adminFungai Lupande-Mash Central Bureau
Female game rangers in Hurungwe and Mana Pools are on the frontline in conservation of the country’s natural resources and contribute immensely to the reduction of wildlife poaching in safari areas.
One of the rangers, Ms Wadzananai Munemo from Nyamatate Village, said the job instils a sense of responsibility and makes her feel like an important member of the society making a meaningful contribution to the country.
The Fundundu conservancy in Hurungwe is now under the care of female game rangers drawn from districts in Mashonaland West.
The 67 women working under the Hurungwe Safaris International Anti-Poaching Foundation have managed to drive away poachers and contribute to the replenishing of the forest.
Started in 2017, the programme employs females from disadvantaged backgrounds, including school dropouts, single and teen mothers.
At first, Munemo said she was not confident that she could handle the job because she thought it was a men’s job.
“We started as 16 game rangers and the number has grown to 67 with others working in the community as liaison officers. Despite being hesitant at first, we have realised that we are capable of bringing change in our community,” she said.
“We work together with Hurungwe Rural District Council and also under the Zimbabwe National Parks.
Munemo said when they started working in Fundundu safaris there were no animals after the majority of wildlife had migrated to other areas due to poaching.
With no cases of poaching recorded since 2018, Munemo said four of the big five were coming back to Fundundu.
“We also have plains game, including Kudu, Eland, Impala and we are happy that the community is benefiting from a CAMPFIRE programme,” she said.
“The increase in wildlife sometimes results in human wildlife conflict as animals encroach villages looking for bananas and other crops. We work together with the surrounding villages in minimising conflict.
“We have helped in constructing a dam for the community for their livestock. We educate them on how to peacefully drive away wildlife using chilli strings and other home-made techniques.”
Narrating her experience in spending most of her time in the wildlife world, Munemo said she is now used to it.
She said the job is tough but even the army has females.
“We go through training which equips us with requisite skills and knowledge to handle both wildlife and poachers,” she said.
“Sometimes the poachers are people we know but we explain to them why we are arresting them. When they come back from prison, we remain friends. We are happy that since we started working here there is a change in poaching and more animals are coming to our safari.
Ms Theresa Makunike ranger 111 who works in Mana Pools mid-Zambezi cluster said she joined ZimParks in 2019. Her training was tough but she persevered.
“To become a game ranger, you need to be in good health because we trained on survival skills, including running and crawling. I was deployed in Mana Pools in 2020,” she said.
“We do both mobile and foot patrols. We stay in tents at base stations in various areas in the game park. There is no segregation by gender here. In the training we are taught that we are the same.
“We take turns to do chores including cooking and dishes. We stay like brothers and sisters. I am now used to this and I encourage women interested in joining this noble cause which ensures preservation of wildlife for future generations.”
Makunike said she is not scared of encountering wildlife because they were taught how to behave and handle themselves when faced with animals.
Narrating one incident Makunike said they were doing early burning to avoid veld fire in Mazunga base in March 2020 when they encountered elephants with calves.
“We were walking along the river while others were burning an area close to the mountains. Without speaking to each other everyone ran for dear life. I will never forget this day,” she said.
Online Reporter