Rooies wrote:
I don't agree with those 'good' guides. He will obviously not admit that his flashlight has an effect on the animals. No flashlight, no animal. No animal, no tip. We have seen it how many times where animals, and here I am talking about predators, have used man to assist him in hunting. The Cheetah jumping on top of a car in Serengeti, to get a better view was first a big 'wow' Nowadays its a common occurrence. Predators use stealth, speed, and power to catch its prey while prey uses sight, sound and smell to detect the predators. Take these factors away from any of them and the other side will win the battle.
It has been suggested, although not proven, that lions take advantage of a slippery tar road in order to catch giraffe. Forumites have mentioned how many times they have came across a giraffe kill close to a tar road. It is another example where wild animals have used man made stuff to gain an advantage over others.
I'm in total agreement and would not use flash photography at all on a night drive. I have a feeling the OP is interested primarily in birding however, where dusk and dawn are certainly improved with flash...