CONSERVATION NEWS
Rangers confiscate illegal charcoal!
A combined Ranger Team from Nsefu Wildlife and CRB conducted a anti-deforestation operation and were able to confiscate 25 bags of charcoal destined for sale in Chipata.
Deforestations of the wild lands in Zambia is happening at an alarming rate, and left unchecked, can have a profound negative impact on the local people and wildlife.
Students attacked by bees!
On April 7th, the head teacher at Katapila School alerted the Nsefu Wildlife team that bees have attacked pupils after a swarm in a nearby tree, that was disturbed by pupils slashing bush and cleaning the area. The noise prompted the bees to swarm and attack.
Over 60 pupils aged 12 and below were attacked. After the attack, the students were taken to a local clinic with some being admitted for longer care while some were released after initial treatment.
The school was immediately closed and the Nsefu Wildlife Beekeeping Team arrived and help to remove the bees from the school.
Update on Bee Attack
Bees at School:
The bees were collected and put in one of our beehives, the situation is back to normal and lessons have resumed.
Condition of Pupils:
Everyone is feeling much better now except for one grade one student who was badly attacked. She is still receiving medication, and the clinic has described her condition as stable and out of danger. Her family as been advised to be taking a lot of juices, but unfortunately, they are very poor and don't have access to many resources.
This may be the most lead polluted place on Earth. Is there any hope?
The site of a former lead and zinc mine in Kabwe, Zambia. Thirty years after the closure of the mine, the land remains highly contaminated — and artisanal miners continue to work here, exposing themselves daily to dangerously high levels of lead.
Tommy Trenchard for NPR
By Julie Bourdin / Photos by Tommy Trenchard
In a soft, faltering voice, her large brown eyes staring absently ahead, Winfrida Besa repeats "A-B-C-D" over and over as she tries to sing the ABCs. With her thin, hollow face and slight frame, 7-year-old Winfrida looks much younger than she really is.
"Winfrida doesn't go to school. She would just leave the classroom and wander off, and we worry she would get lost," sighs her grandfather, Bobby Besa, 60. The little girl was born "normal," he says, but soon she was exhibiting a constellation of disturbing symptoms that are familiar to residents of Kabwe, Zambia. The diagnosis came after blood testing at the local clinic: Lead poisoning.
This city of almost 300,000 people, 80 miles north of Zambia's capital of Lusaka, was identified by a 2022 U.N. report as a "sacrifice zone" — one of the most polluted places on the planet. Between 1906 and 1994, Kabwe was home to Broken Hill, one of the world's largest lead and zinc mines. For decades, highly toxic lead particles were blown across town, carried by the wind and the waterways, contaminating the soil in courtyards, playgrounds and on dirt roads where speeding trucks raise plumes of dust.
Incident Report: Poachers Apprehended!
While on patrol during the day near the Miliot Gate, Nsefu Wildlife Rangers (Scouts) heard gun shots in the distance and immediately headed in that direction.
They had to cover around 35 kilometers (21.75 miles) in order to track down the source of the gunshots and after several hours of searching, they eventually apprehended two suspects, while a third was able to get away.
This was exclusively a Nsefu Wildlife Ranger operation.
Our Wildlife Rangers put their lives on the line daily and we ask that you consider becoming a supporter of Nsefu Wildlife, so that we can continue to protect wildlife in Zambia.
Learn more about Nsefu Wildlife Programs: https://nsefu.org/nsefu-wildlife-programs
Learn more about the Nsefu Sector: https://nsefu.org/the-nsefu-sector
The 3rd Annual Motorcycle Monkey Run & 10th Anniversary Celebration
Clint & Coe introducing the Bands!
Thank you for joining us on Saturday, March 8th, for our 3rd Annual Nsefu Wildlife Motorcycle Monkey Run & 10th Anniversary Celebration. Thanks to Clint August for being such a wonderful friend/co-host and thank you Michelle Bailey and Full Circle Saloon for hosting us again and your generous donation. We'd also like to thank The Coffee Corner in Santee for hosting the beginning of the ride and your donation!
The event couldn't have happened with out two great bands, Jagged Machine and Brixton '76 - A Tribute to The Clash for the amazing music.
Thank you to all our supporters for helping us reach our 10th birthday! Little did Victory Wallace or Coe Lewis know that their meeting in December of 2014 would lead us to becoming a 501c3 nonprofit in March of 2015 and still protecting wildlife in 2025! Here is to the NEXT TEN YEARS of changing and saving lives... Learn more about our groundbreaking work at Nsefu Wildlife Conservation Foundation (Nsefu.org).
Special thanks to our sponsors and contributors: Pulltarps®, Alvarado Skin Institute, Camp Bow Wow, Six Flags Magic Mountain, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Gary Dines, Cynthia Cogdell & The Nsefu Wildlife Team.
The Run - East County Ride! (Click photos images to enlarge)
The After Party - Silent Auction, Prizes & More! (Click photos images to enlarge)
The Bands - Jagged Machine & Brixton ‘76! (Click photos images to enlarge)
The Video!