A horrifying poaching incident has shaken Victoria Falls, a small tourist town in Zimbabwe.
An adult male lion was found caught in a deadly snare. Injured but alive, he was darted, treated, and released back into the wild – but there was a much more gruesome discovery waiting nearby…
The brutalized remains of a lioness – the snared lion’s partner – were found near the snare, her flesh stripped from her bones, and her head and paws hacked off.
She leaves behind two four-year-old offspring and three nine-month-old cubs – all of whom must now fend for themselves. Without their mother, their chances are slim.
Worst of all, the tiny cubs are acutely vulnerable to poachers.
This lion died after being caught in a lethal snare. These torture devices leave animals suffering for hours or days before they succumb to their injuries. Credit: Kariba Animal Welfare Fund Trust
We need to act FAST to prevent more despicable acts of cruelty like this.
The grim discovery was made by local conservationists who immediately alerted Zimbabwean wildlife authorities and our partner, the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU).
There has been an alarming rise in poaching in Zimbabwe, and criminals seem to be particularly targeting lions. This iconic species may be king of the jungle, but lions stand no chance against armed and ruthless poachers, who violently kill and sell their body parts into the illegal wildlife trade.
Lion paws, teeth and bones are especially sought after as fake ‘medicinal’ cures and status symbols in Asia. For poachers in the Zimbabwean wilderness, killing one of these majestic beasts and hacking off its paws and head is nothing more than a quick way to make money.
The remains of the freshly butchered female lion that was found near the injured male. Credit: Shutterstock/Juanita Layne (left, IMAGE FOR ILLUSTRATION PURPOSES ONLY) & VFAPU (right).
One of the best ways to stop poachers in their tracks is through innovative AI-powered technology.
AI-powered camera traps are a critical and highly-effective tool in the fight against poachers – and with your help, we will install them throughout poaching hotspots in Zimbabwe.
This year alone, using four existing camera traps, our partner VFAPU has removed 97 snares, detected 49 attempts, and arrested 11 poachers who, if convicted, could face up to nine years in prison. The team also rescued six animals from snares.
AI-powered cameras detect human movement in real time and send instant alerts to anti-poaching units. Teams are immediately dispatched to stop the poachers before they can lay cruel snares or kill an innocent creature. But four camera traps are not enough to catch every poacher, and we must install more as soon as possible.
Camera traps are vital to identify poachers, day or night, and send immediate, real-time alerts to anti-poaching teams. Credit: VFAPU
For every $400 (£312) raised, we can install an additional camera trap, helping our partner to protect lions and catch poachers.
VFAPU patrols a vast area covering 124,000 acres (50,000 hectares). The more sophisticated camera traps we can install, the more animals we can protect, and the more poachers will end up behind bars – where they belong.
We need to install at least 10 more camera traps to help the team cope with the dramatic surge in poaching – but we can only do this with your support today.
Right now, lions are sitting ducks for poachers. With your support, we can not only protect vulnerable animals, but actively arrest and prosecute the criminals profiting off their deaths.
