Protecting Elephants

As 2026 gets underway and we approach the rainy season we are proud to share progress from our elephant conservation work in Zambia, made possible through your continued generosity.

Elephant Nursery and Chamilandu’s calf

The journey for an orphaned elephant in the Greater Kafue Ecosystem is a long road toward freedom, and your support is making every mile of that journey possible as we move into 2026. It begins at the Elephant Nursery, where the youngest rescues receive intensive care before transitioning to the Kafue Release Facility at Camp Phoenix.

This "nursery-to-release" model is currently proving its worth through a historic milestone: the recent birth of a fully wild-born calf to Chamilandu, one of the project's very first rescues from 2007. Her success is a living testament to the fact that these orphans can truly reintegrate and contribute to the longevity of wild populations in Zambia’s oldest and largest national park. Chamilandu’s calf Lula continues to thrive in the wild with her mother’s care and protection.

To ensure these elephants have a safe landscape to return to, our field-based conservation partners’ rangers are currently safeguarding approximately 3,500 square kilometres of critical habitat.

A focus on Rangers

Throughout 2026, our conservation field partners are aiming to achieve a staggering 10,000 ranger man days and 50 hours of aerial support to deter poachers and illegal resource users who often use the narrow Nkala buffer zone as a transit point. This year, there is an even deeper focus on the welfare of these protectors by ensuring 100% of the rangers are covered by specialised insurance and have access to mental health support and grief counselling, recognising that a resilient force is the backbone of a secure wilderness.

Community Garden Program

The work of our field partners extends far beyond the park boundaries and into the hearts of the local communities who share this land. Starting in April 2026, a new Community Guardian program will be launched designed to provide an early warning network for families facing human-wildlife conflict. By aiming to visit 75% of affected households within 48 hours of an incident, the team are working to prevent retaliatory killings and foster a culture where communities feel supported rather than threatened by their wild neighbours.

This is complemented by the education initiatives in 25 local schools, where conservation clubs and life-skills workshops are training the next generation of Zambian leaders.

Biodiversity Monitoring

Looking ahead to the middle of the year, our field partners will be launching a Biodiversity Monitoring program in June 2026, led by local interns who are gaining hands-on experience in science and research. This data-driven approach will help the team manage the ecosystem more effectively, from implementing early-season fire regimes in May to mitigating wildfire risks to piloting community camera traps that give farmers real-time insights into elephant movements.

Your partnership is transforming this landscape into a zero-poaching zone, ensuring that elephants can roam safely alongside the people of Kafue for generations to come. 

As 2025 comes to an end, we’re thrilled to share the progress and challenges from our elephant field partners—made possible by the incredible support of our GlobalGiving community. This year brought significant strides in wildlife rescue, rehabilitation, and community engagement, along with valuable lessons that will shape our work in 2026.

Over the past six months, our field partners have continued to transform the lives of vulnerable elephants across Zambia’s Greater Kafue landscape—from urgent rescue interventions to the steady, hopeful progress of young orphans preparing for life back in the wild. Despite one of the harshest dry seasons in recent years, the elephants across both the release sites and the nursery have continued to show encouraging resilience, strong health, and natural behaviours throughout every stage of their rehabilitation—thanks to the unwavering dedication of the teams you support.

Emergency Response & Veterinary Support

Our field partners in Zambia strengthened their rescue capacity through specialist training on nutrition and data collection, improving the quality of care from the moment an elephant is first sighted. In September, the teams responded to a severely snared infant elephant in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Although tragically the calf did not survive the devastating injuries, the rapid response, veterinary expertise and coordination demonstrated the essential role donors play in fighting human-wildlife conflict and supporting wildlife rescue readiness.

Lusaka Elephant Nursery

Despite widespread fires and dramatically reduced vegetation in Lusaka National Park, the nursery herd has maintained excellent condition. Close monitoring and round-the-clock milk feeding ensured strong growth for all calves.

• Nanzhila, rescued in June, has settled beautifully into the herd.
• Bupe has emerged as a calm, confident leader.
• Kasungu’s tusks are now showing—an exciting sign of healthy development.
  The older calves have shown remarkable natural behaviour, including forming a protective wall around Nanzhila when warthogs approached—a powerful demonstration of herd bonding and instincts essential for future release.

Kafue Release Facility

At the next stage of rehabilitation, the release herd continues to thrive.
A major milestone was the successful surgical removal of a trunk fibroma (a non-cancerous fibrous lump) from Lani, who has made a full recovery and received strong social support from her herd mates during healing. New arrivals Chikumbi and Ndewa have integrated well, growing in confidence as they adapt to their new environment. Nkala, now 13, is beginning to show signs of natural independence, indicating he may soon transition fully into a wild life. One of the most uplifting developments is Kavala’s full reintegration into the wild, where she now confidently ranges with Chamilandu’s herd.

Research & Monitoring

GPS collar data, field observations, and camera traps continue to provide critical insights into elephant movements, well-being, and habitat use. Released elephants such as Rufunsa, Muchilili and Musolole have travelled widely across the park and surrounding Game Management Areas (GMAs), highlighting key wildlife corridors essential for long-term conservation planning. Cutting-edge research also advanced this quarter, including skin biopsy collections for epigenetic analysis which helps caretakers understand how changes to life experiences such as injury, stress, diet and habitat affects an elephant’s biology. There was also comprehensive dung sampling to monitor hormones, microbiome health, and parasite loads—ensuring every elephant in care receives informed, proactive management.

A heart-warming story of conservation at its most profound is that of Chamilandu, who survived a poaching tragedy, becoming orphaned, and who was then rehabilitated and released back into the wild thanks to the dedicated efforts of our project partners, has given birth to a new calf in the wild.

Thanks to you, rescued calves are gaining strength, families in the wild are growing more stable, and formerly orphaned elephants are confidently reclaiming their place in the landscape. Your generosity fuels emergency responses, veterinary care, nutrition, keeper training, and the scientific monitoring that guides every step toward safe release.

Your support is not just saving elephants—it is shaping the future of the species in one of Africa’s most important ecosystems.

Thank you for making this progress possible.