We are the Mongena Rangers, and our role at Mongena Private Game Reserve is to act as the bridge between our valued guests and the wildlife that calls this land home. While the animals are the true heartbeat of the reserve, we are the ones on the ground, and sometimes in the air, ensuring they are protected and their stories are shared.
Our days are shaped by the needs of the bush. You’ll often find us out before sunrise tracking the Nkawu Pride of Lions, checking camera traps, or using drones to monitor the more elusive species across the terrain. Conservation at Mongena is a hands-on job; whether we are out in the field monitoring our white and black rhino populations, guiding guests on game drives and bush walks or hosting local elders and children for conservation excursions, our goal is to show how people and wildlife can thrive together.
As WildXTR Creators, we want to give you an unscripted look at what goes into managing a reserve like Mongena. We aren’t just here to find the “Big 5”, we’re here to help you understand the language of the bush, its inhabitants and to see the quiet, daily work needed to keep this ecosystem healthy.
In the Wild
Q. What is the main role of the Mongena Rangers, and what does a typical day look like on the lodge?
Our main roles span across a variety of fields. We are mainly focused on guest experiences – hosting guests on safaris and showcasing the natural environment to them from a vehicle, boat or by foot. However, we are also involved in conservation roles – looking after the well-being of the species in the reserve, alien plant species management, drone patrols, camera deployment for animal movement observation as well as anti-poaching efforts etc. A typical day does not readily exist in our line of work, as every day is different and comes with new and exciting challenges. Depending on what needs to be done, it can range from being up at 5h00 to host guests for a cup of coffee in the morning before their safari to heading out to monitor threatened species or returning from a night drone patrol. During the middle of the day, we can be found doing vehicle checks, maintenance on equipment we use, naps for the night patrollers or general admin work. Our days often end when it is already dark outside and everyone has turned in for the night.
Q. What challenges do you face in protecting wildlife and managing the lodge environment?
Challenges in protecting wildlife, poaching is our biggest threat. This is on the form of snare poachers, who set snare traps to capture cruelly capture any form of animal, which is gets eaten by the poacher or re-sold in the local community as a form of income. The bigger and more prevalent threat are rhino poachers. These individuals are after the horns of the rhino as they can get sold on the black market at extreme prices. They are armed and extremely dangerous.
Other challenges include the long work hours, being subject to daily extreme and changing environmental conditions, lengthy periods away from family and friends
Q. How do the Rangers contribute to conservation in the area? Do you work with partners or community projects?
The biggest contribution we achieve is a direct one. This is done by direct efforts to conserve the wildlife and natural environment be operate in. We do this by means of physical protection of the wildlife and natural environment, monitoring the well-being of animals, alien plant species control, fence maintenance to keep animals in and so forth. All the factors mentioned above form part of this.
Q. For guests visiting Mongena, what wildlife experience can they expect, and which animals are they most likely to see?
Guests can expect a world-class, affordable, Big 5 safari experience without having to travel hundreds of kilometers to other destinations. Our close proximity to Johannesburg and Pretoria offer quick and convenient getaways for guests, yet far enough to feel like you are in the heart of the bushveld. We do have fantastic sightings of the Big 5 as well as other animals like Cheetahs, Giraffe, Hippos and other general wildlife.
Community projects
We are also heavily involved in community projects:
Weekly conservation game drives/safaris, every Tuesday and Thursday we host game drives/ safaris for local school children as well as the elderly (60+ yrs). These excursions are educational as well as awareness driven and teach our local residents the importance of conservation and why the game reserve on their doorstep needs to be protected. Beyond the conservation importance of the game reserve, the area employs hundreds of local people from the community and is vitally important to job creation. These excursions happen weekly throughout the year and continues throughout. It is always ended off with a delicious lunch at our restaurant. This will be our 7th year doing this project.
Lessons in Conservation, we partner with the non-profit organisation, Lessons in Conservation, to facilitate the excursions for their students. Lessons in Conservation strives to teach young children in rural areas the importance of conservation and the natural environment. This is done by teaching a short syllabus on the principles/basics of conservation to children. Mongena acts as the hosting site for the physical excursions, whereby what is taught the classroom relates to physical experiences in the bush.
Moondance adventures, An American based company that offers missionary style travel opportunities to teens, that would like to experience the world while contributing to humanitarian and relief efforts. The teams that come our way assist us in the local Hammanskraal area with efforts in maintaining and upgrading schools, old age homes, health clinics as well as building houses for the extremely poor. These trips are hosted yearly during our winter months.
We as the rangers are directly involved with all of the above in terms of hosting, assisting and managing the aspects of it.
Mongena and the Rangers in Action
We are the Mongena Rangers, and our role at Mongena Private Game Reserve is to act as the bridge between our valued guests and the wildlife that calls this land home. While the animals are the true heartbeat of the reserve, we are the ones on the ground, and sometimes in the air, ensuring they are protected and their stories are shared.