CONSERVATION NEWS
'I'm here to save Mother Nature' – meet the man battling poachers in Zambia!
Benson Kanyembo is this year’s winner of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award!
Benson Kanyembo is this year’s winner of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award, initiated by the Duke of Cambridge. Sarah Marshall shares his story.
Frowning with concentration, Benson Kanyembo stares through the window of a Cessna 180, scanning every inch of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. Flying low and slow, the light aircraft glides above a sun-scorched savannah, where mopane trees cling on to their last remaining leaves, sandbanks are streaked with hippo trails and herds of elephants march towards the river in a weary, thirsty parade.
Although scenic, these flights have far greater importance. The law enforcement adviser is searching for smoking embers from fresh fires, tell-tale signs that poachers have invaded the park. This morning – to everyone’s relief – only old scars pockmark the landscape, although they serve as a reminder of why Kanyembo and his team can never give up.
Employed by NGO Conservation South Luangwa (CSL), the 48-year-old ranger leads a team of 66 community-based scouts to protect one of Africa’s most popular safari destinations.
In an announcement today, he was named 2019 winner of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award – a prize initiated by the charity’s royal patron the Duke of Cambridge four years ago, to give international recognition to the men and women risking their lives to defend Africa’s wildlife. On Nov 21, he will be presented with a medal and a grant of £10,000 at the Tusk Conservation Awards in London.
“This is my national heritage, my birth. I’m here to save Mother Nature,” explains Kanyembo while walking briskly from the airstrip to his four-wheel drive. The robust mountain of a man takes everything in his giant stride. “This isn’t work for me,” he says.
Snares, the Indiscriminate Killer
Help us stop the use of snares in Africa.
Date of post: 10/31/19
Recently, the Nsefu team have spotted several animals that have been entangled in snares. They are an Elephant, Bushbuck and Lion. We were able to help the Bushbuck, but are still looking for the elephant and lion.
Snares are the equivalent to Gillnets in the ocean. They can kill or main anything that gets trapped in them.
Pictured below is the Lion we recently spotted with a snare around his left front paw.
2019 Wildlife Conservation Network Fall Expo
The Nsefu.org at the 2019 Wildlife Conservation Network Fall Expo!
While most of Team Nsefu.org USA was preparing to hold it’s 3rd Annual A Toast for Tusks in Carlsbad, other team members attended the 2019 Wildlife Conservation Network Fall Expo in San Francisco.
The Nsefu.org team shared our story with visitors to our booth as well as people we met while attending the event functions.
A note from team member Andre G.
“WCN for Tony and I was quite the experience, between meeting Jane Goodall, our wonderful sponsors, and having the opportunity to discuss our many programs with passers by, as well as get the word out about how much we’ve been able to accomplish since Nsefu’s inception it was really a rare opportunity. Tony and I enjoyed being amongst like minded individuals in the conservation area and around so many accomplished conservationists it was truly inspiring. It just reminds me that we all need to begin somewhere and listening to how long it took many of the other NGOs to get off the ground reminds me of how blessed we are as an organization to have the motivation and the know how to accomplish what we have in as short a time as we have.”
The 3rd Annual "A Toast for Tusks" - A Thank You from Coe!
A Toast for Tusks was a success, thanks to all of our supporters.
A mega thank you to our wonderful friends Witch Creek Winery who hosted A Toast for Tusks for the 3rd year and we are SO GRATEFUL for you and your friendship. Deepest gratitude to the whole WCW team and Mayur Pavagadhi and Dru White.
Connie Edwards McGaughy, John Stewart McGaughy, Christine Rhoads, Bill Huth, Mitch Rand Rich Robinson, Beth Hill, David Wallace, John Hansen, Pandora Vreeland, Alissa Faiers, John Faiers, Tony Hunstiger and Shelly Waddell THANK YOU FOR MAKING Nsefu Wildlife SHINE at a Toast for Tusks! It was our biggest event yet!!! Your hard work, dedication and devotion to our foundation, to saving wildlife and supporting our amazing team in Zambia literally blows me away.
And finally, THANK YOU TO EVERY PERSON who came to celebrate with me Friday and at A Toast for Tusks! You bless me with your friendship and your support. I don't have enough words to express what I feel, so saying "I love you" is a start. Thank you my beautiful angels. Your biggest fan, Coe.
Local pressure stops illegal wildlife transfer in South Luangwa National Park!
Stand up for what you believe and you can make a difference!
Recently, 3 big container-sized trucks sent by a private game reserve in Zambia showed up at the main entrance of the South Luangwa National Park with the intention of going into the park to dart and capture wildlife.
The Royal Chiefs nor the CRBs (Community Resource Boards) were consulted about the wildlife purchase and transfer, and the Chiefs and the community were outraged. The local economy of the Nsefu Sector, which is home to South Luangwa, heavily depends on tourism and photographic safaris. South Luangwa National Park is known for its diverse wildlife and the health of the park is critical to the survival of the local economy. Having a business "pilfer" animals out of a national park with no approval by local officials or conservation organizations was very concerning. Many locals are reliant on the employment offered by the wildlife-based businesses and programs in the sector. The wildlife is the lifeblood of the region.
The local chiefs, led by His Royal Highness Senior Chief Nsefu, sent a letter to the president of Zambia, asking to cease this operation. Community members, Wildlife Scouts, Conservation Rangers, and local villagers gathered together to protest peacefully taking a strong stand against these kind of actions. When the trucks showed up to take animals away, they were turned away by all the protesters and left with nothing. The power of the Zambian people working together to protect their wildlife is a momentous event in conservation.
Nsefu Wildlife is proud to have partnered with His Royal Highness Chief Nsefu and community members in sending this powerful message that their wildlife is NOT FOR SALE. Zambia is taking the lead in fighting for their wildlife and we are thrilled to have been part of such an important event!