UNSUNG HEROES

[Lisbeth]

Nigerian conservationist and young eco-warriors battle wildlife crime with innovative methods


Nigerian conservationist Chinedu Mogbo walking inside the Greenfingers Wildlife Sanctuary where rescued and endangered animals are rehabilitated before being released back into the wild. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

By Kristin Engel | 12 Jul 2023

Nigerian conservationist Chinedu Mogbo started the Greenfingers Wildlife Sanctuary in his backyard, realising that the animal markets he frequented as a child were used to sell large numbers of dead animals for rituals, food and more.
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In Nigerian conservationist and teacher Chinedu Mogbo’s backyard, what started out as a small place of refuge for threatened and endangered animals in 2012 has grown into an educational wildlife sanctuary with almost 200 animals that have been rescued.

The rescued animals are rehabilitated and eventually returned to the wild.

Mogbo has had a keen interest in animals since he was a small child and was excited to visit “animal markets” with his father. Although he did not know it at the time, these animals were sold as pets, used for rituals and further endangered Nigeria’s wildlife, but these were the only places Mogbo could go to see animals as a child.

Now he visits these markets to rescue the animals that are still alive and brings them to the Greenfingers Wildlife Sanctuary. Mogbo believes that wildlife crime is able to soar because wildlife conservation is not seen as a priority, and through innovative education at the sanctuary he is seeking to change this.

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“The animals were trapped together, and you would see dead ones lying in the middle of the animals that were already there. Nobody really cared what was happening to them, they left them to rot. The ones that were alive were in the so-called ‘pet market’, but then there is another market that I never even knew existed even in Nigeria, the ‘wet market’. Here, I would see new animals, but not alive, these were dead animals being sold for meat. Every single type of animal was basically there on the tables, for food.”

This rang the bell that something was wrong with the system in Nigeria and was what prompted the establishment of the sanctuary where a range of animals – from reptiles and turtles to mammals, small birds and big birds – are housed and rehabilitated.

Mogbo and his team now seek out any animals that are alive in these spaces and give them another home before they can be slaughtered.

In an interview with Daily Maverick, Mogbo said these markets and the deterioration of Nigeria’s wildlife thrive off the mindset of most Nigerians that wildlife conservation is not a priority. He said this was initially echoed by his parents, who wanted him to study medicine in the UK instead of following the path of veterinary studies.

If you educate the young people, they will not grow up with the mentality that they have to eat animals.

Mogbo abided by their wishes and studied biomedical science, then went on to do a master’s degree in public health, but when he went back to Nigeria in 2012, he returned to his true passion and started a wildlife sanctuary in his backyard, initially working only with birds, mainly finches. This grew to become the Greenfingers Wildlife Sanctuary, supported by the Greenfingers Wildlife Conservation Initiative.

“We’ve also now started responding to cases where an animal is in trouble or was sighted somewhere. Then we go there and get that animal out safely,” he said.

They started working with the authorities and police to rescue and safeguard the animals, but there were still issues with the police not knowing which animals were endangered or threatened. At the end of the day, Mogbo believed that this was why conservation studies needed to be taught properly in schools, so that youngsters and community members could gain an understanding of the biodiversity that surrounds them and why it is important to preserve it.


Nigerian conservationist Chinedu Mogbo releases a turtle back into the ocean after it was rehabilitated at the Greenfingers Wildlife Sanctuary. The turtle suffered from ingesting large amounts of microplastics in the ocean. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)


Nigerian conservationist Chinedu Mogbo checking up on a rehabilitated turtle before being released back into the ocean at the Greenfingers Wildlife Sanctuary. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)


Children from schools in surrounding communities often frequent the Greenfingers Wildlife Sanctuary as part of an effort to increase education about wildlife conservation in Nigeria. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

Innovative wildlife conservation methods

The sanctuary eventually moved to a wetland area behind the school where Mogbo taught. It has continued to grow in this facility and over the years has opened to the public and to surrounding schools to increase education about the need for wildlife conservation in Nigeria. Mogbo said there is a great need for accurate and up-to-date conservation studies in schools.

“Nigeria needs more conservation heroes. We cannot have enough. We bring the children from different schools to the sanctuary where they get to learn about the animals… if you educate the young people, they will not grow up with the mentality that they have to eat animals, the first question that will come will be, ‘is that not an endangered species?’”

Read more in Daily Maverick: ‘Local people hold the key to conserving wildlife’ — Ndlelendi Ncube is changing how Zim’s rural communities see nature

At the sanctuary, they use every means possible to see how students can learn – through working with the animals, sport, art, even fashion.

“The Trashion show is an avenue where young people can still be intertwined with nature, be social about it, and have fun while doing it. What we do is we go to the beach, we clean up the beach, pack all the plastic there. We also go to our communities and neighbourhoods and we gather the plastic there. We then come together to create artworks and fashion from this plastic and other trash materials – ie ‘trashion’.”

Mogbo said they spend a lot of time thinking of styles, and even use the New York Met Gala as a source of inspiration to create the styles using plastic. Then they take it to the “runway” at shopping malls and centres where people gather to raise awareness and begin a series of conversations about the need for conservation, and what this plastic waste does to the ecosystem and how it damages and affects wildlife.


Nigerian conservationist Chinedu Mogbo releases a rehabilitated turtle back into the ocean. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)


Children from schools in surrounding communities at the Greenfingers Wildlife Sanctuary. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)


Nigerian conservationist Chinedu Mogbo releases a rehabilitated turtle back into the ocean. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

Combating wildlife and forest crime in Nigeria

In the National Strategy to Combat Wildlife and Forest Crime in Nigeria, prepared by the government, it states that the importance of combating wildlife crime must not be underestimated and that the country has emerged as a key source, destination and transit country for the international illegal wildlife trade over the past decade.

Here it is admitted that tackling wildlife crime is often overlooked and not prioritised and a five-year goal is set that by 2026, Nigeria will have made demonstrable progress in reducing wildlife crime, while its law enforcement and criminal justice system will have the necessary capabilities and legal framework to effectively and collaboratively tackle wildlife crime. DM

Please do watch the video. We need a lot more people like Chinedu Mogbo

[Richprins]

[Lisbeth]

Rangers safeguard few remaining animals in Nigerian game reserve in battle against illegal wildlife trade


Rangers from the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Nigeria, in the field. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

By Kristin Engel | 27 Jul 2023

Rangers in Nigeria’s Yankari Game Reserve have received training to confront poaching syndicates and other threats, protecting the remaining elephants in an area that’s a key source for the illegal wildlife trade.
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Ahead of World Ranger Day on 31 July, two senior game rangers confront the daily dangers and challenges they face in their efforts to conserve and protect the remaining elephants and lions in Nigeria from poachers and other threats within the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State.

Coming from communities just outside Yankari, Yusef Lawal and Jonah Omar felt compelled to do their part to help end the war on Nigeria’s wildlife and natural heritage in the game reserve, which is home to the country’s remaining elephants and lions, along with other wildlife and flora.

Besides the poaching of elephant tusks and the bones, teeth, claws and skins of lions, Lawal and Omar say that poachers also target antelope and warthogs inside Yankari. However, battling the poachers and promoting meaningful conservation with involvement from the surrounding communities proved difficult without proper ranger training.

This was where the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) stepped in and provided international standard training for Yankari game rangers.

Nigeria is recognised as a key source and transit country for the international illegal wildlife trade over the last decade, according to the National Strategy to Combat Wildlife and Forest Crime in Nigeria. It shows that efforts to strengthen the capacity of rangers in the field need to be prioritised to ensure rangers can carry out their duties effectively.


Ranger Yusef Lawal speaks about his passion for protecting the wildlife and natural environment within the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Nigeria. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)


Ranger Jonah Omar speaks about his wildlife conservation work in the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Nigeria. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)


Ranger Jonah Omar with some of the other rangers in the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Nigeria. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

Both Lawal and Omar say that the ranger training they received from WCS, and the leadership at the reserve, made a massive difference in their ranger efforts, individually and as a team.

Omar explains that their work as rangers now includes smart patrolling, community awareness, law enforcement and research.

“Before WCS, we were just doing the work without knowing the basics… We learnt so much about marksmanship and weapons handling, how to carry out a patrol and how to engage an enemy,” he says.

Lawal says, “We had no training so we would just chase people and try to catch them, but now we have the skills to safely arrest suspects professionally. The training has changed the way we work … even our appearances. It has instilled pride and discipline. Our camaraderie and morale have improved. We used to be disunited but now we’re a tight team.”

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They also use their field experience to go into communities to explain the negative impacts of poaching and deforestation, why locals should be concerned, and get them to help put a stop to these activities. Now, the rangers from Yankari travel across Nigeria to share this knowledge with other rangers.

WCS Yankari director Nachamada Geoffrey said: “When I started here I felt it was mission impossible – the guys were not trained and they didn’t understand the benefit of collecting data when they go out on patrols. They had no uniforms. We realised immediately that there is a need for international standard training.

“Holding the tusk of a dead elephant makes me sad … I realise that if we don’t continue to do what we are doing, and even improve on it, it means in the next few years we might have no elephants left.”


Rangers working in the field in the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Nigeria. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)


Rangers on patrol in the Yankari Game Reserve in Bauchi State, Nigeria. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

What drives rangers

Lawal was inspired to become a ranger after his grandfather told him a story about the near extinction of giraffes and how the species had been completely phased out in some reserves.

Realising that such a strong animal was under threat encouraged him to dedicate his life to protecting the remaining animals in the reserve near his home.

Omar learned from his father about the work that rangers do and eventually set out to become one, safeguarding endangered species and combating illegal activities when he was employed by Nigerian National Parks in 1999.

Lawal said, “Being a ranger is very hard work … What we do here in the reserve is to protect our animals, especially elephants who move out and disrupt farming in the surrounding area.

“The WCS put together a special team of rangers with vehicles, smart technology and everything to protect them. There are also other teams specially set up to protect the other animals.”

The teams that protect the elephants make use of a special vehicle to corral the animals when they move out of the reserve. At Yankari, an elephant guardian reports movement to a management control room that then alerts the team of where the elephants are trying to get out.

Lawal said the elephants typically move out at night. They end up raiding local crops, upsetting local communities.

As rangers, they mobilise to protect the elephants and stop them from disrupting communities and destroying farmlands. DM

[Lisbeth]

Dr Mark Ofua: ‘The Snake Man of Lagos’ and his mission to save pangolins


Dr Mark Ofua is a wildlife vet in Lagos who runs SaintMarks Animal Hospital in Nigeria. (Photo: Save Pangolins / Twiiter)

By Ethan van Diemen | 24 Aug 2023

Mark Ofua is a wildlife veterinarian in Lagos, Nigeria. He runs SaintMarks Animal Hospital and a pangolin orphanage. In an interview with Daily Maverick, he explains that when humanity protects and conserves wildlife and biodiversity, we are in fact protecting ourselves.
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In the heart of the vibrant chaos that is Lagos, a humble guardian of Nigerian wildlife walks the bustling streets, unknown to many. Dr Mark Ofua, the unassuming hero behind SaintMark’s Animal Hospital, has been waging a battle against the illegal wildlife trade and bushmeat markets.

A veterinarian and conservationist, Ofua has dedicated his life to saving animals and sharing knowledge on animal conservation. He also rescues, rehabilitates and releases injured and orphaned wild animals. Driven by compassion and on a mission fuelled by the need for justice, he often ventures into bushmeat markets to rescue animals destined for a gruesome end.


Dr Mark Ofua waves goodbye to a pangolin after it was released back into nature. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

Known by some as the “Snake Man of Lagos”, Ofua has saved countless animals – pangolins, monkeys, snakes and birds among them. His endeavours extend to educational workshops on wildlife conservation conducted in schools and communities throughout Nigeria.

In addition to his work with SaintMarks, Ofua is an outspoken advocate for wildlife conservation, speaking out against the illegal wildlife and bushmeat trade while also agitating for greater protection of Nigeria’s wildlife.

With the sounds of a busy city in the background, Ofua spoke with Daily Maverick on the phone and told us where his passion for animals came from.


A pangolin nibbles on Ofua’s ear. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“Growing up, I had always been the odd child out… I was a child who would bring home the eggs of animals to hatch them and see what came out. I brought lizards, scorpions… many different creatures into the house, and my siblings were always scared because you never could tell what I’d bring in next.

“At a young age, I think I was four, I had an encounter with a snake – a cobra. I was out in the yard… it raised itself and spread out and I practically froze in fear. I thought that was the end for me because of the stories I had heard, but instead – for what seemed like an eternity – we froze, looking at each other, and then it just coiled up and slithered away.

“It had all the opportunity in the world to bite me, but it did not. I kept wondering why, so I started asking questions and that started my love and respect for wildlife.”

Ofua continued: “I’ve been teaching people to overcome their fear of snakes and it has earned me the moniker, the Snake Man of Lagos.”


A baby pangolin hangs off the shoulder of Ofua. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

With his love of wildlife ignited early in life, Ofua came across information and experiences that contradicted what he had been led to believe about animals.

“I remember I used to have a collection of Gerald Durrell’s books – the guy who founded some of the zoos in America… he documented his travels through Africa and I grew up reading those books. I was fascinated by the animal world and what interested me most was that what I had been told in this part of Africa was almost the direct opposite of the truth…

“We believed, for example, that snakes are evil killing machines and I realised they are not – they are only acting in self-defence. We believe bats are evil, owls are machinations of evil, witches and all that, but I got to realise this was not true.”

The more he learnt and discovered, the more his destiny was charted.


Ofua treats an injured pangolin at SaintMarks Animal Hospital in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“I started at a small animal clinic and, at a point in 2012, I took over the practice where I worked and I had an opportunity to follow my interests because now I was working for myself. While this was going on, I began making forays into bushmeat markets – we have them scattered all around here in Lagos – to see what’s out there, purely out of interest.

“Sometimes I’d see injured animals and I would rescue them and take them to the clinic. But after having treated them, I couldn’t keep them. So I would release them. Gradually, I started the animal rescue practice.

“One time somebody brought a dog to me and said, ‘This dog is too old to continue his job as security’. I asked the guy, ‘Can I keep the dog as mine’? A week later, an old guy came to me and asked for a dog, but said he didn’t want a puppy. He needed something he could keep up with. I was like, ‘Wow, I have the perfect dog for you’. And that’s how the shelter got started.


Ofua’s animal shelter in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“As the years went by, the rescue sanctuary became more and more formalised… we are currently involved in the rescue of wildlife across the country.”

There was one animal in particular that stole his heart.

“I would still go to the bushmeat markets to rescue animals, and that’s when I came across an animal I’d never seen before. It was a pangolin.

“My first experience with the pangolin – when I saw it on the bushmeat trade table – was more like a spiritual moment. There is something about the animal when it looks at you… It’s a soulful moment. It speaks to your spirit.

“In one of my forays into the bushmeat trade, I witnessed a pangolin giving birth on the table and it was a very emotional moment for me. I was crying shamelessly and, of course, the market people were laughing at me crying over an animal. I asked what they were going to do with the baby because it was useless to them.


A pangolin in a cage at a bushmeat market in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)


A pangolin and other animals on display at a bushmeat market in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“Nobody could buy it, nobody could eat it… they usually just threw them away to die or something, so I asked if I could take it. I took it home and I raised it and that was what gave birth to the pangolin orphanage where we take in pangolins that are born into the bushmeat trade and we take them in… we raise them and then release them into the wild.

“I can tell you that in the last two years, serious law enforcement has been going on with regard to the pangolin because of the awareness that we have created.”

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Ofua’s efforts go beyond rescuing and releasing animals.

His work evokes the essence of conservation, weaving a tapestry of hope for species often overlooked. Through his dedication, he offers not only physical healing, but also a chance for these animals to play a crucial role in raising awareness about the horrors of the illegal wildlife trade and the importance of being environmentally conscious.

He told Daily Maverick why he thought his work was important.

“The work that I do, I see it as a drop in the ocean. Since 2012 I have been doing this work because of my love and my passion. A new car or a new dress will give you very fleeting happiness, but I realised that when I rescue, treat successfully and release an animal back into the wild, the joy it gives me is deeper and longer lasting… it is something that cannot be described with words. It’s not something that money can buy.


Ofua inspects dead servals at a bushmeat market in Nigeria. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“I realised that what I was doing was important, so I started training and teaching other people to do what I was doing.

“It is very important to reverse the decline of our wildlife. Through our work, we have hunters who have turned into conservationists and bushmeat sellers who have changed their conception of animals.

“We see a mindset change that I didn’t think was possible in my time, and this made me realise this work is important so that we can reverse the trend and not have all these animals going extinct in our time.

Ending the illegal wildlife trade is a daunting challenge that transcends borders. It’s often driven by demand for exotic pets, traditional medicines and status symbols, or simply because it offers a way to make a living.

In bustling Lagos, this trade thrives in the shadows.

Ofua’s work highlights the dire consequences of this illicit trade on animals and entire ecosystems.

“People think it’s just me and my passion, but it’s beyond that. The environment, the Earth, you can think of it like your home… When we wake in the morning, we clean up so that when we come home in the evening we have a clean house to live in. The environment is a larger house that we live in, and if we don’t clean it, we will have all the negative effects of living in a dirty environment – a dirty house.


Ofua with a baby pangolin. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“So conservation is something that everybody must be interested in. It behooves everybody to learn how we are destroying the environment, how we’re destroying our wildlife and to stop it and reverse it.

“We must realise that in the long run, it is not the animals we are saving, it is not the plants we are saving – we are saving ourselves. The one who wins is us.

“The one who stands to benefit is not just the environment. I do not save animals or wildlife because I love it. Yes, I do love them, but I love humanity more and we must come together to save our environment and conserve our nature because of our love for humanity.”

In the urban jungle of Lagos, where the animal and human worlds collide, Ofua stands as a beacon of hope and an unsung hero. His work echoes the determination to rewrite the story of wildlife in Nigeria, one rescue at a time.

He challenges us to consider our role in the survival of wild animals, the ecosystems they call home and what it will mean for the planet and humanity if we get it wrong.

“We have pushed nature to the brink. Covid was just a nudge and we all remember how the world was brought to its knees. If we continue to push nature to the edge, we are the ones who will suffer. The time to act is now.

“If you leave nature alone, she has a way to recover. We must begin to slow down our destructive acts and attitudes toward nature. I plead with the governments of Africa – because we carry the brunt of it in Africa – conservation and environmental efforts should not be put on the back burner. They must be brought to the frontlines.” DM

P.S. Do watch the video!

[Lisbeth]

Education, especially that of young minds, is work that Ogunye is passionately committed to. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

By Wild Africa Fund | 07 Sep 2023

Doyinsola Ogunye is a lawyer turned conservationist who started the Mental and Environmental Development Initiative for Children in Lagos, Nigeria. Medic’s main programme, Kids Clean Club, is designed to teach children about the importance of caring for their environment, encouraging them to pick up litter, recycle, and take other pro-environmental actions.
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During a Mental and Environmental Development Initiative for Children (Medic) beach clean-up in 2015, Doyinsola Ogunye got a call about a stranded sea turtle and responded swiftly. Having rescued the turtle, she posted to social media to get advice about its care. Calls came flooding in from marine experts across the world. After a few days the turtle was released, but it was a turning point for Ogunye: a passion for a species was born.

“Giving back life to the ocean is something that really, really makes me fulfilled,” she says.

Ogunye has since rescued many turtles, most of them critically endangered Leatherbacks and Olive Ridley sea turtles. There are multiple and varied threats facing turtles in Nigeria. Due to coastal development, turtles often lose their way to their nesting spot, or out to sea. They are also poached for their meat, and are caught in fishing nets.


Most of the turtles Ogunye rescues are critically endangered leatherbacks and olive ridley sea turtles.
(Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

When locals find a turtle, either stranded on the beach or being sold on the streets for food, they notify Ogunye and her team jumps into action. Ogunye also works directly with fishing communities, to foster understanding of the role turtles play in the ecosystem.

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“The most important thing is to teach people and show people the roles these turtles play, especially in the local communities who are fishermen,” she explains. “We have to encourage them to keep these turtles in the ocean and the way we do that is to let them know that these turtles are your friends.”


Doyinsola Ogunye works with children, educating them about the importance of clearing waste from local beaches in Nigeria. (Photo: Supplied)

The result of her work is a growing movement of understanding, care and mutually beneficial coexistence between turtles and the communities in which Ogunye works.

“There are so many people that are now involved. The local fishermen, they have now become, you know, guardian angels for these turtles.” DM

[Lisbeth]

Joseph ‘Travel Mufasa’ Makowa learnt some valuable life lessons on his epic walk around Zimbabwe


Joseph Makowa gets close to an elephant on his epic walk around Zimbabwe. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

By Ethan van Diemen | 21 Sep 2023

In 2021, Joseph ‘Travel Mufasa’ Makowa embarked on a remarkable 35-day odyssey circumnavigating Zimbabwe. Along his 1,500km journey, he rediscovered his love for wildlife and his cherished homeland and learnt the power of perseverance.
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Born in Harare in 1997, Joseph “Travel Mufasa” Makowa says his passion for travel started with “an urge to get out of the comfort zone… to get out there to experience life, not just the city life but outside the nine-to-five and everything.”

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With the travel restrictions that came in response to Covid, Makowa’s urge to hit the road burnt ever more fiercely.

“We couldn’t travel. I mean, it was locked down, cities were closed and everything. So we were all boxed inside our houses, and with that came the urge to travel more, to connect with my country.

“So initially what I wanted was to travel around Zimbabwe. I wanted to experience culture. I wanted to get a connection with the environment of flora and fauna. Just to get that feeling because of how we’d been so boxed up,” Makowa explained.


Joseph ‘Travel Mufasa’ Makowa charts a path to walk around Zimbabwe. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)


Joseph Makowa enjoys contact with an elephant. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

He had several options for getting around the country before settling on the most simple – walking.

“I mean, there was hitchhiking, there was using the car, there was using public transport, cycling… and when I was mapping out my route, that’s when I realised how I wanted to travel around.

“I realised it was one road that connected the entire Zimbabwe and no one had ever walked it. This was more challenging and also the most humane way of travelling.”


Makowa sets up camp for the night under the Zimbabwean sky. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)


Makowa joins a game of football with village children. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

Committed to the idea, he began preparing for the great trek.

“My idea was to start walking and if I got tired, I’d just come back home. So for me, it was not a marathon… It was a journey that might not finish or might not end.

“So I just said to myself, I’m going to walk and connect more with my country because if you’re walking, you can’t miss a thing… it’s so slow. You get connected, you meet people, experience cultures, you taste different foods, language, you get to understand how diverse our cultures are.

“You start understanding the environment better because you are only surviving out of the goodness of the people you meet, and you’re also surviving by being protected by the environment itself,” Makowa explained.


The sun sets on Makowa during his travels through Zimbabwe. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)


Rhinos in the background while Makowa speaks to a local man. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)


Makowa shares a lesson with children about the wonders of nature and wildlife in Zimbabwe. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“So there was no proper preparation for it. I said I wanted to do it and the next day there was no procrastination. I just hit the road.”

And off he went, walking across the country, through the tapestry of diverse ecosystems, cities and villages of Zimbabwe.

Asked what surprised him most about the journey, he said: “I didn’t realise how much I was in love with nature. The thing is, I was filming everything, just sharing the journey with people. And I loved how beautiful everything was. As I was walking, the trees, the mountains, the playgrounds… it was so beautiful.”

That beauty continued until he came across the aftermath of a veld fire.

“It was hard because I was coming from seeing all the greenery, coming from seeing how beautiful nature is, and it got to me, like, who would actually cause damage to the beautiful nature that we were given on earth? And with that came my passion for wildlife conservation… for nature conservation.”


Makowa makes his way through one of the more built-up areas as he travels on foot across Zimbabwe. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)


A road bisects the greenery that Joseph Makowa walked through on his journey across Zimbabwe. (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

A second surprise along the journey was seeing just how disconnected from nature most communities are.

He said he’d chat to children and ask them questions. Their answers were often unexpected and sad.

“Have you seen an elephant before? Have you seen a buffalo before? Have you seen a cheetah before? And each and every one of them would say no, no, no. These children live so close to national parks, so close to remote areas where we have wildlife, and yet they have little knowledge about them. They are not even connected to these things.

“We need to find a solution to this. How best can we have children be a part of conservation? Because the moment we start introducing children to conservation, at that very young age – one day, one child at a time – it is possible to have a generation without poachers, not because of the law, not because it’s a crime, but because that generation now understands and is in love with conservation from a very young age.”

• The journey was not all smooth sailing. Besides having to contend with numerous blisters and angry mosquitoes, he at one point survived near dehydration thanks only to a lollipop.

“I remember it was very hot because we were already in summer. By 10am, I was out of water. I walked for over 10km without a drop of water, and the only thing that was between me and passing out, was this lollipop that I had – it was the last one.

“Going through those kilometres without water was the most difficult, brutal, gruelling part of the entire journey,” said Makowa.

Makowa feels the journey has changed him.


Makowa’s message after his epic journey? ‘No matter how huge the challenges, no matter how difficult something can be, or how life can be in general, if we take it one step at a time, if we don’t give up, we can achieve our goals.’ (Screengrab: Wild Africa Fund)

“It changed me into a person who now appreciates life in general. You get to appreciate what you have because you are now meeting people from all different parts and walks of life. Some are privileged, some are less privileged … imagine, I come into a village where these people are living in poverty with close to nothing, and they are still willing to share the little that they have with you.

“The walk also taught me to become an advocate for conservation. I felt as if the animals and plants don’t have a voice. We can become their voice and share the understanding and information about these beautiful creatures and beautiful animals and beautiful plants and we can tell a different story.

“If we can teach this to children and others as well, then we can have a different world… that’s how it changed me.”

So what would be Makowa’s main message?

“Don’t give up.”

He added: “I got blisters along the way. I didn’t have water along the way. I had to survive with the help of people along the way. The journey itself was gruelling, it was tough, it was painful, but I didn’t give up.

“I didn’t look at this journey as a 1,500km walk, but as a day’s walk – 35km a day. Forty kilometres a day. Forty-five kilometres a day.

“I remember getting a message from someone who said, ‘Hi Mufasa, I really love what you’re doing and I just wanted you to know that I have been battling cancer and because of what you’re doing, walking around Zimbabwe on foot, I am also not going to give up and I’m going to fight this disease.

“So I feel like this is one thing that people need to learn. No matter how huge the challenges, no matter how difficult something can be, or how life can be in general, if we take it one step at a time, if we don’t give up, we can achieve our goals.

“We can always conquer, no matter how gruelling life can be.” DM

[Lisbeth]

Who took the photos?

Have a look here https://www.google.com/search?client=av ... 1&ie=UTF-8

Good advertising for business!

[Lisbeth]

A Ranger’s Tale: Protecting the Garden Route National Park


Bongani Mdaka patrols the suspension bridge, Storms River Mouth, Tsitsikamma in the Garden Route National Park. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

By Ethan van Diemen | 16 Nov 2023

For Bongani Mdaka, an unsung South African hero, no experience is more rewarding than protecting the biodiversity of South Africa’s rich natural endowment.
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Nestled along the picturesque coastline of South Africa, the Garden Route National Park is a treasure trove of natural beauty, home to lush forests, pristine beaches and diverse wildlife.

The park is a mosaic of ecosystems, a tapestry woven with indigenous forests and a dramatic coastline. Spanning some 1,210km2, it is a haven for biodiversity, sheltering rare plant species and providing a refuge for diverse wildlife, including African black oystercatchers and the elusive Cape leopard.


Bongani Mdaka educates kids about poaching and fish identification in the community adjacent to the Garden Route National Park. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

But this breathtaking landscape is not without its challenges. From invasive species to climate change, the park faces a multitude of threats that demand constant vigilance and conservation efforts.

At the heart of these efforts are dedicated individuals like Bongani Amin Mdaka, an assistant section ranger in the Wilderness section of the park. For the past few years, Mdaka has been on the frontlines of conservation, working tirelessly to protect the park’s delicate ecosystems.

In a telephonic interview with Daily Maverick, he shared his story.


Bongani Mdaka and his colleague depart on a small vessel to patrol a marine area of the national park. (Photo: Supplied)

“I was born in Limpopo and work for South African National Parks. My duties as a ranger include monitoring our environmental assets and leading a team of field rangers and environmental team. I also organise and conduct patrols.”

“The reason I do what I do is my passion for conservation, that is why I went to school to study nature conservation.”


Bongani Mdaka surveys his surroundings from atop a suspension bridge in the Garden Route National Park. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

His love for the environment started at home, he explained.

“I grew up in a family with domesticated animals and occasionally my family slaughtered animals on family occasions and that did not sit well with me. All I wanted was to not have this animal slaughtered. I would cry for them and that is when I knew I cared about animals.

Mdaka said his work had taught him several lessons.

“Conservation and the environment taught me to stay true to myself, and stick to what I love in order to bring change for conservation.”

Poaching risk

According to the Garden Route National Park Park Management Plan for the period 2020-2029, “The overall perceived poaching risk is medium. The security of the park’s biodiversity is at risk due to the open nature of the park. The main threats are the illegal collection of plants or parts thereof, illegal fishing, abalone and Knysna seahorse collection, exceeding bait collection allocation and the international market and trade in endangered species.”


An aerial view of the rugged coastline along the Garden Route National Park. (Photo: Wild Africa Fund)

Speaking about poaching and illegal activity, Mdaka said, “It’s basically the poaching of smaller animals, bushbucks. These poachers have got a way of using snares and they will come back from time to time to check if anything is caught in their snares. That is on the terrestrial side.

“Another type of poaching that is a big problem is basically the poaching of fish. Most of the time it’s people fishing without licences. And it’s not just animals. Poachers target plants too.”

His role as an assistant section ranger involves maintaining a delicate equilibrium between the needs of the local communities and the imperative of preserving the ecosystem.

“Another challenge that we have is that the Garden Route National Park is located near an urban area and an informal settlement,” he said. “You also have farmers who when they see animals getting on to their land, instead of communicating with us, they don’t ask for permission, they just shoot them. So one of the challenges is stakeholder relations.”

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Despite these challenges, the rewarding nature of his work makes it all worthwhile, Mdaka emphasises.

“For me, waking up each and every morning, being able to protect the biodiversity of South Africa’s significant resources of plants and animals is the most rewarding part of my work.” DM

[Richprins]

Pity there are not more officials like this!

[Lisbeth]

To work hard and care about your job and the others is not in these days