24 Jun 2021

Local tour guide,  Mr Mosenkeng Mbwe has encouraged tourists to act responsibly and respect nature when in the wilderness. 

The 41-year-old professional guide said in an interview that though a lot of people like travelling and being in contact with nature, especially wild animals, that could be risky at times. 

He highlight that it was part of their job to ensure safety of guests and that the uniqueness and authenticity of the tourist spots stay the same, for the generations to come.

Mr Mbwe, who hails from Sankoyo village thus said it was crucial for tourists to remember that traveling and respect for nature, were two concepts that go hand in hand.

He emphasised  respect for animals and advised that tourists should look for ways to approach them, without endangering their lives or the animals’ natural habitat.

Listening to tour guides, to ensure that an encounter with animals makes one feel they are part of nature, he said was important.

Mr Mbwe, affectionately known as ‘Moss’ in the tourism industry, lamented some unacceptable conduct of tourists who failed to obey tour guides instructions and ending up irritating animals. 

He said before a game drive, tourists were appraised on the behaviour of different animals and how they should conduct themselves should they come across such.

He explained that tourists were warned against making noise, movement, touching and feeding animals as well as provoking animals.

Mr Mbwe, who has been doing his job for the past 13 years, said making noise, movements and eye contact could result in animals, interpreting it as a threat, hence it was advisable to respect the maximum time allowed for sighting, as animals were unpredictable.

He said they used slow moving modes vehicles, that do not produce a lot of noise, adding that animals such as elephants, could become aggressive if their territory was not respected.

Mr Mbwe stated that he had never had an unfortunate encounter with animals, save for a recent incident where he had a close encounter with a stressed elephant, while on a game drive with a group of international tourists.

He narrated that on that fateful day, they were heading towards Sankoyo village from Komoti area and along the way, spotted a herd of elephants crossing the road. He said one remained in the middle of the road and started charging, but he kept a distance and stopped, keeping the engine running, with the hope that the animal would go away. He said after some few minutes, the elephant walked away and he started driving slowly, unaware that it had hid behind a tree and out of nowhere it charged.

Mr Mbwe revealed that the elephant stomped its feet, shook its head, flapped its ears and came towards the vehicle and he could neither reverse nor veer-off the road because it was sandy.

The animal, he said hit the vehicle bonnet, leaving him no choice but to hoot and it backed off.

“My main worry was the safety of my clients, but I managed to read the elephant’s body language to take control of the situation,” he added.

He also lauded his guests for conducting themselves in an acceptable manner, as no one panicked or screamed, thus being animal friendly, adding that some could have exacerbated the situation by making a lot of noise.

He stressed the need for tourists to learn the different animals’ behavior to prevent unpleasant incidents, saying if an elephant runs towards someone with its trunk out, it is a ‘mock charge’ but if it tucks it in, then it means business.

As such, Mr Mbwe advised tourists to just get away and to always remember to treat animals with respect..ENDS