A few months ago, a horrifying poaching incident shook Victoria Falls, the famed tourist town in Zimbabwe.
The mutilated remains of a lioness were found with her flesh stripped from her bones, and her head and paws viciously hacked off.
The mother’s death left her three nine-month-old cubs to fend for themselves – and we knew we needed to act immediately before the vulnerable cubs, and their older siblings, were targeted by poachers. The best way to protect them is to install AI-powered camera traps.
These camera traps are highly-effective in the fight against poachers. They 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 a helpless creature.
For adequate protection, the cubs need 10 camera traps. We have already funded five – now we need a final push to fund the remaining five.
We are halfway to our goal – so close to ensuring comprehensive protection for the cubs.
This year alone, using its existing camera traps, Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU) rescued six animals from snares, removed 97 snares, detected 49 incursions, and arrested 11 poachers.
Our team patrols a vast area covering 124,000 acres (50,000 hectares). The more camera traps we can install, the more animals we can protect.
