Volunteers head for Africa to protect endangered animals from illegal hunting

A group of Chinese men have embarked on their fifth journey to Africa, to spend months protecting wildlife in an isolated nature reserve in Zimbabwe.

As members of the China-Africa Anti-Poaching Project, Wang Ke and Zhang Guangrui are proud to say there has been no successful illegal hunting in the area where they are based in Mana Pools National Park, a wildlife conservation area and national park in northern Zimbabwe.

"We overawe potential poachers by flying air trikes and helicopters, as well as driving around and using boats. As long as we are there on patrol, the poachers dare not show up," says Wang, who started the anti-poaching project.

The six volunteers, including Wang and Zhang, left Beijing on Nov 14, and this time they plan to stay on the reserve for three months, hoping to help protect more than 1,000 elephants and about 300 lions that are active near their camp in an area about 60 kilometers long and 40 km wide.

The rainy season, usually lasting from October or November until March or April, sees increased animal activity in the park, which also leads to the possibility of more illegal hunting. That is why Wang and Zhang chose this time for their latest trip.

"The poachers are mainly African people from countries such as Zimbabwe and Zambia. A wild elephant hunt might earn them money, but they risk their lives," Zhang says, adding that elephants are their main targets and poverty is the main reason why they take the risk.

When they see something suspicious, the volunteers report it to the local police and park staff, rather than confronting the intruders directly. Zhang says that under Zimbabwean law, poachers can be shot dead at the scene.

"So our armed patrols are a great deterrent, keeping poachers away effectively," Zhang says. "To scare them away is the best way to protect wildlife. I don't want to witness the hunting of animals - or poachers - at all."

As the location of Zimbabwe's biggest concentration of hippos and crocodiles, Mana Pools National Park also has a large population of zebras, elephants and cape buffalo. It's also home to other threatened species such as lions and endangered species like leopards.

"Before we went there, it used to take local staff at least three days to go around the park on a patrol, and more than a week on foot. Now, with our helicopter and air trikes, the work can be done in two hours," Wang says, adding that the Chinese volunteer team has helped to intensify patrols.

The team is the biggest of all the volunteer teams from different countries that patrol the national park and is the only team that can conduct air patrols, and local people have shown great appreciation and support, according to Wang.

"During our time living and working together, we have developed close friendships with the park staff," Zhang says.

A graduate of China University of Geosciences, Zhang used to volunteer for earthquake and other rescue missions. He joined Wang more than two years ago and is now devoted to wildlife protection.

With their experience of living and working in the wild, Zhang and his teammates are confident about protecting themselves from the lions and elephants that live in their camp area - but helpless against the mosquitoes, and the fact that they are unable to shower for a month.

After Zhang arrived at the park in 2015, on the first night he had more than 70 mosquito bites on his arms and legs. "No protection is effective. We just have to live with it," he says.

Whether the team can connect to the internet or use cellphones depends on how cloudy it is. Their drinking water comes from either purified rain and river water, or bottled water from a far-away city.

"Even so, more and more volunteers are showing an interest in joining us these days. Despite the difficulties, we want to do more to help the animals in this fabulous conservation area," Zhang says.

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(China Daily Africa Weekly 11/17/2017 page3)