Anti-Poaching & Conservation In South Africa

As always, we’d like to start by thanking our generous donors and supporters for helping us to raise funds that go towards our conservation projects here in Limpopo. We have many ongoing projects such as improving and increasing our wildlife monitoring equipment, assisting the reserve’s Anti-Poaching Unit (APU) with essential supplies and equipment, and supporting projects in our local community that work towards educating and re-connecting local learners with wildlife and the natural environment.  By utilising donor funds for these projects, we hope to have and maintain a more positive and sustainable impact in our area.

Since our last report, we hosted a Karaoke Night paired with online challenges with participants on base. The online challenges consisted of two teams challenging each other to various tasks which included being tied to a fellow team member, only being able to drink like a giraffe and walking backwards. The Karaoke night itself was attended by other local organisations. A huge thank you to the participants and their family and friends who supported this fundraiser.

The funds raised were able to purchase a Satellite collar for a new female cheetah on the reserve.  With such a successful fundraiser we were also able to assist the reserves APU unit with the cost of repairs to their Yamaha Quad Bike. Our remaining funds will continue to be put towards the larger (and generally more expensive) projects assisting the reserve’s APU with equipment and supplies such as installing additional cellular camera traps around the reserve.

Our future fundraisers will go towards the instalment of a hi-tech security camera system on the reserve boundary to increase the security of the reserve and continue to fund our community engagement project with one of our partner organisations Koru Camp, who take learners from the local schools on an environmental education experience in the heart of the Greater Kruger. Each camp allows for 10 students and 2 teachers to join and costs ZAR3200 (roughly $170) for a 3-day camping experience. Thanks to funds raised so far, we were able to send 10 learners during September and  have plans to send a further 10 learners in November!

Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to highlight that none of this could be possible without the support of both our participants and partners in the field, as well as our alumni, friends, family, and partners all around the world.

Thank you so much for your continued support and engagement in the projects that we here in the field are so passionate about.

Love,

The GVI Limpopo Team