Les Brett instructing an anti-poaching team in open grassland training terrain.

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Anti-Poaching Training

A 10-day, field-based anti-poaching ranger experience open to the public and ideal for corporate team building. Built on bushcraft, observation and the hard-won lessons of decades on patrol.

The bush is the first line of defence.

This is a 10-day, immersive anti-poaching ranger experience run entirely in the African bush. It is open to the public — no prior military or conservation background is required — and has proven to be an extraordinary corporate team-building programme for organisations that want their people to operate under pressure, think clearly, and work together in demanding conditions.

You will live the daily routine of an anti-poaching ranger: early-morning patrols, tracking instruction, weapon drills, bushcraft, observation posts and night ambushes. The course is practical, physical and taught in the same terrain where rangers work every day — not in a classroom.

Rhino, elephant and the wider game populations of Southern Africa face an organised, well-resourced threat. The people standing between them and that threat need training that is grounded in the bush they work in. Whether you are a reserve seeking to upskill your rangers, or a private individual or corporate group looking for an unforgettable, purposeful experience, the programme is built around you.

Les Brett briefing a class outdoors during anti-poaching instruction.

Les Brett standing with a trained working dog in the field.

Lead Instructor

Les Brett — probably the most qualified anti-poaching trainer in Southern Africa.

Les is a former member of the South African Special Forces and South African Police Service. He has trained HM Forces, HM Customs and Excise Enforcement Officers, and US Special Forces in bushcraft, tracking and field survival.

With forty years of experience working across Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe, he brings a depth of operational knowledge that is rare even among seasoned rangers.

Programme pillars

Bushcraft & Field Skills

Tracking, navigation, observation, and the patience a ranger needs to stay invisible and effective in the field.

Patrol Doctrine

Patrol structure, communications, contact drills and discipline — built around the realities of remote reserve work.

Crime Scene Awareness

Recognising, preserving and reporting evidence so the work that follows the field stands up where it needs to.

Health, Safety & Ethics

Physical conditioning, field first-aid, and the ethical framework that separates a ranger from a soldier.

In the field

Armed rangers on quad bikes patrolling at dusk with white rhino in the background. — Mounted patrols · protecting rhino at last light

Les Brett on horseback moving through thick bush on an anti-poaching patrol. — Horseback patrols · silent movement through dense cover

Field instruction on tactical movement and observation in open bushveld. — Tactical instruction · reading ground and threat

Instructor demonstrating rifle stripping and maintenance to trainees in the field. — Weapon handling · stripping, cleaning and safe drills

Camouflaged trainee concealed in the bush during anti-poaching field exercises. — Concealment, patience and fieldcraft under real bush conditions.

Book your place or bring training to your reserve.

Public places and corporate team-building slots are available throughout the year. Reserve teams can also arrange a bespoke programme built around your threat picture and terrain. Talk to Les about dates, group sizes and what you want to achieve.

Enquire now