Dear friends and colleagues

Anton Mzimba was murdered in late July this year.  He wife was also badly hurt in the attack, which took place at their house.  He worked as Head of Ranger Services at the Timbavati Private Reserve, near Kruger National Park in South Africa.  His job was to look after his team, the plants and animals, make sure water holes were in good repair, patrol the fence lines, and of course, protect the Reserve  from poachers – particularly rhino poachers.  He was good at his job and had worked there since 1997, starting at the bottom and working his way up.  He was passionate about conservation.  That’s precisely why he was targeted by the poaching gangs.

Every year, around 100 rangers die in consequence of their job.  We don’t know the exact position, but it is likely very few have proper or adequate insurance to support their families in the event of the worst.

Save The Rhino, a charity with which I have had a long relationship and of which I am now a Patron, and “ForRangers”, an organisation dedicated to ranger welfare, each year organise an Ultra Marathon in Kenya, the home of long-distance running.  At 230kms in 5 days, it’s a little over a marathon a day, through some pretty harsh but stunning scenery.  Each runner carries all their own kit, food, clothing and bedding.  I ran it in 2018, the first year, and now I’ll be running it again this September.  It’s a brutal run, but it has to be one of the most  rewarding races on the planet.

All the funds I raise through this effort will go to help rhinos and other wildlife, and the rangers who protect them.

Many of you have generously supported me in the past.  The need to conserve landscapes, habitats and wildlife is just as urgent as ever, perhaps more so.  

If you are able to support me, and therefore these incredible people who do this invaluable, hard and dangerous job, I would be truly grateful.

Kenneth