Tusk Trust Protecting Wildlife - Supporting Communities - Promoting Education

Tusk Trust is a dynamic UK based African Wildlife Trust, with over 18 years experience of conserving wildlife, promoting education and supporting community development programmes across Africa.

Supported by UK celebrities such as Rory Bremner, Ronnie Wood, Griff Rhys Jones, Joanna Lumley, Zoe Ball, Ben Fogle and Alistair McGowan, the charity's work to deliver direct sustainable conservation has been widely covered on television and in the media.

HRH Prince William is Royal Patron to Tusk Trust. One of just two charities to which he is granting his Royal Patronage.

Tusk's current portfolio of 40 field projects spread across 17 countries is designed not only to protect wildlife, particularly endangered species, but also to encourage poverty alleviation and sustainable development amongst many poor rural communities who co-exist with wildlife. The charity however contributes substantial funds towards the protection of many threatened species such as Elephant, Rhino, Cheetah, Chimpanzee, Mountain Gorilla, African Wild Dog, and even marine species such as the Turtle and Dugongs.

As the ever expanding human population and its demand for more land brings it into increasing and often disastrous conflict with wildlife, Tusk, with its project field partners such as the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, has been at the forefront of establishing and promoting community driven wildlife programmes. Tusk's holistic approach to conservation recognises that the long term future for wildlife and Africa's other natural resources is dependant on sustainable human development. Therefore a number of the charity's initiatives incorporate valuable work to improve environmental education, security, healthcare, and responsible tourism. One such programme, the Northern Rangelands Trust, supported by Tusk has seen 1 million acres of community land recently come under a common conservation policy with initiatives that are directly benefiting 62,000 people and a significant wildlife population in northern Kenya.

Tusk strives to provide practical, logistical and financial support to a diverse range of projects. In the past this has included the purchase of vehicles, aircraft, radio equipment, as well as the construction of schools, water projects, roads, buildings, bridges and airstrips, as well as covering the direct costs of rangers. The charity enjoys a reputation for operating on low overheads with an average of 85% of the net funds raised reaching the field.

Tusk Trust's support comes in many different guises

VEHICLES
Tusk donated a fleet of 4x4 vehicles with a complete mechanical workshop to aid the rehabilitation of the vast Niassa Game Reserve in Mozambique. We also provide vehicles for our projects in Tanzania, Kenya and Botswana.

CLASSROOMS AND DORMITORIES
In Botswana Tusk provides valuable funds for a highly successful environmental education centre at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve, visited each year by over 12,000 children. Tusk also supports a number of primary schools in Kenya

WILDLIFE & HUMAN CLINICS
Tusk supports the Mokolodi Education project in Botswana which has recently built a wildlife rehabilitation clinic to treat animals both within and outside the reserve. The Trust has also helped with the construction of a new Nurses quarters for a clinic in Northern Kenya.

RHINO SANCTUARIES
The Mkomazi Project set up its black rhino breeding project with rhinos that were imported from South Africa. These are the first black rhino to be rehabilitated into Tanzania. Tusk Trust funds the security and communications system used by the game guards, who monitor the rhinos on a daily basis.

10,000 ACRE CHEETAH SANCTUARY
Tusk Trust provided substantial funds for the construction of a new 10,000 acre sanctuary for a Cheetah and Leopard rehabilitation project run by the Africat Foundation in Namibia.

BUILDINGS
At Ruaha National Park in Tanzania financial support was given to build security outposts for the game rangers around the park

WATER TANKS
In the Virunga Mountains, Rwanda, Tusk provided funds to build three water tanks around the park to supply the local communities with fresh water all the time. The park is home to the last remaining Mountain Gorillas in the world, whose population is so small that if they were to contract a human disease could wipe the population out.

CHIMPANZEE ENCLOSURES
Tusk was instrumental in the construction of two 500 acre outdoor enclosures for the orphaned chimpanzees at Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia. The largest chimpanzee sanctuary in the world.

CORE FUNDING
The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya holds 25% of the worlds Grevy's zebra and has a population of over 70 rhino, both black and white. Success on this scale does not come cheap and Tusk supports Lewa on a yearly basis, providing funds to cover the conservancy's core costs. These are used to support the rhino monitoring game guards, allow the upkeep of staff housing and ensure that the communications system can be kept up to date.

AEROPLANES
Tusk has funded the purchase of two light aircraft - A Cessna 206 for patrol work in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania and a Maule for the 'Africat' leopard & cheetah project in Namibia where the aircraft is used to track collared lion, leopard and cheetah across the country.

SAFARICOM MARATHON Tusk is the co-organiser and creator of the Safaricom Marathon which is held every year at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. This unique event, which is regarded as one of the top ten toughest marathon in the world, enables the local Maasai and Samburu communities to run against some of the world best athletes as well as international fun runners, helping to raise funds for local projects in Northern Kenya.

MARINE WILDLIFE Tusk supports a unique marine wildldife project in Lamu, Kenya, helping protect the Turtle nesting sites and educating local school children on the benefits of conserving their local area.

GOODS & EQUIPMENT Each year Tusk donates Military Boots, Webbing sets, Clothing and equipment for the Rangers in the field.

Registered UK Charity No: 803118