Girl power to the rescue of Kruger's threatened rhino

16 March 2014 - 02:16 By Claire Keeton
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BUSH PATROL: Craig Spencer watches as Collet Ngobeni and Felicia Mogakane dismantle a snare
BUSH PATROL: Craig Spencer watches as Collet Ngobeni and Felicia Mogakane dismantle a snare
Image: Kevin Sutherland

An innovative project in Limpopo is hiring local women to fight poaching.

Felicia Mogakane is dressed in camouflage, can handle a gun, disarm a wire snare in a flash and move swiftly through dense bush.

"I am not scared of lions or elephants ... I'm used to them. You just have to be respectful and make way. We know how to survive in the field, even ambushes," said Mogakane, 25, one of the Black Mambas, an anti-poaching unit consisting of four women and three men.

They have been patrolling a section of the greater Kruger National Park for the past year.

The mother of a two-year-old boy, Mogakane works for three weeks then has 10 days off with her family. She is the breadwinner and her mother is proud of her job.

"I love animals and protecting them. This is not only for men and it is time men know this. We are willing and do the work."

Former soldiers and old-school conservationists doubted that these "mamas" could effectively protect wildlife, but the success of the female Mambas has triumphed over their scepticism. In 2013, the team recovered 142 snares, compared with 118 in the last quarter of 2012, which suggests that the snare threat has declined since they started foot patrols.

This week, the Mambas recruited 20 more women after securing funding from the Department of Environmental Affairs. Half of the new batch will start the month-long training tomorrow and be deployed as soon as possible after that.

Craig Spencer, managing director of non-profit conservation and research organisation TransFrontier Africa, which initiated the project, said: "I can't keep up with the women when they track or find snares. One pair recovered 16 in the time I got three."

Mogakane and her colleague, Collet Ngobeni, 29, found a snare within 10 minutes of going on patrol with Spencer and his Belgian Malinois sniffer dog, Shaya, on a sweltering day last week.

The favourite task of Ngobeni, who attended Timbavati Bush School, is tracking spoor. She also likes spotting elephant.

Another priority for the unit is eliminating alien vegetation such as prickly pears.

The Mambas report for work early and do a short military drill near the headquarters of TransFrontier before they move out into the bush.

They walk through the thorny vegetation looking for snares or poachers' lairs, two of which have already been uncovered this year.

"The Mambas can work a GPS, secure a crime scene and take a statement," said Spencer. "They carry guns only to protect themselves against animals, but they are bush savvy and have not needed the weapons in a whole year. They are 100% reliable."

The Mambas gather "green intelligence" from the community and act as an early warning system for potential poaching activity.

Members of the team supported each other, said the two other women - Nocry Mzimba, 20, and Yenzekile Mathebula, 22.

Mzimba likes to shoot. Mathebula enjoys exercise.

" We would get tired, but the job gets easier as you get fitter," said Mathebula. "Now I like to go for a run on the tar road."

Mzimba has developed confidence as her experience has grown.

"At first I was scared to hold a gun. I had heard many stories. Now I enjoy the shooting practice," she said.

Training includes sleeping in the bush and an eight-day course that is run by former defence force soldiers from the private anti-poaching operation Protrack.

The Mambas' primary role is patrolling in the Olifants West region of the 50000ha Balule Nature Reserve, near Hoedspruit in Limpopo.

They also go out on night operations and work with an armed tactical unit to protect rhino and other game.

Spencer, who is warden of the Olifants West reserve, said: "The Black Mambas focus on the perimeter of the reserve while the armed forces - the guys who are trained to jump out of helicopters shooting - guard the inner ring."

The Balule reserve has asked the Mambas to extend their operations beyond Olifants West.

"At first it was difficult to deploy them, but now they are welcome anywhere because of their credibility and diplomacy. The women are high profile and articulate and the private lodges love them," said Spencer.

The western fence of the Olifants West reserve effectively forms part of the boundary of the greater Kruger National Park.

The Olifants River and a railway line are hot spots for illegal entry to the reserve, which has lost 12 rhinos in the past two years.

Now the horns of all its rhinos have been injected with dye and poison and the animals have been fitted with GPS tracking collars.

Assistant warden Stefan Bosman maps their movements daily with the help of camera traps and a spotter plane. The team found two wounded rhinos in time to save them and the armed unit has been in fire fights and confiscated weapons.

One of the three male Mambas joined the original anti-poaching team in 2010. Happy Nkwinika, 34, is nicknamed "the leopard" because he specialises in tracking and "hunts alone".

The other male members, Collen Mathebula, 27, and Boetie Nkosi, 21, grew up within the borders of the reserve.

"We hope to convince SANParks [South African National Parks] to follow our model and take on another 100 women," said Spencer.

"Machine guns can stop poaching briefly, but these women are ambassadors for conservation and the fastest conduit to educate children. We need to look into the future."

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