Welcome Ellen
Our first 2023 tour rolls out this week, and we are very excited to welcome Ellen to our guiding team this April. When Ellen was five years old, she decided that she wanted to live in the African bush. Working at various safari lodges in Malawi and Zambia, she gained a Zambian Guide’s License and delighted in taking guests from all corners of the globe for unforgettable wildlife experiences in some beautiful and wild settings. We asked her to share a favourite memory from her guiding days in Africa.
“There is something quite magical about a night safari. We had stopped in one of the fertile, partially dried up riverine lagoons on the Luangwa River and had switched all our lights off. Impala antelope, which form large groups, were alarm snorting close by – a clue that something may be afoot. We waited silently in the darkness under a thick canopy of glinting stars with our senses heightened; wafts of wild jasmine and musky smells of the bush drifted past and combretum leaves rustled in the slight breeze. You could feel the heightened expectancy in the atmosphere.
The driver’s seat was lower down than the ones provided for our guests, and the doors had long since disappeared. A movement, not one foot away from the vehicle and just below where I was sitting caught my eye, quickly turned into a fully grown lioness using our vehicle for cover! I had heard that some lion prides had become used to the safari vehicles in their area and use them to their advantage, as the smell of diesel fuel is stronger than their own, and luckily for us, masks human scents too. I was praying that my guests remembered my safety briefing before we came out – about not moving at all if we encountered potentially dangerous animals at close quarters, which included not reaching for a camera!
A couple more lioness materialised close by; all moving slowly and silently in the direction of the impala. It is unfair to reveal the location of either predator or prey at this stage with our spotlight, and it may lead to a guide losing their license. By now our eyes were accustomed to the dark, could see a little more of the drama taking place. At an unspoken signal, the lionesses suddenly broke into a full sprint driving the impala towards where another lioness was possibly concealed. Scattering, scrambling, panicked antelope disappeared quickly into the bush, followed by the lionesses for a short distance. It is not worth a lionesses’ while, however, to exert masses of energy on a long chase once the element of surprise is passed and a few minutes later, it was over for the lionesses – the impala had all survived and we were treated to another glorious African sunrise.”
Coming back to U.K. to complete a Master’s degree in conservation, with the intention of working abroad again, Ellen fell in love with a Norfolk lad and stayed put instead. After working in membership and community engagement at the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) and the RSPB, the pull of the outdoors and a busy son to occupy led Ellen to qualify as a Forest School Leader.
Ellen cares passionately about facilitating a love for nature in people of all ages and firmly believes “People protect what they love”. She feels that the conservation importance of Watatunga, and the amazing wildlife it showcases, makes us do just that. A warm welcome to the team!