How Many Elephants is spearheading the launch of World Female Ranger Day (23 June 2021), a global awareness day that will celebrate and support female anti-poaching rangers.
The day will spotlight Africa in its first year.
This is the first time that female wildlife rangers will be recognised collectively on a global interactive and fundraising-focused platform.
It will also be the chance to tell their stories, receive advice, and share knowledge.
As champions of wildlife conservation, as role models, as educators and as beacons of hope, these women are transforming attitudes towards the role of women in Africa and beyond showing the capabilities and success of females in traditionally male roles.
Less than 11% of the global wildlife ranger workforce is female.
Over the last 12 months, COVID-19 has crippled tourism and funding for conservation projects within Africa and globally.
The lack of tourists visiting National Parks has led to many rangers losing their jobs or having significant salary cuts.
The knock-on effect of this is huge, as one ranger alone may support up to 16 family members.
Additionally, reduced vigilance in tourist hotspots has left wildlife even more vulnerable to poaching.
An increased risk of extinction
Africa's elephant species are also at an increased risk of extinction due to being poached for their ivory tusks and losing their natural habitats due to human activity.
The forest elephant is now listed as Critically Endangered, and savanna elephants are listed as Endangered in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
How Many Elephants has established World Female Ranger Day and the accompanying online platform which will go live in May.
Among the female rangers :
Nyaradzo Hoto (Aged 29)
A ranger from the Akashinga Anti-Poaching Unit in Zimbabwe, Nyaradzo was forced to drop out of school and ended up in an abusive marriage. She joined Akashinga in 2017.
Nyaradzo is currently studying Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the Chinhoyi University of Technology, and her income has allowed her to buy land and build a house.
Leitah Mkhabela (28)
A ranger from the Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit in South Africa, Leitah says :
"We cannot do it by ourselves. We need more eyes, more people helping us.
"When I started as a Black Mamba, people were scared of the training we went through. People said this training is for men and we couldn't do it because we are women.
"It has helped women in the community to see themselves differently. People have seen how we want to do this and so many women support us."
Sithabile Munenge (33)
A Community Scout (Ranger) for National Park Rescue in Zimbabwe, Sithabile used to sell tomatoes on a dusty roadside to make money to feed her children.
Usually men are the first preference to be employed by companies. But now she has the respect of my community, and I will be able to build her children's future.
Many of these inspirational women have overcome adversity, poverty and marginalisation.
Becoming a ranger has empowered them and turned them into breadwinners and property owners and has given them access to higher education and much-needed healthcare.
Since 2013, for example, the Black Mambas in South Africa have found and dismantled 1500 deadly snares and record numbers of poachers' camps have been destroyed.
The number of snaring and poaching incidents in Balule Nature Reserve, where the Black Mambas operate, has fallen by 76%.
How Many Elephants
How Many Elephants, which was founded by adventurer and conservationist Holly Budge, is a design-led awareness campaign that showcases the annual poaching rate of 35,000 elephants in Africa and looks to inspire and educate a global audience about the devastating impacts of the ivory trade.