{"id":4005,"date":"2023-02-09T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2023-02-09T06:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heroes-world.de\/?p=4005"},"modified":"2023-02-06T12:22:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T11:22:56","slug":"guarding-the-big-five","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heroes-world.de\/en\/blog\/2023\/02\/09\/guarding-the-big-five\/","title":{"rendered":"Guarding the “Big Five”"},"content":{"rendered":"
[vc_custom_heading text=”Where Africa\u2019s famed animals roam free, poachers are never far away” use_theme_fonts=”yes” css=”%7B%22default%22%3A%7B%22font-weight%22%3A%22700%22%7D%7D”]

Elephants, rhinoceri, lions, leopards and buffalo range over the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve. \u201cWe\u2019re the home of Africa\u2019s Big Five,\u201d says Mike Ball. The security chief\u2019s 90 rangers see it as a \u201cprivilege\u201d to be custodians and protectors of the reserve\u2019s incredibly diverse flora and fauna. This privilege, however, demands fierce dedication every single day. Ultimately, wherever wild animals roam in the Zimbabwean landscape, unscrupulous poachers are never far away.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

Malilangwe is still home to white rhinos and even black rhinos. As head ranger, Mike Ball is particularly proud that the latter animal still remains. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN for short, has classified black rhinos as \u201ccritically endangered\u201d on its Red List of Threatened Species. The population, Mike explains, \u201chas fallen by an unbelievable 97.6% since 1960 according to the NGO\u2019s latest wildlife counts\u201d. The threat of poaching is ever-present in Africa. Rhinos are particularly at risk because of their horns, which are prized for their use in Chinese medicine and can therefore fetch tremendous sums. Many areas in southern Africa are losing \u2013 or have already lost \u2013 a significant proportion of their rhino populations. However, that\u2019s not the case at the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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World\u2019s highest population density<\/h3>\n

The former cattle ranch, which was repurposed as a wildlife refuge in the 1980s, is now home to one of the world\u2019s densest rhinocerous populations. That is thanks in no small part to the work of the Malilangwe Trust\u2019s patrol team, which casts an ever-watching eye over the wildlife reserve. \u201cOur brave men risk their lives every day to protect these incredible animals for future generations,\u201d says Mike Ball. It\u2019s crucial that the team is well supplied and has the finest equipment to carry out their difficult duties.<\/p>\n

Every year, their patrols see them travel some 290,000 kilometers \u2013 equivalent to around 180,000 miles or four trips around the equator \u2013 on foot, through dust and detritus, mud and scrub. The team mark rhinos with ear tags that make it possible to identify each individual animal in future. This helps Zimbabwe\u2019s ecologists and biologists in their research \u2013 though rangers always accompany them for safety and security reasons.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

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Sustainable activities<\/h3>\n

The Malilangwe Trust is a charitable organization on the front line of the fight to protect wild animals and support communities in southern Africa. Their activities aim to make a lasting contribution to the region\u2019s development while also raising awareness of the importance of Zimbabwean wildlife in the context of local communities\u2019 development and sustainable eco-tourism.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>

An African jewel<\/h3>\n

The trust employs over 200 local people and supports surrounding communities, including by ensuring that over 19,000 children get a meal every school day, offering scholarships for children of all ages (having awarded more than 2,900 to date) and improving the infrastructure of schools, hospitals and community gardens. An eco-tourism lodge provides a basic source of income for the trust, creates jobs for local people and generates a market for their products. The trust is building on its strong, sustainability-focused philosophy to develop a dedicated program for recycling, reducing carbon emissions, and water management. However, this unique jewel in the African wild would scarcely be possible without the daily dedication of its rangers \u2013 as the park\u2019s security chief is well aware. \u201cThey risk their lives to protect all our futures.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe\u2019re the home of Africa\u2019s Big Five,\u201d says Mike Ball. The security chief\u2019s 90 rangers see it as a \u201cprivilege\u201d to be custodians and protectors of the reserve\u2019s incredibly diverse flora and fauna. This privilege, however, demands fierce dedication every single day. Ultimately, wherever wild animals roam in the Zimbabwean landscape, unscrupulous poachers are never far away.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4001,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[130],"tags":[135],"class_list":["post-4005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-duty","tag-read"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nGuarding the "Big Five" - HEROES WORLD<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.heroes-world.de\/en\/blog\/2023\/02\/09\/guarding-the-big-five\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Guarding the "Big Five"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cWe\u2019re the home of Africa\u2019s Big Five,\u201d says Mike Ball. 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