Zululand Monitoring Team Wildlife ACT Fund Trust
Zululand Monitoring Team
Fundraising for Tusk Trust
Story
About the Wildlife Ranger Challenge: COVID-19 has brought tourism revenue to a halt across Africa, threatening the important work and livelihoods of the rangers who protect iconic African wildlife such as elephants, pangolins, rhinos, lions, and more. Ranger teams are now uniting around the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, a running race with one goal: to raise money to support thousands of their fellow rangers. Now is the time to go the extra mile—it’s time to race to support our rangers. Every dollar donated will be matched by the Scheinberg Relief Fund, doubling your generous contribution. Your contribution will help support 26 rangers and an estimated 41 livelihoods in South Africa. The role of rangers: Until February 2021 when we expect tourism to start recovering, we have implemented mitigation measures to ensure none of our staff are retrenched. Unfortunately this includes salary cuts for wildlife monitoring rangers. Our operational budget, including for fuel, vehicle repair and maintenance, has also been cut to allow only key aspects of the operation to continue. Any contributions will go toward securing our teams and their work in the field until March 2021. |
How your donation will help: Funding is urgently required to keep the full quota of rangers on station. It is feared that retrenchments will lead to a sharp increase in wildlife crime as desperate and unemployed individuals will be lured by crime syndicates to provide the security information they have to assist in poaching. The rangers also support families directly so it is critical to keep employment up as the effects of the pandemic increase. |
Effects of the pandemic: With COVID-19 bringing global tourism to an abrupt halt, our ability to carry out mandated Protected Area Monitoring Programme is at risk. Our work forms an integral part of provincial and national adaptive management strategies for a number of priority wildlife species, including endangered wild dog, black and white rhino and vulture species. This work is especially critical during a down-turn in the economy, when protected areas and wildlife come under increased threat from illegal hunting and subsistence poaching activities. ---------- Tusk is registered with JustGiving in the UK (or GoFundMe.com in the USA). Our online fundraising sites allow you to create a sponsorship form with easy access for your supporters, knowing their money is going directly to Tusk. UK tax-paying donors can enhance their contribution by agreeing to Gift Aid their sponsorship (for every £10 you raise, Tusk will receive another £2.50 from the Government provided you are a UK taxpayer). US supporters wishing to make a tax deductible donation can do so via GoFundMe.com. |
