ANTI-POACHING PATROLS
Where do we work?
- Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Cherwore Safari Areas make up the lower Zambezi UNESCO World Heritage site. It is an area of 676,600 hectares bordered by the Zambezi River to the north and a steep escarpment to the south.
- The area within the black border is the UNESCO site. There are three additional conservation areas contiguous to the site. Across the river is Zambezi National Park in Zambia.
- There are no physical boundaries to the site, so a diversity of wildlife including elephants, buffalos, zebras, many antelope species, lions, leopards, hyenas, painted wolves and pangolins are among those who migrate throughout the Zambezi Valley, with some animals crossing the river into Zambia.
- There are large numbers of hippos, Nile crocodiles and more than 450 species of birds in the area, both resident and migratory.
- There is no permanent human settlement on the site.
- Of the Big Five species (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, and rhinoceros) the black rhino was heavily poached in the Zambezi Valley during the late 1980’s and mid-1990’s. The remaining rhinos were relocated from Mana Pools to Intensive Protection Zones in Zimbabwe. These places are under heavy security to protect the remaining animals.
- Poaching is driven by several factors, the most common locally are poverty and severe economic challenges. Villagers living on the periphery of wildlife conservancies like Mana Pools are enticed into poaching activities by money.
Who is protected by our anti-poaching teams?
Tusker, who you see below, and all the wildlife in Mana Pools National Park are at risk from poaching. This includes not only the endangered African elephants, but the endangered painted wolves and the vulnerable pangolins.
Bushlife Conservancy’s financial support enables conservation to be undertaken by the local people of Zimbabwe.
With your help, Tusker and the wildlife of Mana Pools are safer through community engagement and support.
Bushlife Conservancy’s financial support enables conservation to be undertaken by the local people of Zimbabwe.
With your help, Tusker and the wildlife of Mana Pools are safer through community engagement and support.
What is supplied on anti-poaching patrols?
- Bushlife Conservancy pays for the equipment and personnel that support the National Park Rangers who protect the Park and the lower Zambezi Valley. This includes funding the purchase of vehicles, boats and other equipment needed to cover the rugged and remote terrain of the Park.
- We pay for extensive repairs and maintenance required to keep this equipment operable in the rough conditions, especially during the difficult rainy season.
- Bushlife Conservancy provides monthly funding for the wages of drivers who transport the Rangers around the Park.
- We also fund most of the resources needed by these driver/ranger teams during deployment – tents, fuel, food, water, sleeping bags, first aid supplies, almost anything required for their health and welfare while they are performing their activities in the Park.
- This is what a remote field base that has been funded by Bushlife Conservancy looks like. It provides basic comforts for a driver and a Park Ranger.
What can we do if you support this cost?
Photo by Annamaria Gremmo
- Bushlife Conservancy has demonstrated it is a reliable partner in Mana Pools and the lower Zambezi Valley. But more needs to be done.
- We must fund new Tracker positions to compensate for the unfunded Ranger positions in the park.
- Community resources must be developed and maintained to ensure that the rangers’ families staying within the Park and the local people who live in the communities on its boundaries continue to benefit from conservation and protection of the environment and wildlife.
- We need to fund payments to informers for information that leads to the successful arrest and
conviction of illegal poaching activities in the park.
What does your money buy?
- $18 – Bus fare to send an anti-poaching patrol driver into the field
- $25 – New pair of boots for a ranger or driver
- $90 – One month’s rations for a ranger
- $100 per month – Tusker Ranger Fund Membership – ongoing support for the anti-poaching team, including food, fuel, driver and supplies
- $300 – Reward for poacher arrest & conviction
- $450 – Cost of two replacement tires on a vehicle
- $1,500 – Fuel for 5 anti-poaching vehicles for one month
- $2,200 – Wages for 3 drivers, a coxswain and a mechanic for one month
- $5,600 – Wages for two part-time trackers for a year