Ana and Aleksandra - the first gamekeepers in Montenegro

On January 22, Ana Danilović and Aleksandra Bulatović, employees of the Biogradska gora National Park, received a certificate of the acquired national professional qualification of the guard of the hunting grounds-reserve...

21271 views 723 reactions 9 comment(s)
Aleksandra Bulatović, Photo: Private archive
Aleksandra Bulatović, Photo: Private archive
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

Kolašinka Ana Danilović i Aleksandra-Saška Bulatović recently they became gamekeepers, probably the first women with a professional qualification for that profession in Montenegro.

On January 22, the guards of the hunting grounds-reserve received the certificate of the acquired national professional qualification. They told "Vijesti" that the Hunting Association, which organized the six-month training program, also heard that they are the first women in Montenegro with that certificate.

Both are employed in the National Park (NP) Biogradska gora, and they started on their own initiative and paid for a half-year training program with their own money in order to reach the qualification.

Ana and Aleksandra have been working for years, for which they do not formally need a certificate as a gamekeeper. However, they claim that the knowledge they have now is related to their jobs and a better understanding of the functioning of the protection, preservation and care of an area such as Biogradska gora.

Ana is an administrative worker in NP Biogradska gora, and Aleksandra is a professional associate for education and promotion.

Kolasinka, regardless of the work they do, are, as they say, connected to nature. Both, although they have a high formal education, claim that learning is a lifelong process and that education does not end with getting a diploma and a "safe job".

"Considering that I am almost half a year, that is, during the entire season at Lake Biograd, in the Visitor Center, I thought it logical and useful to expand my knowledge. In this way, I will also better understand what my colleagues from the Protection Service do, who really have a hard job and are dedicated to guarding the Park area. I believe that a person should not just stick to what is in the job description. Maybe with the new qualification I will be of help and contribute to the quality of the functioning of the entire system of care and responsibility, which are necessary in NP", says Aleksandra.

Bulatovic
Bulatovicphoto: Private archive

He explains that he does not intend to change his workplace for the time being.

Ana, too, will not replace her office work with the field and the uniform of a security guard. She tells how the entire training program was interesting and that she was looking forward to going to classes in Podgorica. According to the interlocutors of "Vijesti", they did not feel any prejudice from the lecturers and other participants of the program, and in the Examination Center, where they took the exams, they were delighted to see two women.

"We had really good lecturers, ready to explain a subject that was unknown to me at the beginning. I am glad that we showed good results in the exams. I would like to encourage other women to go through training programs for occupations, which, perhaps, until now have been recognized as an exclusively male field. We succeeded and I am extremely satisfied that, as we were told by the Hunting Association, we are the first women in Montenegro with that certificate. I would be happy if that changed soon", says Ana.

Danilovic
Danilovicphoto: Private archive

Aleksandra, who should soon become a karate referee, remembers that during her work at the Visitor Center on Lake Biograd, she had the opportunity to do something that was not "in her job description" several times. The large number of tourists, the accidents and incidents they experience in the rainforest, once required the young woman from Kolašinka to provide first aid, but also to help her colleagues in the search for an injured visitor. Although employers, she says, do not oblige her to do so, she felt the need to be useful. He believes that teamwork and good coordination are necessary in crisis situations, but also in the daily activities of employees.

The new guards of the hunting ground-reserve claim that they would be happy if their superiors and colleagues experienced their certificates as a contribution to the quality of teamwork and interest in the activities of the company in which they are employed. Also, and as an effort to be more versatile educated.

During the training, they explain, they had lectures in three areas - breeding and protection, organization of hunting and weapons and maintenance of hunting infrastructure. All of this, they claim, helped them to understand hunting as an activity, but also convinced them that "every hunter should be the guardian of the hunting ground at the same time."

They recommend women to find time to dedicate themselves to the areas that interest them, to train for multiple occupations and not to succumb to ironic comments or amazement.

Ana and Aaleksandra showed that they can find time to study, as they used their vacation days and weekends to get another diploma.

Bonus video: