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Since 2013, the GRI – Kafue Conservation Project’s support has resulted in 821 poachers and trafficers arrested and 436 firearms being confiscated!

We want to help Game Rangers International by funding the costs for the

rangers across three key departments: Wildlife Rescue (specifically the Elephant Orphanage Project), Community Outreach and the Resource Protection department which is where the Kafue Conservation Project falls under. The costs per ranger per day are USD 25.

Help GRI to continue their good work!

Game Rangers International (GRI) is a Zambian conservation organization, working alongside the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) to protect the rich wildlife of Zambia.

The Kafue Conservation Project (KCP) is one of the five projects of GRI. Kafue National Park covers a massive area in western Zambia. It’s known for its abundant wildlife and the Kafue River, running north to south through the park. In the north, the fertile Busanga Plains are home to lions, zebras, abundant birdlife and the sycamore fig trees of Busanga Swamps. In the more remote south, elephants and antelopes roam the Nanzhila Plains, and hippos swim in the waters of Lake Itezhi-Tezhi. The Park is the oldest and largest national park in Zambia, covering an area of about 22,400 km², and is home to over 55 different species of animals.

The ongoing threat posed by poachers, dealers and traffickers in the Western regions of Zambia, as well as the growing demand for illegal wildlife products coming from Lusaka continues to impact negatively on the greater Kafu National Park. Without increasing law

enforcement operations within the Park, the flora and fauna would soon be depleted to an unrecoverable level. The huge effects of elephant poaching have received a lot of attention, and there is now an urgent need to support law-enforcement efforts to reduce this poaching, AND the poaching of other species.

GRI’s KCP project supports the government’s Anti-Poaching Units to protect the Kafue National Park and its surrounding areas. The support includes the provision of welfare, training and operational support in and around the Park. The work is vital, as currently there is less than one active ranger per 500km2 – one tenth of the IUCN-recommended rate of one active ranger per 50km2.

In addition to this, a lack of available resources has led to poor road

infrastructure and inadequate ranger outposts, causing even bigger problems during the annual rainy season when a large proportion of the Park is inaccessible to patrol teams.

The project has already played a substantial role in the last few years, supporting anti-poaching activities as well as providing maintenance and a firefighting unit. Since 2013 the total man patrol hours have more than quadrupled to over 16,000-man patrol days in 2016. Results in that year: 200 arrests, 119 illegally held firearms removed from the park, and over 100kg of ivory confiscated.

Links:

www.facebook.com/KafueConservation

http://gamerangersinternational.org