By Roxanne Reid
When you go on a Victoria Falls safari in Zimbabwe, spare a thought for those working behind the scenes to conserve the local wildlife through research, rescue and rehabilitation, and community outreach. Come with me to meet the hardworking team at the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust.
When you go on a Victoria Falls safari in Zimbabwe, spare a thought for those working behind the scenes to conserve the local wildlife through research, rescue and rehabilitation, and community outreach. Come with me to meet the hardworking team at the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust.
When wildlife and research manager at the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust (VFWT) Roger Parry first met Aardy things looked bad. Roger had been called out to see what he could do for the young aardwolf. ‘Camp Hwange had made the initial rescue and after two days they asked us to assess him and take over the rehab,’ he recalls.
This young aardwolf had paralysis in his back legs
Saving Aardy
When they examined him, the VFWT found the back legs paralysed, probably after being hit by a car. Luckily, there was no structural damage and a wildlife vet thought the animal had a good chance of recovery. Aardy was taken to the VFWT’s rehabilitation centre in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
There he was given time to heal. Once inflammation went down, he slowly regained the use of his legs. Being a nocturnal creature, he would sleep most of the day then go out with his care team of humans to exercise his legs and forage from 20:00 until 03:00, before returning to the centre for a supplemental feed.
When they examined him, the VFWT found the back legs paralysed, probably after being hit by a car. Luckily, there was no structural damage and a wildlife vet thought the animal had a good chance of recovery. Aardy was taken to the VFWT’s rehabilitation centre in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.
There he was given time to heal. Once inflammation went down, he slowly regained the use of his legs. Being a nocturnal creature, he would sleep most of the day then go out with his care team of humans to exercise his legs and forage from 20:00 until 03:00, before returning to the centre for a supplemental feed.
Aardy spent four months at the VFWT being rehabilitated so he could be released back into the wild
It was an exercise in love and patience for VFWT staff, Wild Horizons anti-poaching rangers and volunteers, none of whom is as naturally nocturnal as Aardy. But it paid off. Four months after his rescue – once he could successfully feed himself on harvester termites – he was released back into the wild, a great win for this Zimbabwe conservation body.
This rescue and rehabilitation success story is not uncommon at the VFWT, with some 50 animals a year being rescued and treated for snare wounds alone, before they’re released back into their natural environment. The non-profit unit was founded in 2008 by Roger and his wife Jessica and it now it has 17 staff members and runs 14 projects.
Thanks to Africa Conservation Travel, which tries to bridge the gap between tourism, communities and conservation by providing conscious travel itineraries in southern Africa, I was lucky enough on a recent visit to Victoria Falls to meet a few of the VFWT staff and talk about their work.
This rescue and rehabilitation success story is not uncommon at the VFWT, with some 50 animals a year being rescued and treated for snare wounds alone, before they’re released back into their natural environment. The non-profit unit was founded in 2008 by Roger and his wife Jessica and it now it has 17 staff members and runs 14 projects.
Thanks to Africa Conservation Travel, which tries to bridge the gap between tourism, communities and conservation by providing conscious travel itineraries in southern Africa, I was lucky enough on a recent visit to Victoria Falls to meet a few of the VFWT staff and talk about their work.
Roger Parry with the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust's new rehab cages
Research, community outreach and diagnostic lab
I learnt that their hands-on wildlife research projects include vulture conservation, lion research, the use of chilli pepper to deter elephants from crops, as well as mitigation of human-predator conflict.
Bongani Dlodlo heads up the community outreach arm of the trust, which includes a community clinic, now run by Vets for Animal Welfare of Zimbabwe (VFAWZ), to deal with vaccinations and sterilisations of pets. The team also helps combat erosion and litter, form firebreaks, and show teachers how to bring conservation into the classroom. For instance, children might count impalas rather than apples.
There’s also a programme of community guardians and mobile bomas that is doing great work in helping to prevent human-wildlife conflict in communal areas. I met Bongani in one of the communities where the results have been impressive – read more about the community guardians and mobile bomas here.
I learnt that their hands-on wildlife research projects include vulture conservation, lion research, the use of chilli pepper to deter elephants from crops, as well as mitigation of human-predator conflict.
Bongani Dlodlo heads up the community outreach arm of the trust, which includes a community clinic, now run by Vets for Animal Welfare of Zimbabwe (VFAWZ), to deal with vaccinations and sterilisations of pets. The team also helps combat erosion and litter, form firebreaks, and show teachers how to bring conservation into the classroom. For instance, children might count impalas rather than apples.
There’s also a programme of community guardians and mobile bomas that is doing great work in helping to prevent human-wildlife conflict in communal areas. I met Bongani in one of the communities where the results have been impressive – read more about the community guardians and mobile bomas here.
Sylvester helps to educate young people about the plight of cheetahs in the wild
Once a week 20 school kids visit the VFWT centre to learn about cheetahs and vultures, thanks to rescued animals that have become ambassadors. Sylvester the cheetah has been here since he was orphaned at six months old. He can’t be released because he wouldn’t survive on his own, but he can educate people about the plight of cheetahs in the wild.
[Update: Sadly, Sylvester died in January 2019 as a result of injuries sustained in a confrontation with a leopard.]
[Update: Sadly, Sylvester died in January 2019 as a result of injuries sustained in a confrontation with a leopard.]
Sylvester was orphaned at six months old
Judge the white-backed vulture has a deformed wing and can’t fly, but does her bit to educate people about the benefits of vultures (e.g. cleaning up carcasses) and the struggles they face, such as one poisoning incident in 2013 where more than 500 vultures were killed in Namibia.
Judge the white-backed vulture
The centre has a wildlife veterinary diagnostic laboratory that can handle haemotology, DNA extraction and histology. In fact, it’s the only working wildlife-focused veterinary histology lab in Zimbabwe.
A post-grad intern prepares samples for analysis in the lab
Some tasks they’re involved with are DNA mapping of the rhino population, screening for three major strains of TB, and training rangers in the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) Transfrontier Conservation Area, which takes in 520 000 square kilometres where Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia meet. They teach them how to respond to wildlife deaths through poisoning, poaching and disease, what samples to take, and how to manage the carcass and follow-up procedures. Samples can help to build a case in court, where stronger sentences are now being handed out for poaching – nine years for pangolin, 15 years for rhino.
The diagnostic laboratory
What does the future hold?
Future plans include extending the lab for forensic and genetic work, creating an avian rehab centre, expanding the community guardians programme to help to lessen human-predator conflict in the communities, and monitoring the movement of vulnerable species like vultures and lions.
As with all non-profit organisations, funding is an unending mission. The VFWT is registered as a trust in the UK and US, but also works with local Victoria Falls lodges and hotels. For instance, Batonka Guest Lodge donates $2 per bed night, and Victoria Falls Safari Lodge donates $1 for each lunch ordered off their menu.
Visitors to Vic Falls who are really keen on conservation issues can make an appointment to tour the lab and rehab cages. And if you’d like to donate towards this important work in Victoria Falls and the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, please visit the VFWT’s donate page.
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Future plans include extending the lab for forensic and genetic work, creating an avian rehab centre, expanding the community guardians programme to help to lessen human-predator conflict in the communities, and monitoring the movement of vulnerable species like vultures and lions.
As with all non-profit organisations, funding is an unending mission. The VFWT is registered as a trust in the UK and US, but also works with local Victoria Falls lodges and hotels. For instance, Batonka Guest Lodge donates $2 per bed night, and Victoria Falls Safari Lodge donates $1 for each lunch ordered off their menu.
Visitors to Vic Falls who are really keen on conservation issues can make an appointment to tour the lab and rehab cages. And if you’d like to donate towards this important work in Victoria Falls and the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, please visit the VFWT’s donate page.
Like it? Pin this image!
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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
Top 20 Victoria Falls activities: adrenalin, culture and wildlife
Greenline Africa Trust: a better life in Victoria Falls
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Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
