Expand the Black Mambas Rhino Anti-Poaching Unit

Greetings fellow conservation warriors!   Thank you for taking the time to read  the latest update on The Black Mambas, the world's first all female anti-poaching unit.  This quarter, the Black Mambas have again been very active in theor 'snare sweeps'. This is an activity where the ladies of the Black Mambas patrol specially selected areas searching for the presence of snares, a trap that is intentionally set by poachers with the intent of catching animals. The snare is an indescriminate killing machine that will capture any animal unfortunately enough to step into it and  will often result in a slow and painful death of the animal. In this quarter, a total of 69 snares were identified and removed from the landscape. 

In addition to the 'snare sweeps' the Black Mambas also carry out twice daily patrols of the landscape where they are looking for signs of incursions along the fence line - a good indicator of whether potential poachers have breached the security on the protected landscape. They also are looking for signs that animals have breached the fencline and left the protected area - in these cases a team will need to be mobilised to return the animal back to the secure area. 

Patrol efforts have increased to cover more of the landscape with staggered patrols, which ensure that the Mambas are able to disrupt as large portion of the landscape as possible while detecting any illegal or suspicious activity. During the full moon phases,  a total of 5 teams are out on patrol, saturating the landscape in the highest risk period of the month. As we approach December and the festive season, the patrol efforts will adapt even more to saturate the landscape in areas where poachers might attempt to enter the ptorected area.The teams focus on areas where rhinos were most recently seen and reported, the Mambas will go out and observe and stay close to the rhinos to ensure their safety but also act as a deterrent to poachers. This proactive method has proven to be most effective.

We are proud of the work The Black Mambas continue to provide with your support.  Thank you for taking the time to read and think about the critical efforts put forth by The Black Mambas, who appreciate all of the support you provide.  

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