Ep 20: Boris Vos – LEAD Ranger: developing the next generation of ranger trainers.

Ep 20: Boris Vos – LEAD Ranger: developing the next generation of ranger trainers.

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In this episode, I’m talking with Boris Vos. Boris was with the Ministry of Defence in The Netherlands from 1996 – 2014 before moving to project-based conservation training in Asia and Africa. He is the Co-Founder and Director of Operations at Ranger Campus and Lead Operations for the LEAD Ranger program — a collaborative initiative of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation , The Thin Green Line Foundation and Ranger Campus. In this capacity, Boris has trained rangers in Africa to be instructors and leaders in their own protected areas.

In this conversation, we talk about Boris’ decision to go into the military, his path to becoming a trainer, and many of the details of what makes a good trainer. We also dive into his first trip to Africa while protecting the coast from Somali pirates, and how seeing a poached elephant inspired him to change his career and go into conservation. We go in depth into the importance of rangers, how he and his wife Dominique started Ranger Campus, and the evolution and mission of LEAD Ranger. This was a fun chat full of stories, depth, and wisdom.

LEARN MORE
Websites: leadranger.org | thingreenline.org.au | iapf.org | rangercampus.org
Instagram: @lead_ranger | @rangercampus | @thingreenlinefoundation | @int.anti.poaching.foundation
Facebook: @thethingreenlinefoundation | @iapf
Twitter: @RangerCampus | @ThinGreenLine_ | @IAPF

Ep 8: Ruben De Kock – A life of training rangers as the frontline of conservation.

Ep 8: Ruben De Kock – A life of training rangers as the frontline of conservation.

Subscribe, Rate, and Listen to The Rhino Man Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, YouTube, and Amazon today!

In this episode, I’m talking with my good friend Ruben de Kock. Ruben was first a soldier in the South African Defence Force, where he specialized in training equestrian and motorcycle skills along with weapons handling. When he retired as a Staff Sergeant he began training field rangers for the Bureau of Natural Resources in KwaZulu-Natal. There he met the legendary ranger trainer Martin Mthembu, who soon became Ruben’s best friend and eventually partner in their own business, African Field Ranger Training Services. Together, along with Ruben’s wife Marianne, they trained thousands of rangers across Africa, Asia, and Europe. Later they sold AFRTS to the Southern African Wildlife College, and now Ruben works as the Development Manager at LEAD Ranger. He is also one of the stars of our film RHINO MAN.

In this chat, we take a trip into Ruben’s storied past – plane crashes in the Congo, poacher encounters in the bush. We learn about his time in the military, and when he first trained rangers at Ntinini under conservationist Nick Steele. We dive deep into his relationships with his friend Martin and his wife Marianne, and we explore Ruben’s passion for everything rangers. He has truly dedicated his life to fighting for field rangers, making sure that they get the best skills and support they well deserve. So without further ado, let’s jump into this epic conversation.

LEARN MORE
LEAD Ranger: leadranger.org
Southern African Wildlife College: wildlifecollege.org.za