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 50 rangers and an estimated 275 livelihoods in and around Zinave National Park in Mozambique.

The role of rangers:

Rangers in Zinave National Park face ongoing challenges of bushmeat poaching and illegal logging. In a bid to restore the park’s wildlife component and rebalance ecosystems, more than 2,100 animals have been translocated to the park over the past decade. The ranger force is dedicated to protecting these valuable new wildlife assets, and are succeeding as can be seen in the thriving populations of animals now found throughout a park that was but a few years ago, still silent.

Rangers spend an average of 18,000 hours on patrol annually, resulting in great strides being made. More than 4,000 snares and 25 rifles have been confiscated over the past year. An entire network of poacher trails and camps leading deep into the park have been uncovered, allowing for focused monitoring of critical hotspots. In addition, through multiple suspect apprehensions and confiscation of logging vehicles, the park has successfully clamped down on illegal logging inside the park boundaries – a practice that had been devastating the natural resources in the park.

Some rangers assist with the prevention of human-wildlife conflict. These rangers are tasked to alert villagers to the presence of dangerous animals and to respond, when called by community members, to disperse animals.

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. Over the past three months, rangers have removed more than 5,000 snares and 30 arrests have been made—this is a 500% and 250% increase on previous year’s figures. 

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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.