Nsefu Wildlife Rangers making a difference!

Nsefu Wildlife Rangers recently had a very successful day on patrol! They found “fishermen” using illegal gear to catch fish, and our rangers confiscated their gear and chased them out of the area.

We keep an eye out for illegal fisherman, in addition to using illegal gear, they have also been known to poison water sources to mass kill fish which in turn can kill unsuspecting wildlife.

In other news, our Rangers at Milyote Gate have new accommodations. They’ll be staying in a recently built safari style tent, which has separate spaces for each ranger.

We’d like to thank our Rangers and support teams on the ground for keeping the Nsefu Sector safe from poaching!

World Ranger Day!

World Ranger Day is celebrated worldwide on July 31st to commemorate Rangers killed or injured in the line of duty and to celebrate the work Rangers do to protect the planet’s natural treasures and cultural heritage.

Let’s pause for a moment to reflect on the courage and sacrifice that Rangers make: by honouring Fallen Rangers and standing with Rangers who bravely undertake their role on the frontline. World Ranger Day is an International Ranger Federation initiative promoted together with its official charity arm, The Thin Green Foundation.

Letter from Coe, Victory & the Nsefu Team!

Dear friends and supporters,

We want to THANK YOU for your support of Nsefu Wildlife throughout the pandemic which unfortunately has carried through to 2021.

As you can imagine…foundations are facing extremely difficult times right now and we are not the exception. Nsefu Wildlife took a stand from the outset to keep our Zambian team financially supported throughout COVID because we couldn’t live with ourselves if we forced the hand of any member of our team to hunt, poach, or snare, to survive. It has been exceedingly difficult to keep our promise, but we have done so with your help. Desperate poverty is rampant in the Nsefu Sector and in the rest of the country and COVID only created more hardship for all. We simply could NOT add to the stress of an impossible situation, and our commitment to being excellent partners is paramount to us. By being supporters of the community, we are establishing strong bonds that ultimately help our mission to protect the wildlife! There is light at the end of the COVID tunnel and we hope you can continue your much-appreciated and much-needed support.

Team Nsefu has been working hard behind the scenes on impactful ideas and plans to chart the future success of our foundation but it is critical that we are able to cover our monthly operations. Ranger Teams and our anti-poaching initiatives cost money and they are our priority. Cofounder Victory Wallace, Board Member/COO Andre Gascoigne, and myself will be in Zambia this summer to work closely with our Team Nsefu Zambia to make sure that each donation continues to create long-term impact in the field. And we have exciting developments and commitments that we will share with you in our next newsletter, so stay tuned!

Please know that despite the pandemic…your foundation is continually “wowing” the people of Nsefu, fellow foundations, and the Department of National Parks & Wildlife. Nsefu Wildlife is fortunate to have passionate and committed people on the team and amazing supporters. THAT is what will save the wildlife of Zambia and help the Nsefu community. 365 days a year we are fighting extinction. We cannot do this without YOU!

Our gratitude is endless. Thank you for being part of it all.

Love, Coe, Victory, and Team Nsefu

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THANK YOU NSEFU SUPPORTERS!

We would like to thank some special friends of Nsefu.org for their generous support!

Carlynn Acuayo • Jodie Graham & Rosemary Ailes-Global March for Elephants & Rhinos • Eva Baetel • Christopher Baldwin • Rob Ball • CW Bartosh • Christa & Doug Baxter • Jan Bebr & Parklane • Delana Bennett • Katy Bennett • Pauline & Jim Benson • Lisa Bishop • Nancy Boerner • Bob and Carrie Buchmann • Eleanor Buchmann • Amira Catori • Craige Citron • Mary Carver • Friends of Cats • Kady Clark • Kady Clark • Tellico Village Computer Club • Doris Coiner • Danny Donnelly and Ben Protas Sr of 5 Star Communications • Judi Daly • Christine Dahlke-Dahlke Insurance • Bill Davis • Gary Dines (In honor of Bonnie Dines) • Evelyn Dirksen • Claudia Dreher • Scott Edwards • Eric Fairbish • Mitra Fattahipour • The Thompson Family • Tony Flores• Linda Fritz • Melissa Forrest • Thrivent Funds • Roger Garay-Online Bookkeeping and Tax Services • Andre Gascoigne • Michelle Grimaldo • Peter Hall • John Hansen • David & Lynette Hebble • Beth Hill • Andrew Hougan • Joseph Hume • Bill & Diane Huth • Sangita Iyer • Della June • Karen Kallett • Sterling Keeley • Melinda Kolb • Carston Kruger • Jeff Larko • Jamie LeClair Brian Lathrem • Larry Laverty • George Lemel • Harry Mallin • James Marmack • George Marquez • Dee Cirino Massey • Kent Matthews - Lasting Impressions • John & Connie McGaughy • Wayne Meyer • Mary Mitchell • Brett Davis & Sarah Morga • Carol Mundell • Gale Muzik • Robert Nelson • Joseph Patner • Nora Pencola • Jill Pesquiera • Linda Proctor • Pink Media Productions • Madalyn Purcell • Shaun Pursglove • Alan Reed • Coe Lewis & Mitch Rand • Christine Rhoads • Tammy Rimes • Richard & Mary Robinson • Cary Rothman • Ioannis Roussakis • Brad Russell • Tommy Sablan • Adrienne Schroder • Kendra Scott • Jill Serrano • Monique Simpao • Jan Dickieson & Don Sine • Deborah Smith • Janice Smith • Dr. Thomas Snitch • Deborah Summer • Joanne Thomson • Steven Thunberg • Allan & Lorraine Truitt • A. Tremoulet • Modern Woodman of America Union • Mike Veale - Global Conservation Force • Delana Venrick • Pandora Vreeland • Stuart and Shelly Waddel • Victory & David Wallace • Lynda West • Dr. Charles and Judy Wheatley • Mayur Pavagadhi & Dru White • Kay & Mike Wilburn • Gary Williams • Rick & Krissy Whorf • Jeff Worsham • John Van Zante • Nicole Zuckerman and all of our anonymous donors.

Rangers on the Ground

The 2021 first quarter reports from Zambia are in! Nsefu Wildlife Conservation Foundation (NWCF) in conjunction with the South Luangwa Area Management Unit (SLAMU) have been working hard around the clock to keep the animals and people safe in the Nsefu sector! Initial numbers show that out of 5 camps, ours is second only to one in the number of patrols conducted, distances covered during patrols, and the days on patrol. While we may not be first this quarter in 2021, in all of 2020 Nsefu’s rangers consistently went on more patrols, patrolled for longer, and showed the kind of dedication and professionalism that makes NWCF such a powerhouse in the region, and we couldn’t be prouder of them. All of this while other groups dissolved their ranger programs due to lack of funding, we managed to squeak by on a shoestring budget and keep all of our Zambia staff fully funded and working. All of this made possible by you, our valued partners.

“Well, that’s great and all” you might say, “but what have you actually *done* this whole time?” Well, I’m glad you asked that, because despite the increase in poaching activity from 2019-2020 (almost a 500% increase during the height of the pandemic) Nsefu and SLAMU have managed to keep the number of successful poaching attempts low even reducing them in some areas. Our rangers and team members on the ground have reported an increase in gunshots heard at night, however due to swift action in reporting we are typically able to drive the perpetrators off before they can cause any lasting harm.

For operational security (OPSEC) reasons we cannot go into specific details of these events, however during this first quarter we have confiscated one illegal firearm, and there has only been a single confirmed elephant killed by poachers with two water buffalo killed in separate incidents. Despite the tragic death of the elephant, we were able to arrive on site quickly enough to where we were able to recover the ivory so it can be destroyed. So overall the poachers still went home empty handed, however one death is one death too many in our book! As for the water buffalo, it is unclear whether these were killed for bushmeat or for other purposes. Regardless of why, it unacceptable that these things should happen at all, and it is our dream of a Nsefu sector where we don’t ever have to hear of tragedies like this again!

To this end, we continue to work and strive to create a safer world for wildlife despite the struggles of a post pandemic world. However, we cannot do anything without the support of you our treasured allies in the war on poaching. Your contributions are the lifeblood to these efforts and are solely responsible for all of the lives saved both human and non-human alike within the Nsefu sector, and we cannot thank you enough for what you do for them. Your generosity and kindness are the literal difference between life and death for many people and animals and we are both proud and honored by your dedication and faith in our organization to get things done. We will not let you down, and we will continue this fight until this fight is won. That is our solemn oath to you, our heroes of the Nsefu sector. Thank you.

-NSEFU WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

Zambia or Bust!

Well after a delay of nearly 6 months due to COVID and shipping nightmares, our container is finally on its way to Zambia! The container was packed “to the rafters” with donations from the likes of Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, 5 Star Communications, Tellico Village Computer Users Club, and many, many other supporters. The container is filled with furniture, clothing, computers, tools, sporting equipment, ranger gear, toys, and other items to help our ranger team, women’s sewing program, beekeeping program, and our school (with a secondary school currently under construction).

We are incredibly grateful for the supporters who helped us buy the container, load the container, and donated items and supplies for the container benefitting Team Nsefu Zambia. The container is to arrive in July and we can’t wait!!!

Thank you!