‘Game drives offer a whole lot more than the Big Five’
I F FHUMULANI Sidney Mikosi sees a dung beetle on any the roads winding through Marakele National Park, he stops his game drive vehicle immediately and starts his lesson.
“When it comes to wildlife, my ambition is to expose tourists to biodiversity; to understand how dung beetles are more interesting than the big animals.” There’s a reason why 33-year-old Mikosi, the head ranger at the Limpopo park, has been described as the “jungle encyclopaedia”.
Last week, he received a special CEO Award at the annual SANParks Kudu Awards to honour individuals and organisations in the conservation sector.
Earlier this year he scooped the national Lilizela Award as the Best Nature Guide in South Africa, and has so far amassed a staggering 14 awards.
Mikosi does not “chase the Big Five” – seeing them as a bonus. He feels the bush has a lot more to offer: “People just drive over dung beetles, but do you know they were collected and transferred to Australia to control fly populations?
“SA is one of the lucky countries to have dung beetles. They destroy places where flies multiply, and dig holes underground that increase spaces in soil for water to penetrate. It acts as a natural fertiliser.”
Mikosi says he is “over the moon” about his award. “I’m one of the most jubilant people all over the world right now. I can tell you I’m going to win a lot more awards,” he laughs.
“When people come to the park, I treat them like kings and queens, because I represent South Africa.”
Last week, Saturday Star reporter Sheree Bega received the Best Journalist Hall of Fame Award at the Kudu Awards. She has won the Best Journalist award at the Kudu Awards in 2013 and 2015.