Away from Africa

Picket with a black rhino on a dehorning exercise* A few years ago, in 2021, we had the pleasure of meeting  Picket Chabwedzeka at the Hwange game count . Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, he studied Geography and Environmental Management in South Africa. After working for several years in a South African game reserve, he returned to Zimbabwe and enrolled in a Master’s degree program, graduating with an MS in ecological resources management. He went on to receive a Post Graduate Certificate in Ecological Survey techniques at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.  He currently serves as a Game Reserve Manager in a private reserve near Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, where he lives on the premises with his young family, surrounded by a variety of wildlife, including many birds. His passion and area of expertise is rhinoceros conservation, both black and white rhinos. Aside from humans, rhinos have no natural predators, yet they remain under constant threat due to poaching drive...

In Europe and in the United States, when you hear about conservation, you often think about international nonprofits such as the World Wildlife Fund, and of the discussion about zoos in "developed" countries: should animals be kept in captivity for our children and for us to gaze at behind a fence? Is the money they raise for conservation worth the sacrifice of these animals' lifestyle?  On the ground, there are many more people involved in conservation. Southern Africa has a large portion of the world's giraffes, lions, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, elephants, as well as a plethora of various antelopes and birds. Mitchel and Picket at Sinamatella Camp, Hwange, Zimbabwe, 2021 Picket Chabwedzeka is one of these people on the ground. He is a Game Reserve Manager and Senior Ecologist at the Victoria Falls Private Game Reserve in Zimbabwe. He was born and raised in Harare. Growing up, he had no prior knowledge of careers in wildlife preservation, until after finishing his hig...