Painted Dog Conservation - Wildlife Ranger Challenge 2023
Painted Dog Conservation is taking on the Wildlife Ranger Challenge to raise awareness of our rangers' vital role in protecting Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park Buffer Zone and supporting an estimated 200 livelihoods.
My story
Rangers are Africa’s unsung heroes. They hold diverse roles as conservationists, teachers, community support workers, and leaders.
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge, organised by Tusk, celebrates solidarity, connection and camaraderie in the ranger profession. Culminating on 16th September 2023, the campaign raises vital funds for Africa's biodiversity guardians.
The Painted Dog Conservation - Hwange National Park Buffer Zone Anti-poaching Unit scouts in collaboration with Mabale Community Anti-poaching Unit carry out patrols on a daily basis throughout the Gwayi Conservancy and buffer zones surrounding Hwange National Park. These units work collaboratively with Hwange National Park and Forestry Commission officials.
With joint efforts and resources, the collective anti-poaching efforts maximise efficiency and cover as large an area as possible - patrol areas are currently more than 10,000 square kilometres.
WRC funding for rangers allowed us to keep boots on the ground and deter the level of poaching that had spiralled due to COVID-19-induced desperation. It allowed us to continue anti-poaching unit deployment, which relies heavily on vehicles for rapid deployment and resourcing of the scouts in the field.
The 2023 support will help Painted Dog Conservation maintain, strengthen and grow anti-poaching deployments. We have since started working closely with anti-poaching community volunteers from communities bordering Hwange National Park i.e. Mabale, Nabushome, Dopota and recently Sianyanga community. The support will make sure this collaboration sustains and continues.
Give today and the Scheinberg Relief Fund will match every dollar donated, amplifying your impact. Join us in speaking up #ForWildlifeRangers
Support a unique conservation initiative empowering and uniting wildlife rangers across Africa.
Apr 28, 2023, 11:17:03 AMWildlife rangers operate on the very frontline of conservation across Africa, routinely making personal sacrifices to put their lives on the line to protect the continent’s magnificent wildlife and habitats. Yet they are so much more than just law enforcement officers: rangers are teachers, community support workers, mediators, researchers and so much more. Unfortunately, resources are not keeping pace with the scale of the challenges they are trying to tackle. For the fourth year running, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge sets out to redress this, by raising critical funding to cover operating costs, including salaries and equipment, for over 10,000 rangers. This will help them protect threatened wildlife and some of the continent's most vulnerable areas, while also protecting communities and securing coexistence with wildlife, as well as providing for their own families.
