The Akashinga Ranger Report is a quarterly newsletter that puts you behind-the-scenes with Africa’s plant-based, all-female Akashinga Rangers. You'll be immersed in the rangers’ activities, experiences, and achievements as they protect, connect, and restore invaluable wilderness landscapes across Southern and East Africa.
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Sergeant Margaret Darawanda Wins IRF Young Ranger Award

In her application for the International Ranger Federation’s Young Ranger Award, Akashinga Sergeant Margaret ‘Maggie’ Darawanda was asked to detail any challenges she faced in her work. Her answer is poignant: “Rejection from my own community.” Maggie put everything on the line when she became part of the first intake of Akashinga Rangers in 2017.

Not only did these young rangers face an uphill battle operating with limited resources in difficult terrain and balancing the needs of local communities with the protection of wildlife, but Maggie and her team had to defy traditional gender roles within their own families and communities to prove that women are equally capable caregivers of the natural world.

This month, Maggie’s efforts were recognised by the IRF as she accepted the 2024 Young Ranger Award.

This award aims to recognise the outstanding contributions made by rangers under 35 to the conservation of protected areas. And by publicly presenting the award at 10^th IRF World Ranger Congress, it also encourages young professionals in developing networks. Their work must be innovative and demonstrate leadership, passion, dedication, and commitment to conservation.

In her seven years with Akashinga, Maggie has exhibited all these attributes and played a pivotal role in the protection and management of conserved areas. As Deputy Head of Operations for Akashinga East, she leads anti-poaching initiatives, oversees daily patrols, and enforces rigorous protocols for handling poaching incidents. Her leadership has been essential in safeguarding endangered species and preserving natural habitats. She is also deeply committed to community engagement, organising and participating in conservation meetings to promote sustainable practices that benefit both wildlife and local communities.

Maggie confirmed her ongoing advocacy for women’s leadership in conservation by dedicating her award to all the Akashinga Rangers, who she says have been her sisters in this journey: “As Akashinga Rangers, we are not just protecting wildlife. We are protecting our communities, we are protecting the environment, we are protecting our future.” At Akashinga, we would like to congratulate Maggie for her achievement which we know will inspire a new generation of female rangers.
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Akashinga Rangers Complete Half-Marathon Challenges to Promote Wildlife Protection

On September 21^st two Akashinga teams participated in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, which saw them competing in a 21km race while each carrying 10 kg of kit.

Organised by Tusk and the Game Rangers Association of Africa, the Challenge was launched in 2020 to raise finances that would enable rangers to maintain their employment throughout the pandemic. Four years on, it continues to attract vital funds for conservation in Africa and connects thousands of rangers from 24 countries with supporters all over the world. This year the challenge saw more than 150 ranger teams race across the diverse landscapes of the continent’s protected areas.

Ranger Tumulumbe Mumpande, 26, who competed in the Akashinga team from Songo, said the most difficult part of the challenge was keeping up the pace while navigating the hilly and rocky terrain, but she enjoyed the support of her fellow rangers and Akashinga staff and was proud to represent their unit.

A week later, six Akashinga Rangers from Songo travelled to Binga in Zimbabwe’s Matabeleland North Province to participate in the 7^th edition of the Binga Kasambabezi Marathon. The event was held under the theme “The Power of Sports in Promoting Gendered Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change,” with Akashinga Ranger Supervisor Talent Dube invited to be a prize presenter.

Rangers Evelyn Ndlovu, Tulumbe Mutale, and Twabe Munkuli represented Akashinga in the 10km race while Byebit Mafweda, Grace Mponde, and Charity Munsaka completed the half-marathon, placing a respectable 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th in a regional event that attracted over 1000 entrants.

Head of Operations for Akashinga West Zimbabwe, Francis Mhlanga, who attended the marathon, said Akashinga’s participation was appreciated by the organisers as they worked to promote awareness about human and wildlife conflict and environmental management, and it has earned the organisation wider recognition and support across the Binga community.
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Community Turtle Guards Start Patrolling in Mozambique

After undergoing training in September, Akashinga community turtle guards in Mozambique began active patrols on October 1^st. These are the first ever nesting turtle patrols conducted in the country’s central region, Sofala Province. The turtle guards are currently working in two of the island areas on Chiloane and Inharringue, which were selected for patrols based on community reports on turtle activity and poaching known to occur in the area. Although no nesting has been detected yet, it is still early in the season, and the team led by Akashinga’s Country Scientist in Mozambique, Dr Jessica Williams, expects this to peak in late November and early December.

Meanwhile, the patrols have already proved effective, discovering the remains of one poached loggerhead turtle and two green turtles, one of which had already been butchered for sale as cheap meat. A third turtle was recovered alive after intervention by the turtle guards.

The teams have also seized timber from illegal mangrove loggers and intercepted two large porcupine whiprays, which are often bycatch in fishing nets. The whipray, which is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list, is usually retained by fisherman as food. The turtle guards managed to sensitise the fishers to the importance of preserving this species and released the first whipray back into the ocean. Unfortunately, the second whipray was deceased and so the carcass was incinerated to prevent it being consumed. However, the team hopes that over time their efforts in the community will contribute to lasting preservation of all the marine species under their care.

In mid-October, the Chiloane turtle guards worked with the Marine and Coastal Police to identify a small shark that had been caught in fishing nets and were delighted to confirm that it was a Human’s Whaler Shark (Carcharhinus humani), which is listed on the IUCN red list as data deficient. Dr Williams suspects that through collaboration with local communities and authorities the team will be able to identify important shark and ray hotspots. She says, “The numerous situations already faced by the turtle guards in a relatively short space of time shows a real need to support and expand this work.” This is further emphasised by the multiple species at risk in the patrol area, given that shark and rays are the second-most threatened vertebrate group in the world.

Sergeant Tracy Basarokwe Shares Her Lifelong Passion for Animals

Akashinga Ranger Tracy Basarokwe grew up in Nyamhunga on the shores of Lake Kariba where her childhood was filled with wildlife encounters. From the cheeky baboons that came into town, to the elephants and hippos that grazed on the floodplains, and her own two dogs at home, Bingo and Buster, Tracy watched and learned about the natural world around her.

These early experiences proved invaluable in 2017 when Akashinga started recruiting its first female rangers. By this time, Tracy had finished school and moved with her family to Nyamakate, about 100km from the Lake, where they were farming. When women in her village were being recruited for the Akashinga selection course, Tracy’s father encouraged her. “I know you are strong,” he said, “and I believe in you.” Tracy credits these words for carrying her through the demanding selection: “I didn’t want to let him down.” Tracy not only made her parents proud but exceeded her own expectations.

Two years after passing the course and becoming one of Akashinga’s original 16 rangers, a stray dog wandered into camp. Everyone was afraid of the dog, but Tracy gently approached and began to play with it. Her animal intuition was noticed, and she was invited to attend a canine handler course in Pretoria, South Africa. She remembers being nervous the first day as they released ten dogs to welcome her to the course, but was delighted to meet the dog, Katana, a one-year-old Belgian Malinois, that would become her dog. She spent every moment of the next 12 weeks with Katana, bonding as they ate, slept, and trained together.
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Today, Tracy is a Sergeant in the canine unit, working with Katana to track poachers who enter Phundundu. Akashinga has provided her an opportunity to expand her knowledge of animals, and she hopes it will give the next generation, including her own daughter Miguel, a chance of growing up with wildlife, just like she did.

“You know, in our villages they didn’t even believe that women can do this job, but we proved them wrong…We used to walk many kilometres, and we didn’t even see one animal. Now you cannot walk 500 meters before you see elephants, buffalo, and other wildlife.” She says women should never be limited by what other people think. In her experience, nothing is impossible if you love what you are doing, and above all, Tracy loves Katana.