EcoTraining

🚨Animal Spotlight

Stunning shots of a Black-backed Jackal during a sighting in Mashatu Game Reserve.

These jackals had been scavenging on an elephant carcass when one of them seemingly picked up a White-backed Vulture feather found nearby. 🪶 After carrying it for a short while, the jackal eventually dropped it and moved on.

A fascinating little moment from the bush! 🌿

Photo credit: .wildlife

Do you know the name of this beautiful owlet?
Share your answer in the comments! 👇 👇 👇

📸 Credit: Abhijit Roy

Learn more about EcoTraining's Birding in the Bush Course HERE: 👉https://ow.ly/prfa50Zw4fS

EcoTraining’s 55-Day Field Guide students on a morning walk in Mashatu Game Reserve. 🌅

When we walk instead of drive, the ground comes alive with tiny tracks, insects and hidden signs of life.

It’s amazing how much you discover when you slow your pace and take the time to look closely at the bush.🐛

🔗Learn more about our 55-Day Field Guide Course HERE: 👉 https://ow.ly/67Av50ZzOye

Lions are more than just Africa’s iconic predators. 🦁

Today, we’re taking a closer look at these fascinating animals — from their behaviour and social structure to the powerful influence they have on herbivores across the African bush.

We also explore the conservation threats facing lions and what we can all do to help protect their future.

Join EcoTraining Instructor and Zoologist Nonkululeko Msomi as she shares fascinating insights into the world of lions and why understanding these incredible predators is so important.

🎥 Watch the full video on YouTube and discover the secret life of lions: 👉 https://youtu.be/QEGjXfh2rkc

A new generation of Professional Field Guides is ready for the bush! 🎓🌿

After a year filled with early mornings, unforgettable wildlife encounters, countless lessons, and plenty of time learning in the field, you’ve officially reached the end of your Professional Field Guide journey with EcoTraining.

We’re incredibly proud of everything you’ve achieved and the guides you’ve grown into. May this be the beginning of an exciting career filled with adventure, discovery, and meaningful connections with the natural world.

Congratulations, graduates — we can’t wait to see where the bush takes you next!

📸 Credit: Jonathan Roff

Want to follow in their footsteps?
Discover our 1-year Professional Field Guide courses and start your journey 👉 https://ow.ly/uLlF50Wxexz

is happening this Tuesday.

Can you identify this track? 🐾

🔍 Clue: Key identifying features include a three-lobed pad, four distinct toes, and no claw marks.

Leave your answer in the comments below! 👇👇👇

Want to learn how to identify wildlife tracks and signs with confidence? Discover our seven- or fourteen-day EcoTracker course HERE: https://ow.ly/vMeO50Zyn4M

Today we at EcoTraining celebrate World Lion Day, raising awareness for the protection, conservation, and celebration of both African and Asiatic lions. We're marking the occasion by giving you free access to one of the bush's best-kept secrets. 🦁🌿

Dr Paul Funston is one of Africa's foremost lion ecologists, who has spent more than 30 years studying male lions across the Kruger and the Kalahari.

We're unlocking one complete lesson from his EcoTraining online course, Inside the Pride: The Secret Lives of Male Lions—completely FREE.

And this isn't just a video. It's the complete lesson.
✔️ Dr Funston's full lecture on the hidden world of male lions
✔️ An interactive "roar reach" tool built from his own field experiments
✔️ A 3D lion skull you can turn in your hand, real roar recordings to listen to
✔️ The Mapogo coalition case study, the research papers behind it all, and a curated list of the best free lion documentaries to watch next.

If you can't get enough, the full Inside the Pride course is 20% OFF throughout August in honour of World Lion Day. You'll gain access to all six lectures plus direct access to Dr Funston in the course WhatsApp group.

🎓 Explore the FREE lesson: https://www.ecotrainingonline.co.za/youre-one-step-from-the-pride/
🦁 Get the full course (20% OFF): https://www.ecotrainingonline.co.za/product/inside-the-pride-course/
🏷️ Use code RoarEcoTraining at checkout.
⏳ Offer ends 31 August 2026. After that, the free lesson locks and the course returns to full price.

Do you know the name of this beautiful bird?
Share your answer in the comments! 👇 👇 👇

📸 Credit: Abhijit Roy

Learn more about EcoTraining's Birding in the Bush Course HERE: 👉https://ow.ly/e31S50Zw44t

The martial eagle is Africa's largest eagle—and one of its most formidable predators. With incredible strength, razor-sharp talons, and the ability to hunt prey larger than itself, it truly lives up to its reputation as a powerful hunter. 🦅

But despite its dominance in the skies, this magnificent raptor is in serious trouble. Habitat loss, poisoning, powerline collisions, and declining prey populations have caused its numbers to plummet, putting the species on the brink.

In our latest blog, discover:
What makes the martial eagle such an exceptional hunter, why its population is declining so rapidly, and the conservation efforts helping to secure its future.

🔗Read the full blog here: 👉https://ow.ly/4mwL50Zx1lL

📸 Credits: Andrea Fuller & Kenneth Smith