to the elephant family.
In early 2001 he moved to Johannesburg and joined forces with Mike Kirkinis to develop Passage To Africa. Michael now conducts privately guided bespoke safaris throughout Botswana, South Africa, Namibia and East Africa. He is also heavily involved in ecotourism consulting.
Accomplished naturalist and committed conservationist, Michael provides his safari guests with an unrivalled insight into the intricacies of Africa’s wilderness.
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