DANGEROUS GAME QUALIFICATIONS
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| Learners wanting to attain a FGASA Trails Guide Qualification in order to lead walking trails in dangerous game areas need to first attain the FGASA Back-Up Trails Guide (2nd Rifle) and gain the required amount of experience in order to be awarded the FGASA Trails Guide (1st Rifle/Lead) Qualification. |
THE BACK-UP TRAILS GUIDE QUALIFICATION
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This guide:
- Is operating as a Back-up (second rifle) Trails site guide on foot in dangerous game areas.
- A Site in this case usually refers to a particular Game or Nature reserve, National Park in which dangerous game occur. A Back-up Trails guide at this level may be operating as a competent guide on foot in a number of different sites as a Back-up (second rifle) Trails Guide.
- Has previously attained a FGASA Nature Guiding qualification at either Local Guide, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 or one of the Tracker qualifications.
- Has the minimum required experience in dangerous game areas for the Back-up Trails Guide qualification.
- Has the basic knowledge considered essential to register and legally conduct a guided nature experience on foot in dangerous game areas as a FGASA Back-up Trails guide (NQF4).
- Has been declared competent against the requirements of the FGASA Back-up Trails Guide theoretical and practical assessment.
- Has a valid, up-to-date recognised First Aid certifica
- Has the required SASSETA and South African Police Firearms Certificate of competence and the required FGASA intermediate or Advanced rifle handling qualifications.
The Back-up Trails Guide and the Trails Guide learners go through the same theory and practical assessment, the only difference is the required amount of experience as entry to these two qualifications. Thus there is only one theory examination and one practical (View potentially dangerous animals) excluding the rifle handling practical assessment for any learner progressing towards the full FGASA Trails Guide Qualification. Thus once you have passed the Trails Guide theory and practical assessments to become a Back-up Trails guide you do not need to do these assessments again, it is only experience as a Back-up Trails Guide that is then required for you to be awarded the full FGASA Trails Guide Qualification.
Entry requirements for the Trails Guide theory examination: The writing of the Trails Guide theory examination does not depend on dangerous game guiding experience however you need to have either; a FGASA Local Guide, or a full FGASA Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3 FGASA nature guiding qualification. Trackers who have also completed the skills programme for Trackers including “Create a guided experience for customers can also enter the Trails Guide qualification.
Entry requirements for the Back-Up Trails Guide practical assessment:
To be eligible to apply to be practically assessed for the FGASA Trails Guide Qualification you must have:
- Been declared competent (passed) for the FGASA Trails Guide theory examination
- Have gained and logged the required active guiding experience (See below)
- Been declared competent (passed) for the relevant FGASA rifle handling qualification (Intermediate or Advanced rifle handling)
- Already attained the Legal Firearms Competency Certificate through an accredited SASETTA provider.
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EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR YOU TO ATTAIN THE FGASA BACK-UP TRAILS GUIDE CERTIFICATE
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Prior to being eligible for a Trails Guide practical assessment the guide must log:
- At least 10 encounters on foot as either lead guide or back-up accom
- During any training for Trails Guide, 5 of the 10 encounters can be logged as a mentored partici
A Back-Up Trails Guide can operate as a normal vehicle guide for a lodge or company and work as a Back-up (2nd rifle) to a more experienced qualified Trails Guide for the duration of walks in an area that has all the Big 5 of dangerous animal spedcies all of which are free-ranging. Before any experience is logged the Back-up Trails Guide should confirm with the FGASA office that the area is an approved “Free-range Big 5 area”. The length of time required and experience as a Back-up Trails Guide to attain the Full Trails Guide qualification is at least 100 hours (50 encounters) with a qualified FGASA lead guide (1st rifle). Ten (10) of these encounters may be as a back-up while with students on a Trails Guide course the remaining 40 encounters must be carried out as a Back-up with a qualified lead guide within the job function with clients and not with other students on a training course. This experience must be logged and verified in the Back-Up Trials Guide’s Dangerous Game logbook. Once the set required experience has been attained and verified by the FGASA office then the guide will be awarded with the Full FGASA Trails Guide (1st Rifle) Qualification.
This will ensure that lodges and comLogbook: Your dangerous game encounters (as per the FGASA definition of an encounter) as a Back-Up Trails Guide must be recorded in the FGASA Dangerous Game Logbook. Your other guiding experience (non dangerous game encounters) should be recorded in the FGASA Green guiding logbook. If you are joining FGASA and you have already gained a certain amount of dangerous game guiding experience, you can backdate your DG logbook with this experience. This guiding experience must be verified and signed by your previous employer(s). Reference letters may be sent with your logbook to the FGASA Johannesburg office. (Refer to the desion in the FGASA Dangerous Game logbook as to what is required).
Application and payment: If you have fulfilled all the FGASA entry requirements for the Trails Guide theory examination, you will need to send your examination application form and proof of payment for the Trials Guide theory examination to the FGASA Johannesburg office. Remember that examination applications close 1 month before the set national examination sitting.
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THE PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT
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Before you can be practically assessed for FGASA Trails Guide qualification you will need to have fulfilled all these teria (as mentioned above) and your Dangerous Game Logbook verified by the FGASA office and once your logbook experience has been approved you will be eligible to be practically assessed.
The Trails Guide assessment consists of two parts:
- View Potentially Dangerous Animals walk (VPDA)
- Advanced rifle handling assessment consisting of a number of static target shooting exercises and a simulated charge shooting exercise with the appropriate calibre rifle. (Refer to the FGASA rifle handling qualifications)
The practical evaluation for the Trails Guide Qualification is carried out by a registered FGASA Assessor in a dangerous game guiding area of your choice. You will need to take the assessor on a guided walking experience in a dangerous game area to view potentially dangerous animals. (it is not necessary that you view all of the dangerous animals for an assessment).
The practical Assessment will be explained to you in detail by your assessor in the pre-assessment brief. The assessor will make sure that you know what you will be assessed on in order that you can prepare yourself for this assessment.
(Payment for your practical assessment is done directly to the assessor and does not come via the FGASA office.
Once you have been declared competent for the Trails Guide practical assessment you will have attained the FGASA Back-Up Trails Guide Qualification.
You may then be awarded the Back-Up Trails Guide (2nd Rifle) Certificate from FGASA.
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DANGEROUS GAME ENCOUNTERS
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Prior to the practical assessment the guide must log at least:
- 10 encounters on foot as either lead guide or back-up accom
These approaches can include animals from any of the following categories, but preferably as many categories as possible:
- Elephant bull
- Elephant breeding herd
- Buffalo bull
- Buffalo breeding herd
- Lion & leopard
- White & black rhino
- Hippopotamu
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AN ENCOUNTER IS ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
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- A deliberate walk to a dangerous animal or group of animals with the intention to view it on foot without disturbing it in any way. Thus approach, view and withdraw without the animals becoming aware of your presence, or show any sign that they are aware of any disturbance.
- A deliberate walk to a dangerous animal or group of animals with the intention to view it on foot without disturbing it in any way, but due to guide or guest error, or changing environmental factors the animal or animals do become aware of the approaching human/
- An unintentional contact (animals bumped during the walk). This will not necessarily be a good sighting, and might last only a second or two.
- An explanation is given for a potential dangerous animal encounter based on an accurate observation and thus a potentially dangerous encounter is avoided. An example of this type of encounter is if a guide comes across the tracks of a lioness with cubs, the guide is able to point out and desbe the tracks and give an explanation for why they will not follow these tracks, as it may lead to an extremely dangerous encounter which may be negative for the lions, the guide and the clients. This type of encounter must be recorded in the logbook.
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A VEHICLE APPROACH IS:
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- A deliberate drive to a dangerous animal or group of animals with the intention to view it from a vehicle with as little disturbance to it as possible. The vehicle can be an open or closed vehicle, canoe or makoro.
The encounters (on foot and in a vehicle) must be in the presence of a mentor / Trails Guide / SKS (DA or DG) guide. |
FGASA REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RECORDING OF EXPERIENCE FOR TRAILS GUIDE
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The experience on foot required for Trails Guide cannot be carried out by driving a vehicle to a potentially dangerous animal (Big 5 species) and then getting out of the vehicle to approach this particular animal on foot.
The logged experience required must include walking without initially knowing the exact location of a Big 5 dangerous animal, possibly tracking of the animal in question, approaching the animal taking into consideration all the environmental and client factors with safety in mind at all times. View the animal and move away leaving the animal as it was found. Obviously if circumstances change and the animal becomes aware of the approaching humans then the required action should be taken to ensure the safety of all.
The point being made here, is that the learner can log guiding experience on foot in dangerous game areas (encounters – as per the FGASA definition of an encounter) carried out in the same manner as the guided experience would be assessed, i.e. as per the previous paragraph and cannot be done by driving up to the animal, getting out of the vehicle, approaching the animal on foot and then recording this as walking experience. This form of experience will not be accepted by FGASA for viewing potentially dangerous animals on foot experience, as this is considered to be a vehicle approach.
The experience teria for eligibility to start the process of attaining the Trails guide qualification is at least 10 encounters on foot and 10 vehicle encounters. As a guide you must not confuse these two categories by trying to combine them.
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THE TRAILS GUIDE QUALIFICATION
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This guide:
- Is operating as a Trails (Lead/1st rifle) site guide on foot in dangerous game areas.
- A Site in this case usually refers to a particular Game or Nature reserve, National Park in which dangerous game occur. A Trails guide at this level may be operating as a competent guide on foot in a number of different sites as a Trails Guide (Lead/1st rifle).
- Has previously attained a FGASA Nature Guiding qualification at either Local Guide, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 or one of the Tracker qualifications.
- Has the minimum required experience in dangerous game areas for the Trails Guide qualification.
- Has the basic knowledge considered essential to register and legally conduct a guided nature experience on foot in dangerous game areas as a FGASA Trails guide (NQF4).
- Has been declared competent against the requirements of both the FGASA Back-up Trails guide and the Trails Guide theoretical and practical assessment.
- Has a valid, up-to-date recognised First Aid certifica
- Has the required SASSETA and South African Police Firearms Certificate of competence and the required FGASA Advanced rifle handling qualifications.
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EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR A GUIDE TO ATTAIN THE FGASA TRAILS GUIDE (1ST RIFLE/LEAD) CERTIFICATE (QUALIFICATION)
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| Once the guide has attained the FGASA Back-up Trails Guide qualification s/he can now operate in a lodge as a back-up (second rifle) on walks in dangerous game areas. The Back-up Trails Guide must log (recorded in the FGASA Dangerous Game logbook and verified by the lead-guide) at least 100 hours (50 encounters) as a back-up trails guide with a qualified FGASA lead guide (1st rifle) with clients, in an area that has all the Big 5 dangerous animal species all of which are free-ranging, before FGASA will issue the full Trails Guide Certificate (Qualification). Your logbook must be sent to the FGASA Johannesburg office for verification of your guiding experience before this qualification can be awarded. |
WHAT LEARNING MATERIALS DO I NEED FOR THE BACK-UP AND TRAILS GUIDE QUALIFICATION?
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The following learning materials are compulsory:
- The FGASA Dangerous Game Learner Support Pack
- The Trails Guide Manual – Grant Hine
- The Trails Guide Workbook
- Beat about the bush (Mammals) – Trevor Carnaby
- A Field Guide to the Animal Tracks of Southern Africa – L. Liebenberg
- A photographic guide to Tracks and Tracking in Southern Africa – L. Liebenberg
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