Travel Africa

Page 26

Caretakers

Rangers Keep up Work to Protect African Wildlife Despite Pandemic

By Emily Beament, PA Environment Correspondent

W

ildlife rangers across Africa are continuing to protect animals and reserves despite the coronavirus pandemic, conservationists have said. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) has released images of rangers at two projects it supports in Kenya and Zimbabwe continuing their work to look after threatened wildlife such as elephants. But, because of Covid-19, they are not able to return to their homes and families between their shifts, while a lack of tourism has had a huge impact on local communities and economic pressure has increased the risk of poaching. Rangers still hard at work include Team Lioness (page 31), eight women working to protect wildlife from poachers and safeguard people from conflicts with elephants and other animals in community lands that surround Kenya’s Amboseli National Park, on the border with Tanzania. IFAW warned that hotels and lodges in the park have closed, incomes have dried up and there is a growing temptation to poach to provide food for families and for economic gain. That has pushed up the risks for the female rangers, who also cannot see their children or the rest of their families, but some of whom are the only remaining breadwinner. Community ranger Ruth Sikeita said: “I look after wild animals, providing security for the wildlife. “It’s important because animals are like us, they need to be safe like us. They benefit us, tourists visit here because of the wild animals and we are employed.” And at the IFAW-supported Panda Masuie Release Project in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, rangers are continuing to help a herd of 14 rescued and rehabilitated elephant orphans which

▲ Community rangers on patrol in Kenya (IFAW/Will Sw ► The handlers at the elephant rehabilitation projec look after their individual animals (IFAW/Lesanne Dunlop/ ▼ Community ranger Ruth Sikeita carries out a d in Kenya (IFAW/Will Swanson/PA)

are learning to live as wild animals. The project aims to help young elephants slowly integrate with wild herds in what is now a protected forest reserve, but had once been used for hunting. Handlers looking after individual elephants and forestry rangers who protect the animals and prevent them coming into conflict with local communities have been on site for up to eight weeks without a break, and are not expecting one soon. But the long quarantine ensures their health and they are not currently having to wear protective gear, IFAW said. The forest reserve has not been exempt from the economic pressures brought on by the pandemic and has seen an increase in the number of poaching-related activities. Neil Greenwood, IFAW’s regional director, Southern Africa, said: “IFAW believes in the importance of rescuing and protecting individual animals as well as whole populations so this

26 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | Sept 2021


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African Cuisine! Republic of Benin

5min
pages 83-85

Golf Africa

4min
pages 78-82

Travel Africa

5min
pages 70-75

WORLD HERITAGE SITES

3min
pages 68-69

Cruise Africa - South Africa Spotlight

0
pages 66-67

Black Physician Creates Health Gujide for Managing Sickness when Traveling

2min
page 62

Rwanda’s Traditional Imigongo Art is on the Rise

5min
pages 63-65

Did You Know? West Africa’s Mali was One of the Richest Places in the World

3min
pages 60-61

The Greatest Show on Earth

3min
pages 54-55

New Museum Links Africa to America

1min
pages 52-53

Jewels in the Sand

1min
page 51

Destination Thumbnail Profi les - Explore

5min
pages 48-50

Trevor Noah Teams Up with Duolingo to

2min
page 47

Seeking Dual Citizenship? Experts Share Steps for Acquiring Citizenship in Africa

2min
page 46

How Aduke Africa is Encouraging You to Visit Africa Through the Lens of Benin

14min
pages 34-41

How One Woman Saved South Africa’s Oldest Language

4min
pages 42-43

Did You Know? The World’s Oldest Tribes Can Be Found In South Africa

2min
pages 44-45

Team Lioness

5min
pages 31-33

Voluntourism 101: How to Find a Reputable Wildlife Sanctuary in Africa

6min
pages 28-30

Rangers Keep up Work to Protect African Wildlife Despite Pandemic

3min
pages 26-27

‘Spending Easter In Lalibela, Ethiopia Was An Experience I’ll Never Forget’

4min
pages 19-21

Did You Know? Sudan Has More Pyramids Than Egypt

1min
pages 22-23

Sussurro, an Ode to African Material Culture in Mozambique

2min
pages 24-25

Another Go-To Tool for Travel Guidelines

2min
pages 17-18

Giving Globally is Easier Than Ever

1min
page 16

Airlines are Banning Fabric and Vented Masks

2min
page 15

Hyatt Plans to Debut the Hyatt House Brand in Johannesburg

2min
page 14

You’ll Soon be Able to Fly Non-Stop From NYC to Senegal Thanks to Air Senegal

1min
page 13

Sunscreen Concerns Escalate as Another Potential Carcinogen Found

4min
pages 10-11

Inaugural Black Travel Expo to be Held in Atlanta, Georgia

1min
page 12

United Airlines Partners With Walmart For Easier COVID-19 Testing

1min
page 7

British Airways and Other Travel Services Launch Digital Covid-19 Info Travel Tools

1min
page 8

New Website Chronicles the History of Black Leisure Travel Across the Diaspora

2min
page 9

More Than 450 Airlines can now use IBM’s Blockchain-based Vaccine Passport

2min
page 6
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