Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit

Background & Success

"Working together to conserve our natural heritage."

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The Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and have been designated a World Heritage Site, under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention. The falls are surrounded by the 2 340 ha Victoria Falls National Park and the 57 000 ha Zambezi National Park. These state-protected areas are home to numerous species of fauna and flora, which, through recent times have unfortunately been subject to a dramatic increase in various forms of poaching.

Charles Brightman, a local safari operator and conservationist, together with the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, established the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit in January 1999, in an effort to fight the alarming levels of destruction that were taking place. Since this time, VFAPU has worked in close co-operation with the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the Zimbabwe Republic Police, to achieve many successes.

      Victoria Falls Waterfall and National Park, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Having started off with three scouts initially, the unit has grown in strength and now has twelve full-time scouts actively patrolling an area of approximately fifty square kilometers surrounding Victoria Falls. Our patrols operate seven days a week, day and/or night, as we endeavor to combat poaching in all its various forms. All our operations are in accordance with the Senior Warden, National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zambezi Camp. VFAPU personnel comprise of ex-commercial security guards, and ex-game scouts from Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

VFAPU game scouts

Subsistence Bushmeat Poacher

Commercial Poacher with skins