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 30 rangers and an estimated 165 livelihoods in and around Banhine National Park in Mozambique.

The role of rangers:

As with many other protected areas in southern Africa, Banhine National Park is faced with ongoing subsistence poaching, as well as illegal logging for the production of charcoal. Rangers are currently assisting with efforts to rehabilitate and restore the park to secure the area in preparation for the reintroduction of wildlife.

To support the park warden in a strategic anti-poaching approach, ten new additional rangers recently joined the team after completing a gruelling ranger training course presented by the Southern African Wildlife College. In 2019, the now 32-strong anti-poaching team of well-trained men and women spent over 4,000 hours on patrol. They removed almost 700 snares from the system and made 14 arrests.

In addition, the free movement of wildlife within the park’s open system brings about significant challenges. The Banhine ranger force is therefore often called upon to also assist with human-wildlife conflict mitigation, typically directing herds away from crops or human settlements. The team also educates community members on safe ways to deter wildlife without causing them any harm.

How your donation will help:

Funds raised by participating in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge could be used to support operational costs (e.g. rations, vehicle costs), dog and helicopter operations, or new uniforms for rangers.

Effects of the pandemic:

There has been a significant increase in illegal activity since the pandemic began, including a notable increase in bushmeat poaching—a probable result of income loss loss due COVID-19.

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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.