In honour of Women’s Day, we interviewed Angele Rouillard-Sanders from Ezulwini Game Lodges—truly a remarkable woman known for her talent, kindness, passion for nature, ability-to-do-everything-at-once, and attention to detail when it comes managing lodges. We wanted to shine a spotlight on this multifaceted and inspiring individual with a fascinating background. Angele, an accomplished wildlife photographer, lodge manager, and guide, also turns out to be a skilled baker, seamstress, and former officer of the Canadian Navy (she claim’s that’s why she runs a tight ship). Despite her busy schedule, she promptly provided detailed and concise answers to our interview questions, making my job so much easier. Angele is a true embodiment of versatility and excellence, and a perfect candidate for WOMEN’S DAY. Angele, may you continue to lead and inspire others!
And now it’s time to tackle the psyche of Angele, the angel of Ezulwini.
Where did you grow up?
In my younger years, I grew up in a small town called Chelmsford in Canada. My grandparents were cobblers and owners of a large tack shop. Most of my family worked for my grandparents including myself. During the summer months, we would travel to horse fairs to sell goods and my grandfather’s hand-made leather saddles. I spent a lot of time around horses.
Once I started high school, my parents purchased a small farm on the outskirts of St. Charles, Ontario, Canada. We were surrounded by other farms (cattle and bison), and government protected land. We were spoiled with nature, often spotting coyotes, wolves, moose, deer, foxes, bears, scrub hares, owls, etc… Summer days were spent exploring the woods & marshlands, and swimming in the local rivers.
Give us the scoop. How did you end up the Kruger?
I always had a desire to live and work in Africa. I can’t explain where or how this came about. I would spend hours reading National Geographic magazines (only African content). Mark & Delia Owens’ books also captured my imagination along with many other authors. I couldn’t get enough of documentaries either. I was drawn to Africa for no other reason than to witness first hand everything I’d seen or read. It wasn’t until 2009 that I first set foot on the African continent. Once there, I had a deep sense of belonging, as if this was always meant to be home. Over the years, I would continue returning. In 2010-2011, and 2012, I had the opportunity of interning at safari camps in the Masai Mara, Kenya.
I utilized my photography & administrative skills, and learnt the “behind the scenes” of working in the safari industry. My time in Kenya also allowed me to travel to South Africa. It wasn’t until winning a photography competition with Sun Destinations in 2011, that I made the decision to permanently move to South Africa. The African bug had bit me hard, so much so that I became a safari guide less than three years following.
Being a lodge manager, photographer and guide means that you’re quite the Wonder Woman! A shining example of a successful WOMAN! Tell us how you balance all three.
Trying to juggle so many hats was by far my biggest challenge. Lodge management takes up a significant amount of my time, and as General Manager, I oversee the running of two lodges. I have a lot of help from my partner in crime & husband, Craig and the Saad Family, owners of Ezulwini Game Lodges. You need a good support team to make everything run smoothly, and I am blessed with amazing staff.
As for guiding, I now do “table side” guiding. I often engage my guests with meaningful conversations on conservation, as well as answering any questions that they may have forgotten to ask on safari. This usually happens during meal service, bar o’clock and even poolside. When it comes to photography, I am often asked by guests to join them and give them tips & trips on capturing that perfect shot. I don’t go out as often as I’d like, however, I do make the most of it when I am on a drive with guests. Juggling all my tasks also means not planning too far in advance. I have a daily routine which helps, but you need to be flexible living in the bush environment.
How long have you been with the Ezulwini family?
Having previously worked for Ezulwini back in 2014, I returned with my husband in 2018. We’ve been working with Ezulwini ever since, and are happy to be part of the family.
What’s your favourite thing about Ezulwini?
I love the atmosphere, the family feel of it. I enjoy it being an intimate family run lodge with the advantage of being located in a place where everything still feels wild.
Please share details about your guiding history
I trained with Bushwise, and began working in the Sabi Sands which is unusual for a first year guide. Although I enjoyed my time there the view of the escarpment, the Hoedspruit hospitality, and the weather drew me back to the Lowveld. I eventually found myself in the Balule. Guiding international guests was always something I looked forward to as everyone had their reason for traveling to this special place.
I wanted to share as much knowledge as I could however 3 hour game drives didn’t always allow for this which led me to guiding research groups. This was a phenomenal experience as not only was I involved in educating guests, I had the opportunity to help with research & conservation, work in the local schools, partake in various community initiatives, mentor young guides and lead photographic groups. All this would round off my career and lead me to Ezulwini.
What’s your top rated animal and why?
Top rated animal is a tough question as I’m an invertebrate nerd and do like spotting seldom seen animals such as serval, caracal, aardvark, etc. Top rated for me will always be the large copper dung beetle rolling its dung balls. It reminds me that no matter how hard the job may be, it just has to get done one way or another.
Which species do you fear the most, and have you ever had an encounter with “said” species?
I can’t say I enjoy seeing snakes. For some reason or another, I always seem to stumble upon one either in my room, or on a pathway, or in the thatching. I have a healthy respect for snakes, but seeing one unexpectedly does cause my heart rate to increase. To be honest, the majority of my encounters have been with the Black Mamba (stories you don’t share with your mother).
What’s the most unexpected encounter you’ve had with wildlife while guiding guests?
My most unexpected encounter was returning to the lodge after a morning drive, and stumbling upon a family of bush pigs. As these are mostly nocturnal, I was shocked to see the group standing on the road in broad daylight. It was only because of my excitement that guests also appreciated the sighting, after all, to them, they were just pigs. This is probably not the story you were expecting – haha!
Any advice for someone pursuing guiding as a profession?
You have to love people as much as the animals or the bush, as you will be spending a lot of time with guests. It’s a lot of long days and often repetitive questions, therefore a love of knowledge is also key to not only keeping you sharp, but also helps to make your safari experience more encompassing for your guests.
What sets apart an excellent safari guide from an average one?
An excellent guide should never stop learning or teaching. For some, success is measured by advancing to the next level of guiding, for others, it’s measured by their guests’ reactions or even discovering something new on safari. No matter what, an excellent guide should never lose their passion for the bush. It sounds a little cliche, but you really do need to hold on to that child-like wonder. Your enthusiasm for even the smallest of things will rub off onto your guests.
Onto something fun. We heard that you’re an incredible baker…tell us more about this aspect of your personality. Do you ever bake for Ezulwini?
Hahahaha…. I’ve always had a knack for cooking & baking, and I love to share my knowledge with our wonderful cooks. I’ve been fortunate to be able to fashion our lodge menus, and create signature dishes, teaching our kitchen teams along the way. As for baking for the lodges, I tend to reserve that for the Christmas season or special occasions. I will usually spend a few days baking then a day or two icing & decorating. This Christmas season however, I plan on teaching my cooks as much as I can from my baking knowledge arsenal. It’s time to pass the torch.
Which female figure inspires you and why?
As a wildlife photographer myself, Margot Raggett is my inspiration as not only has she pursued a professional wildlife photography career, which is predominantly dominated by men, she has also married that with her passion for conservation work with her “Remembering Wildlife” book series. She first set foot in Kenya in 2010 which is not far off from when I first ventured there. Our career paths may have diverged from there but a love for the natural world is what started both our journeys and doing what we love.
What advice did you receive early in your career that has stayed with you?
If a guiding profession is what you really want to pursue, then don’t let anyone or anything stop you from following your chosen path. Rather, surround yourself with people who will support, encourage and mentor you in your journey. You only have one life to live so don’t live with regrets. As the saying goes, “if you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to build theirs”.
We think that’s enough nosy questions for now. Oh wait. Tell us about your husband Craig!
My husband Craig has been in the guiding industry for 17 years. He was fortunate to start young and has been mentored by industry greats throughout his career. Craig has worked at various safari lodges across the country, and also has experience working with African Wild Dogs. Although we both worked at lodges within close proximity to each other, we first met on Facebook as “people you may know”. He “friend requested” me, and the rest is history!!! We will have been married for 7 years in November. I couldn’t imagine a better life partner.
Massive thank you to Angele ! What an honour it was to interview you.
Below are a few more pics from Angele’s curated collection of wildlife photographs.
Terry Hudson