74. Mr. Douglas Duncan Simbeye, Graduate.

Welcome to Page 40 for Mr. Douglas Duncan Simbeye.

Mr. Simbeye is one our star students who made the best of his time at PROTS. He did very well in his Certificate level and was awarded a sponsorship in the Diploma Program. Douglas took this advantage and studied even harder and his graduation project testifies to his diligence.
He is now employed with Dorobo Safaris and we are proud of him and the recommendations we get from his employer and the tourists he guides.
His other documents will be published as we receive them.
Below are photos and some pages from his Diploma Thesis.
Big Up Doug!

Foreword.
By Mr. Vedasto Izoba, Principal.
The Professional Tour Guide School – PROTS.

FOREWORD

Ecology was my thing. Inborn. But I was probably too naïve to appreciate it. I even did not know this fact until when I started going on safari and getting amazed by the wildlife phenomena. Being born in Tanzania was good enough, then becoming a Professional Tour Guide was even more rewarding, but becoming a trainer and lecturer in Wildlife Ecology topped it all. Wildlife Ecology is like studying yourself, just like they say when you are looking for a job, that – “You are selling the product you know best – YOU!” So is the case of studying Wildlife Ecology – “You are studying the subject you know best – YOU!” We are all animals.

This alone makes it fascinating task both in class and in the bush. Reflecting on how Natural Selection shaped us, seeing how the other animals are fighting it out there, and comparing what “we – civilized partners” are doing to make their job difficult and even dangerous for them. Of course we tend to be addicted to the self-made civilized world with its traps, but when we look at the simplicity of the life in the wild, something within us begin ticking that goes like:- “Here is where we were designed to flourish”.It was my relief, then, though I was not surprised, when Douglas chose to specialize in the Wildlife Ecology as his further studies of the PROTS Diploma. He was fascinated in the Design of Nature right from his first lecture. He always constructively contributed to class discussions.


I am sure he enjoyed studying further the Darwinian natural selection than others who studied the certificate level. It was my hope that he would use this further opportunity to discuss his arguments on Evolution Adaptation and extinction. This he did.
In his compilation he has narrated the different types of Ecosystems.For the entire year in the certificate level, Douglas has covered the Pyramid of Life, the Path of energy, as it passes through the Primary Producers with the highlights on the Solar energy, and photosynthesis with the help of the ever present chloroplasts.

He studied the Behaviours of Herbivores, Carnivores and even the mighty and most fascinating Decomposers as they must observe the Laws of Thermodynamics. Interactions like grasses benefiting from being eaten by grazers and Acacias benefiting from Giraffes, Wildebeest population getting stronger because of the ferocious big cats, and Serengeti Ecosystem staying cleaner because the ever present and efficient Decomposers, can be very rewarding to observe with tourists. We are sure Douglas will deliver educational safari guiding as all these have been given a greater and wider coverage in his diploma level. He has learned how to take a closer look!
Douglas has his special topics:- Reproduction and Camouflage! So to top up his coverage, he has created an extra Chapter on Camouflage as Colours of Survival and Reproduction strategies appears in most of his compilation. Reproduction can’t succeed without communication. The Communication in animals chapter is very readable and worth the effort. We wish him well.Vedasto Izoba.

INTRODUCTION to the Diploma Project by Douglas Duncan Simbeye.

Ecology is the science that deals with the match between living organisms and their environment. It is an exploration of how nature works. It is a network rather than a pipeline and adds to both the beauty and complexity of the thing. Our understanding and appreciation of how the natural world works will flourish once we look at nature in its ecological perspective. Nothing is superfluous in nature!

As a tour guide you should be able to relate the habits of an animal to its habitat and to its body form; what an animal does, when, where, how and with whom? Why does a particular animal behave in a particular way at a certain time?

This compilation is a result of the research done during my diploma course in Wildlife Ecology and Natural History at Professional Tour Guide School in Arusha (2005-2006)
To give shape to this volume I have organized it into fifteen chapters each with its subtitles.

Going through these chapters, you will see the followings; how nutrients cycling through the system from the earth to vegetation to animals and back again to the earth; the path of energy from the sun to primary production to herbivores to carnivores and finally to decomposers (the ecological pyramid); how do the living organisms in a particular ecosystem deal with the three crucial things in life – food, death avoidance and production; their social organization; how do they communicate; and how important the primary production is in any ecosystem.

You will also see how did the earth come into existence; the history, traits and behavior of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and plants. You will also go through the broad explanation of natural selection – evolution, adaptation and extinction.

Finally I would like to say that, every game drive and bush walk you do should be a journey of discovery and excitement for you and your guests.

PREFACE

For one and a half years I have done a diploma in Wildlife Ecology and Natural History at Professional Tour Guide School in Arusha. Before; I took a certificate in Tour Guiding and Leadership for one and a half years at the same school, this course comprises the following subjects; wildlife ecology, wilderness survival (don’t die in the bush), camp management, identification of plants, animals and birds.

Due to the fact that, I am dedicated to nature and outdoor life, I decided to specialize in Wildlife Ecology in my Diploma Course; therefore, I took a Diploma in Wildlife Ecology and Natural History.

The main objective of this course is to extend my skills, knowledge as well as to create a better understanding of the natural world and also to add to my capability of delivering commentary to the guests while in the bush in a relaxing and exciting manner.

I did a lot of research throughout my course by reading various books of wildlife ecology, watching wildlife movies and doing a lot of field practical to Serengeti National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Tarangire National Park, Arusha National Park, Kilimanjaro National Park, and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. I also did bird watching in some of local areas like Longido village, Monduli village and Oldonyo Sapuk village.

This compilation has a lot to learn from and I am happy to be among those naturalists who can connect guests to nature, who can teach about nature, and who can interpret the secret lives of the natural world in an ecological perspective.