BushTalk July 2025

July 2, 2025

Above: We knew buffalo bulls were stubborn – we just didn’t realise how stubborn! Read the backstory to this capture in our newsletter below.

From life-changing community initiatives to hair-raising wildlife relocation operations and groundbreaking genetics work, it’s been a busy few months here at Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust.

We’re delighted to share just a few of the positive stories from across our projects.

As always, thank you for being part of the journey. Your continued support helps make all this possible.

For Wild Africa,

Jessica Dawson

Executive Director

Uplifting communities, protecting landscapes

Recently, we trained 86 livestock farmers in sustainable feed formulation. The sessions covered rangeland restoration, hay bale production, supplementary feeding, and the creation of homemade salt lick blocks – practical tools to boost livestock productivity and improve land management.

To help reduce ongoing human-elephant conflict, we also trained communities in Hwange West on making chilli bricks and chilli string fences – a vital and proven elephant deterrent. Since this work began, we’ve seen crop-raiding incidents drop from 195 in 2021 to just 29 in 2024 across six wards in this area.

In May, with the support of our partners, we upgraded a manual bush pump in a village in Kachechete ward to a solar-powered one, adding two 5,000-litre storage tanks. Water is now piped closer to homes, improving access, safety, and quality of life for the entire village (pictured above).

Rescue + Rehab: We've had some tall orders recently!

Our wildlife rescue work continues daily. This year, we’ve removed snares from elephants, giraffes, and even a zebra foal, but the standout story is the relocation of one very stubborn buffalo, which had to be moved three times in a determined effort to ensure his safety. In case you missed it, the opening video shares a behind-the-scenes look at how much work, collaboration, and incredible team-spirit goes into just one of these operations.

Wildlife Crime + Forensics

Regionally, VFWT continues to grow in its role as a trusted conservation player. Earlier this year we launched our Countering Wildlife Crime Project – where we support government and assist with NGO coordination to tackle the illegal wildlife trade on a broader scale.

Back at our lab, our genetics team is developing panels for both black rhino and lion, enabling accurate identification of individual animals and their origins – essential tools for both conservation and legal enforcement.

Vulture News: new study ready + nest-site field monitoring begins

A recent study, developed in partnership with NASA and Connected Conservation, analysed 30 years of satellite imagery to assess the impact of artificial waterholes on white-backed vulture nesting sites. The findings revealed a clear link between increased elephant activity and the decline of critical nesting trees. These insights will help inform smarter waterhole placement, promote woodland recovery, and better protect this endangered species. If you would like to learn more about this work, please click here.

Meanwhile, vulture breeding season has started and our teams are in the field monitoring nest site activity and will soon begin satellite-tagging birds in key data-deficient areas.

Carnivore Survey

Together with collaborators, we’re also launching a large-scale carnivore survey using camera traps across Zambezi and Kazuma National Parks and surrounding safari and forestry areas. This will help us better understand species distribution and inform future conservation strategies.

New VFWT Community Hub underway

Lastly, we’ve signed a long-term land lease with Hwange Rural District Council and are planning a new community site. This hub will host training in sustainable agriculture, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, conservation education, and alternative livelihoods – bringing our team closer to the communities they support.