WORLD FEMALE RANGER DAY: THE WOMEN TRYING TO SAVE THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT FROM POACHERS
Holly Budge (back row, centre) with rangers from the Black Mambas ©How Many Elephants
An elephant in the shadow of Kilimanjaro ©James Eades/How Many Elephants
Meet the British adventurer championing African women in the fight to protect endangered species from poachers...
To say that the African elephant is under threat of extinction may not come as a huge surprise to you. But with each passing year, that threat becomes more profound.
A recent report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature revealed that forest elephant numbers have fallen by more than 86% over 31 years, while the bush elephant population has dropped by 60% in half a century. The chief reason behind these alarming figures is poachers killing elephants for their ivory.
Today (June 23rd) is World Female Ranger Day, which celebrates, supports and raises awareness, as well as funds, for female rangers all over the globe.
But this year’s campaign is specifically focused on Africa. There are approximately 3,500 female rangers across the continent who are all united in their commitment to protecting endangered wildlife.
The day has been created by British adventurer and conservationist Holly Budge who was the first person to skydive Mount Everest, and once set a world record for racing across Mongolia on horseback in just nine days.
In 2013, she founded How Many Elephants (HME) to combat the devastating fact that 96 elephants a day are killed by poachers.
Even though less than 11% of the global wildlife ranger workforce is female, HME has identified that there are female anti-poaching teams in many countries around the world and in at least 18 African countries.
And the number of female rangers in Africa is growing as more women become empowered in the workforce and men find more work in construction.
Indeed, three years ago Holly went out into the bush with the Black Mambas – an all-female anti-poaching unit based in South Africa. She wanted to see first-hand the incredible work they do to save endangered species including the African elephant.
“I fully immersed myself with these ladies,” Holly said. “Not only are they brave and courageous, but they are also educators. They’re going into the local schools and trying to educate the younger generations.
“But they are also beacons of hope. They’re changing the roles of women in Africa and they’re the breadwinners in a lot of families.”
By raising awareness and funds for the incredible work that these female rangers are doing, wild animals will have a greater chance of survival due to the stronger presence of anti-poaching rangers on the front line.