Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit September 2026 Update This has been a month of ups and downs. The landscape has changed drastically as temperatures begin to climb and the bush has thinned out immensely. This signals the busy season for anti-poaching. Animals congregate around dwindling resources and become and easier target for poachers. Sadly, this has proved true over the last month with the unit recording several incursions as well as the loss of animal life to poachers. However, we have reacted well and managed to make some significant arrests. Bringing those that would cause our animals harm, to justice. We take all losses personally, and continually strive to keep that the number at zero. However, we are also conscious of that fact there will always be a threat, as long as people and animals live in close proximity, poaching will remain. With that said, we are proud of what has been achieved over the last 12 months or so. The threat is down, and animals are abundant within the wildlife corridors of our Wild City. Long may this be the case! None of this would be possible without the incredible support and contributions we get from a wide range of supporters. This is what keeps the wheels turning and the boots on the ground. Without this, we would not exist and there would be far fewer animals to share our home with. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Of special note is the 24th annual Anti-Poaching Golf Day which occurred on the 18th September in Harare. This incredible annual event is a major fundraiser of ours, with this year being bigger and better than ever. A massive thank you goes out to Victoria Falls Safari Lodge and the entire Victoria Falls Safari Collection team for being the founders/organisers and host of this amazing event. For those that may not know. Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is a part founder of the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit. They invested in the team’s first 3 rangers back in 1999. For over 27 years, they have been contribution each and every month to the vital protection work underway in our City. We thank you and are deeply appreciative of you. STATISTICS It was a busier month than what we have been accustomed to with multiple incursions and threats detected across the 114 patrols conducted. However, with the drying out bush and congregating of animals. This is to be expected. What is of note, is that of the incursions detected, we secured arrests for a good number of these threats. One win having been in the works for over a year. The vast majority of these snares where 56 small wire traps set by a single individual attempting to catch small prey such as rabbits and guinea fowl. Thankfully, this individual has been arrested and convicted and will not be causing any harm to our animals anytime soon. The remainder of the snares recovered were larger, targeting bigger game in the form of impala, kudu and buffalo. Fortunately, none of these snares were set, and had been stashed by the poachers for use at a later stage. Most were old, having been previously covered by vegetation, but now exposed with the bush having thinned out. A bit of a strange rescue this past month. Rangers reacted to a male bushbuck that can got tangled in a wire fence. The team reacted quickly with the intention of untangling the animal and setting it free. However, on arrival, it became clear that this animal also had a snare around its chest. The snare was old, and the skin had mostly grown over the tight wire. The vets were quickly called and after a bit of field surgery, the snare was safely removed. This must have been incredibly painful and uncomfortable for this poor animal. Living with this restriction around its chest for several months. The rescue was a success and the animal is expected to make a full recovery. However, the incident is a stark reminder of just how awful snares can be. Carcasses Discovered:          1 adult kudu                                                 1 adult buffalo                                                 2 adult warthogs Both the kudu and the buffalo perished to predators. Lion and Wild Dog being the culprits. Sadly, both of the warthog lost their lives due to human interference. The first incident saw the unfortunate warthog get hit by a car on the road to the Zambian border. It was early morning and visibility was not great and a big reason for this unnecessary loss of life. The second warthog was caught and killed by poachers. One of our cameras triggered just before midnight. Showing two individuals, laden with backpacks carrying spears. It took us about 20 minutes to mobilize a unit and get to the scene. Sadly, the poachers were on their way out already and managed to escape in a vehicle before we could get there. At first light, the team picked up the spoor and back tracked to understand what the poachers had been up to. At this stage we were not aware they had killed a warthog. However, the experienced trackers quickly found the disturbing scene. There were actually 3 sets of footprints as well as those of several dogs. (it is common for poachers to travel with dogs). The team found a burrow where the warthog was obviously sleeping, blood and significant disturbance around the hole proved that this was the scene of the crime. A sad and unnecessary loss but a sharp reminder of the ever present threat that our wildlife face. Whilst we did not affect the arrest this time, we will. It’s only a matter of time. We did however make some significant arrests during the month. Our first major win for the period is one that is particularly rewarding for us. We became aware of a gang of poachers travelling from the community near the airport, through the forest and ultimately quite deep into Chamabonda. Specifically over the full moon period.