WILDLIFE RANGERS GEAR UP FOR THE 2022 WILDLIFE RANGER CHALLENGE
LONDON, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ahead of World Ranger Day on Sunday 31st July, over 100 ranger teams from 15 African countries including Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia and Nigeria are gearing up for the 2022 Wildlife Ranger Challenge, a multi-million dollar fundraising initiative, culminating in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge 21km half marathon on Saturday 17th September.
Race day will coincide with the African Ranger Congress taking place in Kasane, Botswana, at which Tusk and its partners, the Game Rangers' Association of Africa, and NATURAL STATE, intend to bring together delegates to take part in the Challenge, with a view to setting a new Guinness World Record for the fastest half marathon carrying 22kg.
The race will be accompanied by a series of mental and physical challenges, with the public in Africa and around the world encouraged to participate alongside the rangers. New this year will be a mini-challenge for ranger teams with canine units, in which dogs and handlers will demonstrate their tracking skills. Find out more, donate to the cause and sign up to run in solidarity with Africa's rangers at wildliferangerchallenge.org
The launch of this year's Challenge included a spectacular light display in London, with iconic landmarks such as the South African High Commission in the heart of Trafalgar Square being lit up to showcase a map of Africa and the participating countries.
Following the success of previous years' campaigns, which to date have raised a total of more than $12 million, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge 2022 will have a bigger impact than ever before, with this year's Challenge seeking to correct misconceptions of the role of rangers and support the development of the entire "rangering" profession. To support this goal, Mark Scheinberg and the Scheinberg Relief Fund, the Challenge's founding donor, has generously committed $1 million in match-funding in support of rangers, on top of the total $6.5 million to the campaign to date.
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge 2022 will spotlight the ever-diversifying role of rangers to demonstrate their wider roles as conservationists, teachers, community support workers and leaders, contributing not just to protecting wildlife and supporting their immediate communities, but to global UN Sustainable Development Goals.
As the Challenge develops, it aims to become a movement to drive the recognition of rangering as a profession, build camaraderie amongst rangers and their colleagues across borders, and drive improvements for the welfare of rangers in the field across Africa.
Effa Mathew Febwi from Gashaka Gumti National Park in Nigeria says: "Park Rangers are important to conservation all over the world because they patrol protected areas, monitor wildlife, prevent poaching and other illegal activities. They help communities resolve human-wildlife conflicts, engage local communities in conservation, assist with tourism and risk their lives for conservation. The Wildlife Ranger Challenge helps generate important funds from donors and lovers of nature that provide rangers with patrol and communication equipment, salaries and training programmes, support the families of fallen heroes and build skills in the community. Thank you so much!"
Bear Grylls, Adventurer and Tusk Ambassador, says: "Today, wildlife rangers face mounting pressures. Resources are incredibly stretched, with many working on the front line of Africa's protected areas lacking the essential tools to carry out their work safely. With poaching rates on the rise, the demands on rangers will only become greater. Taking part in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge is a fantastic way to show you're for wildlife rangers and ensures these conservation heroes receive the recognition and vital funds they so critically need."
Read more at: https://www.tusk.org/news/rangers-gear-up-for-the-2022-wildlife-ranger-challenge/
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