Episode 01
Africa's Iconic Big Cats
Species · Lion
A 50-video immersive masterclass with renowned safari guides and conservationists Mike Karantonis and Alistair Leuner — filmed where it happens, told by the people who do it.
Filmed on location across the Lowveld. Best watched with sound.
We marvel at iconic African animals on safaris, in nature documentaries, in books and movies. But what does it take to keep them safe in the ecosystems on which they, and we, depend? What can you do to help?
This immersive course introduces the learner to six African priority species — lion, cheetah, elephant, leopard, rhino and wild dog. We spend time with each species on safari in the wild; follow conservationists on enlightening conservation experiences and learn about the steps they are taking to ensure their survival. By the end of the course, you will have a better understanding of how humans and wildlife coexist in Africa; and what you can do to help.
"I want to take those experiences I have had over 25 years and share them with you, so that you can help from the outside in."— Mike Karantonis, Course Host
For more than three decades Mike has lived between the bush and the boardroom — guiding safaris in the Lowveld, briefing donors on anti-poaching strategy, and helping translocate some of Africa's most endangered species back into protected wilderness. He has been recognised for a career's worth of contribution by his peers, and now he's distilling everything he knows into one deliberate, on-location course.
Joining Mike as co-host is Alistair Leuner — 19 years in the field across Timbavati, Sabi Sands and Manyeleti, FGASA-qualified, and currently Regional General Manager of Safari Products at the Tintswalo Collection. Alistair brings a second voice to the course: methodical, deeply experienced, and equally at home explaining lion behaviour on a tracking line as he is discussing the politics of conservation at a lodge campfire.
Course 1 — Introduction to African Wildlife & Conservation — is built around six priority species, each explored across an immersive sequence of films. Fifty videos in total, featuring guided experiences, field lectures and commentary from conservation leaders working in their fields of focus.
Every episode brings in conservation leaders working in their fields of focus — for on-location interviews, in-field lectures and the kind of unfiltered commentary you can only get from the people doing the work.
No subscription, no upsells. Pay once, keep Course 1 forever — including any future episodes we add to it.
Designed for anyone with a love for nature and a passion to help. No prior experience required — but you will leave with a field-grade understanding of Africa's six priority species.
Anything we haven't answered? Email hello@conservationcollege.com and a real human will reply.
Join Mike, the Conservation College team, and a growing community of students from over 40 countries — for one price, for life.
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