Wildlife ACT is excited to have, not 1, but 2 teams participating in this year's Wildlife Ranger Challenge (WRC). With Wildlife ACT’s holistic approach to species conservation and management, we not only focus on the species we protect, but also on educating and improving the attitudes of local communities towards protected areas. As such our teams have a wide range of backgrounds and skills, which are strategically deployed in their fields of expertise.
Our first team is representing our Community Conservation Programme. The team is led and coordinated by Zama Ncube, who some of you may recognise from last year’s challenge. His team consists of Sbangani Dladla, Thokozani Mlambo and Sboniso Mazolo. Their race route will be showcasing some of the amazing regions in which they run their Conservation Clubs and Conservation Bush Programs for schools groups in the local communities.
“Taking part in last year’s event was an amazing experience, but leading the team of Community Conservation Ambassadors this year is very special to me. I coordinate this team as part of their roles in developing and educating the new conservationists in our local communities around Zululand. We are all looking forward to the race on the 18th of September - Zama Ncube, Wildlife ACT Community Conservation Manager.
Our second team is our priority species monitor team coordinated by Wildlife ACT’s Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Node Manager, Megan Hudson. She is overseeing a team consisting of another returnee from last year’s race, Jarryd Foster, along with Coenraad Berrange, Khanya Ncobo and Chris Du Toit. This team will be racing on the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife flagship reserve, the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, a reserve which is world-renowned for being Africa’s oldest reserve as well as its Rhino conservation success story.
“My job affords me the opportunity to see first-hand the remarkable dedication and hard work of our wildlife rangers. I am very proud to have competed in the inaugural 2020 Wildlife Ranger Challenge, and can’t wait to compete again this year. I am looking forward to representing Wildlife ACT and supporting the people I admire most for their commitment to saving Africa’s protected areas and its species” - Jarryd Foster, Wildlife ACT Priority Species Monitor.
Please support our Wildlife Ranger Challenge teams this year as they as they take on the physical challenges as part of this unique and important fundraising event!
