The Black Mambas APU (Transfrontier Africa NPC) - Wildlife Ranger Challenge 2022
The Black Mambas APU are taking part in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge to raise awareness of the role of women rangers working to protect Olifants West & Grietjie Reserves & Ekuthuleni Conservancy ecosystems, and support an estimated 150 livelihoods.
My story
Rangers are Africa’s unsung heroes. They don’t just fight poaching - they are conservationists, teachers, community support workers, leaders and much more.
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge, organised by Tusk and culminating on 17th September, celebrates our many roles, and is raising much-needed funds to support our work.
The two nature reserves of The Black Mambas' deployment (Olifants West Nature Reserve and Grietjie Nature Reserve) are Big Five areas. Transfrontier Africa’s rangers work unarmed among the dangerous game. The buffer zone (Ekuthuleni Conservancy) has snaring spots which our rangers have to check regularly. The nature reserves and the conservancy have residents, so it is not only the wildlife our rangers guard but the safety of humans too.
The Black Mambas' responsibilities are: patrols to search for signs of poachers; snare sweeping; observation posts; roadblocks to search for illegally captured wildlife and weapons; contractors compound search; education. Our sister project The Bush Babies Environmental Education Program works at 10 local schools, teaching environmental classes. We also work with families to build and strengthen social connections between protected areas and communities.
We took part in WRC in 2020 when we had to face two major challenges: Covid-19 and the loss of a 30% subsidy from the Government. On 31 March 2022 the Government closed the nationwide Environmental Monitor programme. We have lost our 30% subsidy again until further notice. The WRC 2022 will aid us in overcoming this challenge.
Give today, and the Scheinberg Relief Fund will match every dollar donated, amplifying your impact. Follow campaign updates on social media with #ForWildlifeRangers
Activity Totals
84.00 km coveredWE ARE IN THE TOP 3 FEMALE TEAMS!
Sep 29, 2022, 12:31:26 PMWe raced to support our fellow rangers, but so it happened one of our teams came in the top 3 female teams across Africa!! What a day! Photo: Wild Response
Race done!
Sep 29, 2022, 12:29:26 PMFinally one of the last updates before the fundraiser ends on the 30th September! WE DID IT. 21 km with 10 kg rucks in 4 hours. That was our fastest team. Another team came just 17 min later. The great news is still ahead! Photo: Wild Response
Somebody wants it hot - 30 Degrees and it was not even noon yet!
Sep 18, 2022, 5:36:39 PMRunning and staying strong. It was a very hot day! 30 degrees even before noon! Credit: Wild Response
Keep running, Black Mambas!!!
Sep 18, 2022, 5:33:20 PMOur third year with Tusk and #WildlifeRangerChallenge, and every year we get so much support from people, and we improve our score! Stay tuned for the updates!
Big Day!!!
Sep 18, 2022, 5:28:09 PMOlifants West Team racing, and Transfrontier Africa volunteers are not falling behind at all! Credit: Wild Response
Grietjie Team took the quiz today - 27 out of 30!
Sep 14, 2022, 8:19:22 PMOur colleagues, The Black Mambas from Griejie Nature Reserve have taken the quiz today. They do not have a laptop and are quite far from Olifants West team, so had to use their work phone for that. So far, 27 out of 30! Let us check out the top 3 teams tomorrow!
Another step has been taken towards the Big Day!
Sep 13, 2022, 7:24:56 PMThis year the questions are related to Ranger work. We thoroughly enjoyed the quiz and felt a good sense of accomplishment. Now, waiting for the results.
Wildlife Quiz done!
Sep 13, 2022, 9:54:55 AMBig Wildlife Quiz day. Olifants West Team came 8th at this stage, but we will have to wait until all the teams have submitted their results to see the top 3 winners!
Rangers Supporting Rangers
Sep 13, 2022, 9:35:37 AMWildlife Ranger Challenge is not just about challenging ourselves by racing 21 km, doing sit-ups and push-ups. It is about thinking of our fellow rangers across the continent, getting into their shoes and trying to raise awareness of the difficulties they face while on duty and at home. Covid 19 put us all in the same situation: loss or reduction of income, temporary separation from our families during the lockdown, for some it was the loss of their favorite job in the wild...Through WRC we all are tackling these challenges together, on a Pan-African level, and we are happy to support each other to keep us all going. #ForWidlifeRangers
Push-Up Challenge - mastering that perfect technique!
Sep 9, 2022, 8:50:09 AMPhysical Training is an important part of rangers work. It varies from company to company depending on the type of work done and special requirements in the field. The Black Mambas APU DO NOT CARRY GUNS, hence it is not a requirement for us to train those biceps and triceps. BUT...we do and we will, because push-ups train not only arms, but the full body. Legs, glutes, back, chest muscles, core muscles are all engaged in this work out. The trick here is to master that good technique! And then increase the numbers. Quality over quantity.
Half Marathon walk-2022
Sep 8, 2022, 4:37:36 PMTime flies. We have walked 2 half marathons in the last 2 years to support African rangers. This year we are ready to do it again.
Olifants West Nature Reserve and Grietjie Nature Reserve - Transfrontier Africa
Jul 15, 2022, 3:20:23 PMTransfrontier Africa NPC was founded in 2007 and is based in the Associated Private Nature Reserves that form a part of the Greater Kruger National Park. Our focus primarily is on ecological research and protected area management. We partner with several local and international research institutions. When the rhino poaching crisis emerged and APNR became a target, we realigned our strategy to address it. For the last 3.5 years, we have focused most of our efforts on strengthening partnerships with the adjacent tribal communities and seeking new technologies and partnerships to tackle poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. Image Credit: Valeria van der Westhuizen
