| John
Power |
 |
John matriculated from Pretoria Boys' High School in 1994, and
went on to obtain a BSc from the University of Pretoria, where he
studied Zoology, Botany, Geography and Agriculture. In 1998, he was
awarded an Honours degree (Wildlife Management), which focused on
the sustainability of a pride of Pilanesberg lions (Panthera leo)
relocated onto a smaller reserve. His accolades that year were the
Van Schaiks Wildlife Management Prize for best student, academic
honorary colours, and the Welder Wildlife Foundation (USA) Merit
Award.
During his student vacations, John worked with the Mammal
Research Institute (MRI) on various species including springbok (Antidorcas
marsupialis) and aardvark (Orycteropus afer).
In 1999, he was awarded an internship as a research technician to
the Welder Wildlife Foundation in Texas, USA, and was involved in
ecological studies of the bobcat (Lynx rufus) and mountain
lion (Felis concolor). His duties included trapping and
radio-tracking collared individuals.
Fitting
leopard with
a radio collar |
 |
During 2000, John trained as a ranger at Londolozi Game Reserve
and has ever since assisted the reserve with leopard monitoring and
data analysis. In 2002, he gained an MSc (African Mammalogy),
specialising in the study of leopards. This expertise has enabled
him to advise landowners and conservation authorities on leopard
problems. He has also has been invited to work on many other
projects, including habituating aardvarks for a film, capturing
buffalo (Syncerus caffer) in the Kruger National Park and
undertaking research for Global Vision International (GVI) on large
carnivores.
Limpopo South is the realisation of John's long-held dream to
create a unique, multifaceted wildlife company that offers benefits
for ecotourists, conservation-minded landowners, researchers and
students. "So many of us share a passion for the wild," he
says. "We simply express it in different ways. Limpopo South
offers a wide variety of services that benefit from each other. For
example, our safaris are far more than just point-and-shoot
"Big Five" tours; they're full of detail based on our
real-life experience working with wildlife." |
