It was a day of celebration in Zinave National Park as these proud field rangers had their passing out parade, which marked the end of the gruelling ranger training programme. Led by Tiaan Kleynhans, the Counter-Poaching Unit Coordinator in Zinave, as well as help from the Southern African Wildlife College, these rangers were the top 34 recruits out of a possible 200 candidates that made it through a physically and mentally challenging couple of weeks. The day was a culmination of many hours of sweat and extremely hard work.
Having to dig deep many times throughout the programme, these recruits had to pass basic ranger training, which included a series of physical tests, which you can watch here, as well as learning more specialised skills such as navigation, firearm training, specialist tactical counter-poaching skills as well as aerial surveillance. Trained field rangers are one of the most valuable resources for conservation areas. They need to be adequately equipped with these skills so that they can not only protect themselves, but also their team and the wildlife when out on patrol.
These new recruits will be placed in Zinave National Park as permanent field rangers, vital for the protection of Zinave’s growing wildlife numbers thanks to successful rewilding efforts from Peace Parks and partners. These rangers have all been employed from the local communities, helping Peace Parks Foundation to support inclusive and sustainable economic growth and create decent working opportunities for those that live on the land. This is in line with goal 8 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Peace Parks is very proud of the hard work that Tiaan and the team, as well as the Southern African Wildlife College, has put in and is excited to welcome these recruits to Zinave National Park. We look forward to following along on their journey.
