Tusk have joined Medium, where we will share regular opinion pieces across a range of topics such as AI, wildlife rangers and more recently, the illegal wildlife trade. Medium is an online platform where people can share their insights, thoughts and wisdom on interests and issues.
As we come to the end of another year, we take a moment to reflect on how remarkable 2024 has been, particularly for wildlife rangers and all the work they do. Rangers are often at the heart of Tusk’s extraordinary array of project partnerships and events. As the people who are on the frontlines across a range of different landscapes, rangers are the backbone of safeguarding some of the world’s most important ecosystems and fauna. (Click to read)
This World Rhino Day, while we celebrate the conservation strides made across Africa, the harsh reality is that the battle against extinction often feels like two steps forward and one step back. (Click above to read)
Across Africa, dogs are increasingly becoming invaluable partners to wildlife rangers, with a multitude of different breeds supporting anti-poaching efforts. With their keen sense of smell, canine conservation heroes are game changers in tracking human poaching suspects, locating snares, and finding wounded wildlife. (Click above to read)
A friend once asked me what qualities were needed for the UK Special Forces. It’s an interesting question, but at heart, an SAS soldier needs to be self-motivated and resilient; to be calm yet smile when things are grim; to be unflappable; to be able to react fast; and to have an ‘improvise, adapt, and overcome’ mentality. (Click above to read)
Humans and wildlife have often found themselves in competition and conflict with each other. A team of experts recently carried out an experiment that explored modifying the movements and behaviours of African wild dogs, using translocated conspecific scent.(Click above to read)
Satellite imagery is changing conservation efforts as we know them. By observing vast areas of the Earth’s surface on daily to weekly schedules, scientists can now monitor habitats that would otherwise be logistically challenging and time-consuming to survey from the ground. (Click above to read more)
Since the inception of the Alert System in 2019 - where notifications are sent to community members when collared lions approach livestock areas - a significant reduction in the number of clashes between humans and wildlife has proven its success, and in 2022 over 20,000 alerts were recorded! (Click above to read more)
Do you know the “Big Five” wildlife economy activities? "For conservation to succeed, we need it to be about protecting fauna and flora for people, and not from people. Natural resources can be economic assets that should be invested in to support people and conservation." (Click above to read more)
Four years ago, Tusk and Ripple Effect, a charity bringing smallholder farmers together to learn new skills and share knowledge so they can improve their livelihoods and thrive, launched the Living with Wildlife appeal to promote human-wildlife co-existence in and around Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda. (Click above to read more)
A reflection of the Tusk Conservation Symposium which took place in the Maasai Mara, Kenya 2022. Damian Bell, CEO of Honeyguide Foundation shares his achievements as a result of working together towards a common goal. (Click above to read more)
Tusk's project partner Vulpro is on a two-year mission to undertake the largest vulture relocation ever, which began at the end of January 2024 with the relocation of 160 vultures.
Environmental education and outreach are ingrained throughout the projects Tusk supports, but we are particularly proud of our own Pan African Conservation Education programme (PACE). (Click above to read more)
As we settle into 2024 and leave the holiday season behind us, we take a moment to reflect on our milestones and successes. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all our supporters, whose contributions have had a profound impact on Tusk’s projects, making 2023 one of the most transformative years yet.
With a combined global population estimated between 519,000 and 688,000, all non-human great ape species (gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and Asia’s orangutans) are either endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List and CITES Appendix 1, suggesting that there is a significant risk of extinction in the near future. (Click above to read more)
Amos Gwema, Principal Wildlife Intelligence Officer for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management and Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award winner in 2020, gives his perspective on the need for intelligence-led anti-poaching... (Click above to read more)
On the 24th September, we celebrate “World Gorilla Day”, an opportunity to shine a spotlight on a species that doesn’t often hit the news in the way others do and one that many may not automatically think of as one that Tusk helps to protect... (Click above to read more)
Wildlife and climate change are more intrinsically linked than some may think. Much of the day-to-day information fed to us about the changes in our climate, as well as the impact it has on the physical features of the world, takes up the vast majority of the climate narratives... (Click above to read more)
Tusk was established in 1990 in response to the poaching crisis of the 1980’s which saw Africa’s black rhino being decimated and 100,000 elephants being killed per year for the ivory trade. Since then, Tusk has gained a strong reputation and received extensive support from influential figures such as its Royal Patron HRH The Prince of Wales... (Click above to read more)
The concept of mutualism is defined as ‘interactions between organisms of two different species, in which each organism benefits from the interaction in some way.’ The exchange of services between flora and fauna, as well as wildlife, is something that is constantly happening all around us... (Click above to read more)
‘Africa depends on wildlife conservation to drive economic development, not just in tourism but in fisheries, farming, and more,’ recently stated Richard Vigne, Executive Director of the Africa Leadership University’s School of Wildlife Conservation... (Click above to read more)
In line with the 30X30 targets set by the UN, the Head of the International Ranger Federation, Chris Galliers, says that preserving ‘effectively conserved areas can only happen with the support of rangers. That is why we have chosen this theme for this year’s World Ranger Day’... (Click above to read more)
Artificial intelligence (AI) has been identified as one of the ‘top three rising technologies being used in conservation’ today, eliminating the manual task of gathering wildlife data and helping park rangers protect endangered species from being poached. AI could be the solution needed to effectively monitor and safeguard vast landscapes across Africa that, up until now, have been protected solely by patrolling... (Click above to read more)
From the 23rd to the 30th June we are coming together to celebrate World Female Ranger Week. Established by leading adventurer and wildlife protection activist Holly Budge, this week is a time of celebration and recognition for women protecting wildlife across the world. Holly’s charity, How Many Elephants, believes that female rangers are best placed to help “ease local tensions and strengthen connections between conservation and community.” (Click above to read more)
