Here we are at the end of another year and a bright 2018 looks like a very promising for our new Zimbabwe. 

Thanks to your overwhelming generosity and support in 2017, we are delighted to share with you that Zambezi Elephant Fund, together with various collaborative partners, (including and in no particular order, Zambezi Society, Global Wildlife Conservation, The Tashinga Initiative, Matusadona Anti-Poaching Project, Bushlife Support Unit, Elephant Crisis Fund, Flying for Wildlife and Kariba Animal Welfare Fund Trust), has recorded many achievements we can all be proud of.

• A year-end Elephant Management workshop (1st December) with Zim Parks and stakeholders confirmed that, with your support and our joint on-the-ground efforts, there has been a decline in year-on-year observed elephant poaching across the entire landscape. This success has re-doubled our motivation to further improve the situation and to guard against complacency

• Rangers up-skilled, trained and supplied with rations

• New tracks opened up in previously impassable areas for deployment vehicles

• Increased community-based informer networks

• An order placed for a motorised river patrol boat

• Aerial monitoring and surveillance

• Completion of a Strategic Anti-poaching Plan for Lower Zambezi Valley in conjunction with Zim Parks

• Temporary and remote satellite camps set up at known hot spots to allow rangers to spend up to 12 days at a time patrolling and monitoring

• ZAVARU, the permanent 24-man reaction base station, funded jointly by Zambezi Elephant Fund and Tashinga Trust Initiative and built in 2016 at a strategic point in Mana Pools National Park, continues to improve the effectiveness of rangers

• Four workshops held with area managers, local communities, Zim Parks personnel and volunteers to improve relations and operations management

As always, we are extremely grateful for your donations and support and hope you can continue to help reinforce the Zambezi Elephant Fund’s efforts in the coming year. We look forward to working with you to help keep the Zambezi Valley and its wild and wonderful inhabitants safe. Please try and visit us in 2018!

With our warmest wishes for Happy Holidays and we’ll be in touch again in the New Year!