Anti-poaching training special forces training
The anti-poaching course at Milites Dei Academy follows a special forces training approach by skilling students not only with an accredited firearm and security qualifications but also with combat training, dealing with animal behaviour, intense tracking exercises, gunshot approach, and much more as part of military training style. These trainees stay for days in the bush while tracking and doing surveillance exercises to gather intelligence. They practice bushcraft and survival skills. These students are also remarkably fit and practise the discipline of the drill.
Once completed they celebrate with a green beret at a step out ceremony because Milites Dei Academy is very proud of these guys and girls once they finish the course. They are then ready to join the special forces battle against poaching.
The course includes the following:
5 Weapons Competencies (2 Gun Types) Personal and Business and Law (books, practical, exams, certificates)
Anti-Poaching Skills x 9
Uniform and military gear on loan
CV and Portfolio
Work Experience and Active Assistance to Find Employment
SAQA ID Accreditation No. 08-QCTO/AC-TTC171024201831
OBJECTIVE AND JUSTIFICATION OF THE QUALIFICATION
Objective:
The goal of this part-qualification is to equip learners with the skills necessary to work as Anti-Poaching Rangers.
An Anti-Poaching Ranger plays a vital role in safeguarding the integrity of protected areas by adhering to relevant laws, management plans, rules, and guidelines. This involves complying with tactical, legal, safety, and organizational requirements related to specialized operations aimed at combating biodiversity crimes. Key traits of successful graduates will include leadership, discipline, teamwork, compassion, and commitment.
A qualified individual will be able to:
- Plan and prepare effectively for anti-poaching missions.
- Safeguard designated conservation areas.
Justification:
Since 2008, poaching of rhinos, elephants, and other critical species has surged in Southern Africa, with 93% of the world’s remaining rhinos residing in South Africa. The poaching crisis is escalating rapidly, with over 1,000 key species lost each year, threatening their survival.
At the African Wilderness Foundation (AWF) Rhino Emergency Summit in Kenya in April 2012 and the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) National Rhino Conservation Dialogue in May 2012, a key goal was set to ensure the survival of these species under the banner of “Boots on the Ground.” This emphasized the urgent need to deploy more trained and equipped Anti-Poaching Rangers. However, there is still a shortage of qualified new Anti-Poaching Rangers to meet the growing demand in National Parks, Provincial Parks, Protected Areas, Private Nature Reserves, and Wildlife Ranches.
The ‘Conservation/Anti-Poaching Ranger Career Path’ initiative introduces innovative models, processes, and strategies to train a new generation of Rangers. These programs will provide both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience to address the current challenges of preserving biodiversity and wildlife for future generations.
This career path offers opportunities for advancement, starting from Anti-Poaching Ranger to Field Ranger and eventually Park Ranger. Qualified learners will have the potential to secure employment in National Parks, Provincial Parks, Protected Areas, Private Nature Reserves, Wildlife Ranches, Anti-Poaching Units, and Specialist Wildlife Security Providers.
Graduates will be proficient in using legal, security, technological, and environmental expertise to protect biodiversity and wildlife. This comprehensive training will prepare them to contribute to the mission of creating a secure and protected environment for wildlife in South Africa and its neighboring regions.
QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS
This part-qualification consists of mandatory modules across Knowledge, Practical Skills, and Work Experience:
Knowledge Modules
- 213307-000-02-KM-01: Biodiversity Conservation, Level 5, 5 Credits
- 213307-000-02-KM-02: Introduction to Relevant Legislation, Level 4, 5 Credits
- 213307-000-02-KM-03: Wilderness First Aid, Level 4, 5 Credits
- 213307-000-02-KM-04: Communication, Level 4, 5 Credits
- 213307-000-02-KM-05: Handling and Use of Specialized Equipment, Level 5, 5 Credits
- 213307-000-02-KM-07: Tracking, Level 5, 5 Credits
Total Credits for Knowledge Modules: 30
Practical Skills Modules
- 213307-000-02-PM-05: Implement Security, Critical Incident Management, and Recovery Plans, Level 5, 10 Credits
- 213307-000-02-PM-06: Operate Firearms and Ammunition in a Law Enforcement Context, Level 5, 15 Credits
- 213307-000-02-PM-07: Apply Appropriate Force in Legal Enforcement, Level 6, 5 Credits
Total Credits for Practical Skills Modules: 30
Work Experience Modules
- 213307-000-02-WM-02: Procedures for Anti-Poaching Operations, Level 5, 25 Credits
- 213307-000-02-WM-04: Processes for Tracking Quarry to Establish Contact, Level 5, 20 Credits
Total Credits for Work Experience Modules: 45
EXIT LEVEL OUTCOMES
- Demonstrate the ability to interpret and implement operational procedures to set up and use specialized equipment for maintaining security in a conservation area.
- Utilize appropriate methods and techniques to protect and secure conservation areas effectively.
ASSOCIATED ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1:
ELO 1: Interpret and apply operational requirements to set up and use specialized equipment to maintain security in a conservation area.
- Demonstrate knowledge of criminal elements and their tactics to minimize wildlife destruction.
- Show navigational expertise through a detailed explanation of various tools and techniques.
- Effectively utilize different methods and tools to conduct surveillance within the conservation area.
- Employ equipment and tools for airborne tracking of animals, people, and objects in the conservation area.
Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2:
ELO 2: Apply procedures and techniques to protect and secure the conservation area.
- Discuss the importance and benefits of collaborating with other law enforcement agencies for wildlife conservation.
- Keep a range of firearms in good working order according to the manufacturer’s specifications and safety protocols.
- Operate firearms following legal, operational, and shooting range guidelines.
- Use firearms in accordance with established standards and shooting procedures while in protected and defensive positions.
- Fire firearms according to set procedures and standards from various body positions.
- Safely carry and retain firearms in different controlled scenarios while ensuring the safety of oneself and others.
- Conduct searches, arrests, and isolation of suspects and objects by following logical, systematic processes, including pre-containment defense, containment, isolation, and action.
- In high-risk situations, clearly identify oneself and issue precise and authoritative verbal commands to minimize the need for physical force.
- Apply the minimum necessary force in any given situation, in accordance with legal and public safety standards.
Integrated Assessment
Integrated Formative Assessment:
The skills development provider will follow the curriculum, internal assessment criteria, and their respective weightings. Practical skills and applied knowledge will be assessed in line with the internal criteria. This formative assessment, coupled with work experience, will enable candidates to enter the integrated external summative assessment.
Assessments will be conducted via written tests and evaluation of practical tasks at decentralized approved assessment sites, assessed by a panel of qualified evaluators registered with the AQP.
Integrated Summative Assessment:
The Quality Partner is responsible for issuing the qualification. The external integrated summative assessment will focus on the exit-level outcomes and associated criteria.
The summative assessment will include theoretical tests and the evaluation of practical tasks at decentralized approved sites, simulating real-life environments. These assessments will be conducted by assessors registered with the relevant AQP.
WWF refers to the term “ranger” as “…any professional involved in the protection and management of national parks and natural areas.” [Read more on http://tigers.panda.org/news/what-is-a-ranger/]
If one considers the extended problem of poaching in South Africa, one realizes that there is a desperate need for special forces training in this industry.
Save The Rhino writes:
“South Africa holds nearly 80% of the world’s rhinos and has been the country hit hardest by poaching criminals, with more than 1,000 rhinos killed each year between 2013 and 2017… At 594 recorded poaching incidents in South Africa in 2019, poaching numbers have declined significantly in recent years, but are still too high. What does this decline mean for rhinos’ future? In February 2020 the South African Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, released the 2019 poaching numbers. Thankfully, the numbers show a decrease of 175 compared to the previous year (769 rhinos were poached in 2017). Unfortunately, this positive – and very welcome – decrease does not mean rhinos are now thriving.
On average in the country, a rhino is killed every 15 hours.
This is a significant downward trend since 2015 when more than three rhinos were poached every 24 hours. But, despite the good news, the long-term impact of the poaching crisis is taking its toll, as well as the prolonged drought affecting food and water resources. One of the challenges that the ongoing poaching crisis brings is that it diverts attention from other actions that are important for rhinos to thrive in the future. While anti-poaching measures are still a high priority, it’s important that we don’t forget the other tools in the box: biological management, community engagement, capacity building, national and international coordination, and putting in place the long-term sustainable financing needed for important rhino conservation programmes.” [ Read more on https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-info/poaching-stats/]
WWF continues and explain:
“Wildlife crime is big business. Run by dangerous international networks, wildlife and animal parts are trafficked much like illegal drugs and arms. By its very nature, it is almost impossible to obtain reliable figures for the value of the illegal wildlife trade. Experts at TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, estimate that it runs into billions of dollars. Some examples of illegal wildlife trade are well known, such as poaching of elephants for ivory and tigers for their skins and bones. However, countless other species are similarly overexploited, from marine turtles to timber trees. Not all wildlife trade is illegal.
Wild plants and animals from tens of thousands of species are caught or harvested from the wild and then sold legitimately as food, pets, ornamental plants, leather, tourist ornaments and medicine.
Wildlife trade escalates into a crisis when an increasing proportion is illegal and unsustainable—directly threatening the survival of many species in the wild. Stamping out wildlife crime is a priority for WWF because it’s the largest direct threat to the future of many of the world’s most threatened species. It is second only to habitat destruction in overall threats against species survival.” [Read more on https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-wildlife-trade]