June 2017 | 67
But what is an “ anti-poaching ranger ”
These are the men , and increasingly women , on the frontline of protecting Africa ’ s wildlife . This involves skilled tracking , perseverance through thick bush and long hours spent amongst some of the most dangerous animals in the world �ele�hants , lions , buffalo , to name but a few ). It is tough , dangerous and thankless work .
The catalyst for supporting rangers were the hard facts . Firstly , it ’ s very possible that we ’ ll see the extinction of the elephant and rhino within a mere two decades because of poaching . Secondly , two rangers die a week worldwide trying to protect our planets ’ giants .
The project was formed as a reaction to this and aims to raise awareness and funds for anti-poaching rangers across Africa . The boys are doing this by supporting For Rangers , an organisation dedicated to improving ranger welfare . They ’ ll also be making a feature documentary on route about these individuals who risk their lives every day to protect Africa ’ s wildlife .
Why Jo-burg to Nairobi ?
The area between Johannesburg and Nairobi gives a rough geographical guide to where poaching is concentrated within Sub-Saharan Africa . As they travel through South Africa , Botswana , Zimbabwe , Zambia , Malawi , Tanzania , Rwanda , Uganda and Kenya , they ’ ll also pass through the majority of the countries that For Rangers operate in .
Why Cycle ?
Their decision to cycle also bares relevance to the day-today lives of rangers . This is that bicycles are the primary mode of transport for rangers throughout Africa . Cycling , therefore , provides them with common ground with the sub�ects of the film . There is no doubt that the access and support they ’ ve gained from people on the ground would not have been as strong if it were not for the fact that they are mad enough to cycle this journey !
They ’ ll be keeping you up-to-date throughout the trip , sharing stories of their progress and painting a picture for you of those who risk their lives every day on the frontline of Africa ’ s war with poaching .
Let ’ s not let this extinction happen on our watch ! www . cyclingforrangers . com / donate
The first few days ... ( by Will J )
For six months , it ’ s been impossible to visualise what the first few days of this tri� would be like . They ’ ve been the longest , shortest , hardest , most fun and most entertaining few days of my life .
The journey started on the R555 , a busy tarmacked one-lane artery flowing into the east of South �frica . We quickly discovered it wasn ’ t the ideal place to be cycling based on the fact that it ’ s a major trucking route to the heavy industry of Steelpoort and quarries of the surrounding area .
The alternative was to take the long route – 50km of dirt track , sheer rock and potholes . Quite lively riding !
�t no stage were things livelier than our first interaction with the locals on this unnamed dirt track . Wadi and Charlie had ploughed on ahead , while Theo and I were sorting out a minor mechanical issue with my bike .
The boys u� ahead came across a grou� of four or five men brandishing some fairly sinister looking machetes . Charlie ’ s natural reaction was to offer them a cigarette , only to hear a barking order from Wadi behind him saying , “ NO ! Don ’ t do that !” Charlie quickly withdrew his offer by �ointing back to us and saying , �Those guys back there have the cigarettes … SORRY !” and scooting past them on his bike .
With my bike in check , Theo and I brought up the rear and cycled past the men , who were giving us some pretty vicious looks . Everything was fine , but lesson learnt� don ’ t offer cigarettes to strangers brandishing machetes and then withdraw the offer ... not the best idea .
By 6pm we ’ d covered 50km of our target 70km . The light fades extremely quickly , so we had about �� minutes to find somewhere suitable to sleep . We spotted a small farmhouse down a narrow dirt track and decided that was the best option . We came to this tiny outhouse where a delightful man called ‘ Flox ’ lived , who looked after the property on behalf of the owner . Despite an English- Afrikaans language barrier , Flox understood our needs and kindly called up the owner for us . We set up camp and slept well . Massive result .
Day two began with some very tough , steep climbs on dirt tracks , until we rejoined tarmacked roads at midday . �e sto��ed off for lunch at a �etrol station where an Afrikaans guy called Rudolph rolled down his window and beckoned us over . He said he ’ d seen us the day before and ‘ was rooting ’ for us . He also insisted that to go any further along our route wasn ’ t safe in that ‘ only black people live beyond this point .’ He even wrote out an alternative route for us all the way up to Balule Nature Reserve . This was quite a shocking thing to hear , so we decided to seek a second opinion . Two motorcyclists pulled in and we beckoned them over . They ’ d just come from the general direction we were headed and