Thank you to the newest BC board member, my wife Desirée, for hosting the recent Zoom meeting with Tusker Ranger Fund (TRF) members while Charles and I were relocating a leopard that had been preying on livestock in a boundary community. For more details, please see Charles Hanemann’s trip report.

Tusker is recovering steadily. The wound on his side has healed well, though an infection developed at the base of his tusks, which began oozing pus. Zimparks Chief Veterinary Official Dr. Chaitezvi flew in to treat him. With the support of the Bushlife team, Tusker was sedated, the area was cleaned, and antibiotics were administered. His tusks appear to have recovered, although his foot has swollen again—a recurring issue. Encouragingly, he has been moving around more, though still resting frequently, often using termite mounds as pillows.

Violet’s wild dog pack continues to thrive. The pack now includes 9 adults, 2 of which recently joined, as well as 1 surviving puppy. Longtime TRF supporters Joe and Deb James recently spent a morning with the pack and Joe produced a wonderful 4-minute video of their experience.

We are facing new challenges. Three NGOs—African Wildlife Foundation, Global Environment Facility and International Fund for Animal Welfare—have recently withdrawn from the area as their projects have ended. We are now working closely with the new Zimparks area manager, who is proving to be energetic and proactive. He has asked us to help deploy the 40 new rangers assigned to the region. With the withdrawal of other international organizations, Bushlife’s presence and support have become more critical than ever.

On the ground, progress continues. We have opened about 1,400 km (870 miles) of roads in the key southern boundary area and are establishing two new bases, including one at Chitake. Roads to the Mana East base have also been reopened after seasonal river flooding made access impossible during the rains.

Our refurbished boat is now in use for day and night patrols on the Zambezi. The unpredictability of these patrols has already led to a decrease in illegal fishing and helps deter poachers attempting to cross from Zambia.

Some may recall the research we conducted into young elephants with limps. Sadly, most of the calves we studied and treated did not survive. However, we recently observed one calf that, though still limping slightly, appeared to be improving. This encouraging development shows the value of the research we undertook. So far this season, we have not seen other youngsters with similar issues.

Thank you to all who continue to support our work. Your contributions make everything we do possible.

Warm regards,
Nick Murray
Founder, Bushlife Conservancy

We warmly welcome Stephen and Margaret Maurer, David and Alice Paik, Mary Lyons Scott, and Patrick Campbell as new Tusker Ranger Fund members, and thank them sincerely for their support in helping us continue this vital work.