By Prof Brian Child Key Takeaways * Conservation was imported. Colonial powers transplanted American-style parks and state-owned wildlife through the London Conventions of 1900 and 1933. Little has changed since. * Fences, not hunters, did the damage. Livestock, farming, and fences drove the real historical losses. * Early rangers were not
By Talia Meikle Key Takeaways * For 25 years, VFAPU has protected wildlife in and around Victoria Falls, where people and animals share the same urban landscape. * Its work combines patrols, technology, trained dogs, intelligence networks and community cooperation to disrupt poaching. * Bushmeat, snaring, deforestation and wildlife trafficking remain serious threats,
Of all the animals that the Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation rescues from wire snares, the spotted hyena is at the top of the list. Hyenas get caught in snares more than other animals because the smell of rotting carcasses attracts them, and they end up in snares that are still
The drive from Lusaka to Nyamvu Game Reserve, on the banks of the Luangwa River in eastern Zambia, normally takes 7 hours. It took Zaeed Patel thirty-six hours in his first rainy season in the area. He had to sleep on the side of the road. This is remote
By Dr Daniel Stiles Key Takeaways * Ant trafficking is emerging as a serious new wildlife crime, especially in East Africa. * Booming demand for exotic pet ants in Asia and beyond drives the trade. * Smuggling ants can cause real ecological harm, including colony collapse and invasive-species risks. * Kenya says much
The Kabwoya Wildlife Reserve stands as the only ecologically intact savannah along a 200-kilometer stretch of Lake Albert’s shoreline in Uganda. Established initially as a controlled hunting area in 1963, this remote wilderness once harbored significant populations of Uganda kob, buffalo, and Jackson's hartebeest. Then came
Key Takeaways * Africa’s rangers are frontline conservation workers under intense pressure. Many are underpaid, undertrained, and lack insurance. * Staffing and resource shortages are weakening protection efforts. * Rangers are doing more community engagement, but training has not kept pace. * The report calls for greater recognition, better conditions, and professional reform.
In the far west of Botswana lies a place where people live surrounded by elephants and yet remain among the poorest in the country. For thirty-five years, communities across southern Africa have been told that if they own the wildlife on their land, it can pay. For most, it
By Prof Brian Child Key Takeaways * Wildlife recovery requires long-term financial investment, with reliable funding mechanisms that support management, habitat protection, and enforcement. * When local communities, landowners, and governments receive tangible economic returns, they have a powerful incentive to protect wildlife and its habitat. * Across North America and much
In this sobering field patrol, Eugene Troskie of the Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation (PNHF) investigates an area identified by a collared hyena. What begins as a routine follow-up leads to another stark reminder of the damage caused by wire snare lines. The team discovers the remains of an adult
By Hank's Voice Key Takeaways * CBTH has failed for seven years to get a UK import ban through Parliament, so it has taken its Abolition Declaration global, launching at the UN on 1 July 2026. * The campaign is misnamed. The UK cannot ban hunting abroad, hosts trophy hunters
This is the eastern bank of the Luangwa River, in Zambia’s Eastern Province. Twenty years ago, one man came here looking for something most conservationists would have avoided: a landscape that had already been emptied of its wildlife, where the challenge would be to bring it back. The valley