CONSERVATION NEWS
Friend of Nsefu Wildlife: Tammy Rimes!
By Coe Lewis
I have known Tammy Rimes since 2001... when I first got my real estate license in San Diego. I met her through her wonderful husband, the late William Holzhauer, who was a military hero, and he was trying his hand at real estate like I was. He was a wonderful friend, and he introduced me to an amazing woman.
Tammy is a tall, fiery redhead and she is smart, compassionate, and fearless. Our friendship grew after we lost William, and their winery that they built in Ramona as a labor of love, also happened to be the winery that helped Nsefu Wildlife launch our own wines!
A few years ago, Tammy joined me at Zikomo Safari to support our wildlife protection efforts in Africa. We toured various programs and enjoyed game drives in South Luangwa Park with much laughter ensuing. Her belief in our work strengthened after the trip and she became a most- generous supporter.
Our US and Zambian teams truly appreciate her greatly. Her most-recent donation this month will drive long-term change for both people and wildlife. Tammy asked what we needed, and I mentioned another "cash for weapons" event to remove guns and snares from the region. Our Zambian team had conveyed the need to me, and Tammy stepped up with her usual style of humility and grace.
Supporting the community benefits wildlife significantly by teaching locals the value of these animals in tourism. Nsefu Wildlife aims to foster relationships between people and wildlife.
Tammy Rimes is a true Nsefu Wildlife hero and we treasure her. The world needs MORE Tammy Rimes!!!!
Kendra Scott Mother’s Day Event
We'd like to thank everyone that came out to our Kendra Scott Mother’s Day Event! Even though it was a rainy Sunday afternoon, we were delighted to see such a good crowd.
Dolly Parton's butterfly collection looks amazing, she's such an inspiration.
We hope to see you all again next year!
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.