Our Wildlife Diary

Gus van Dyk is our Director of Conservation. As such, he holds personal responsibility for the care of Tswalu's 100,000 hectares. Gus studied Nature Conservation in Pretoria and then started his career at the University of Pretoria's Mammal Research Institute, where he contributed to new research and understanding of Southern Africa's diverse mammal species.

Five years later, Gus moved into the bush permanently as Field Ecologist in the Pilanesberg National Reserve to concentrate on the ecological management of large mammals in isolated conservation areas. There Gus co-authored numerous scientific papers and published articles which describe the challenges in dealing with the reintroduction and management of both predator and pachyderm (elephant and rhino) populations. Gus' primary academic interest remains the conservation of predators and he advises many projects across Africa on this critical issue.

A passion for wilderness attracted Gus to Tswalu over six years ago. Here Gus has overseen the development of our community as well as the restoration of this vast yet fragile landscape.

Marco Tonoli is our Head Field Guide. After extensive travel in Europe and the Middle East, Marco started his guiding career in KwaZulu Natal and the St Lucia wetlands, building up a vital bank of experienve in the field. The desire to explore once more took him to reserves across the sub-continent, working as an overland guide through Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and South Africa.

In 2005 Marco settled at the Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve, where he worked his way up to Senior Ranger with responsibility for training. In November 2007 Marco left guiding to realise another dream and study wildlife documentary film-making in Cape Town. Marco became a skilled film-maker, collaborating on major documentaries and working behind and in front of a camera as director, cameraman and presenter for Wild Earth TV.

In August 2008, Marco came to Tswalu Kalahari. He now leads one of the finest teams of field guides in the country, expert in this unique eco-system. His personal passions include astronomy, botany and the medicinal use of plants, and any chance to get a camera in his hands.