Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust (WHWT) Zimbabwe
Who Are They: WHWT's mission is to advance and promote environmental conservation in Southern Africa through hands-on wildlife research; management of a wildlife medical care facility and orphanage; the education and empowerment of indigenous resources through active involvement in conservation training and community outreach programs.
What They Do: In April 2008, the Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust began as an effort to put more resources into protecting natural resources and educating others in conservation and anti-poaching efforts. In 2009 we received private funding to build a Wildlife Laboratory and Clinic. This facility will allow us to improve the standard of care offered to many of the animals that we treat from snare wounds, or human inflicted injuries. The laboratory will be a springboard for processing samples taken from wildlife and sending those respective samples onto experts in the field or other laboratories for further processing.
All activities for the Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust center around achieving our objectives which are "first and foremost the care and rehabilitation of wildlife, and to impart knowledge and skills of conservation of natural resources to communities."
Over the years we have learned that we will never make as large an impact on conservation by simply treating the effects of poaching and the degradation of natural resources, rather than treating the causes. Therefore, we have begun a program in which we train people in local communities.
Expert Action
Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust
Updated By: Jessica Dawson
Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust together with the Zimbabwe Dept. of Veterinary Services, including the Wildlife Veterinary Unit, will be undertaking a project in July and August of 2011 to evaluate whether bovine tuberculosis (bTB), Brucellosis and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is present in the Victoria Falls Region of Zimbabwe.
Until recently Zimbabwe has believed to have been free of bTB, but the disease has recently been found in buffalo the very southern part of Gonarezhou National Park. The Victoria Falls Region is of great importance for this study as it is to be a major destination in the KAZA (Kavango Zambezi) Transfrontier Conservation Area which is in a stage of early development, and will encompass four neighboring countries. There are no fences separating movement of wildlife between Zimbabwe and the other countries. Hence, the need to determine of if the Victoria Falls region is Bovine Tuberculosis and FMD positive, as well as the incidence of Brucellosis.
The implications of Bovine Tuberculosis being transmitted in Zimbabwe are large. Bovine Tuberculosis’ can infect the wild buffalo population, which if they are near livestock as is the case in the Victoria Falls area, then cattle can be infected, and ultimately humans if they consume the milk, uncooked meat or offal from those livestock. Furthermore, with the lion population regenerating in the area, bTB could be a major factor in the mortality of the species.
FMD can spread from buffalo carriers of the virus to cattle, if they are in close contact. Outbreaks of this disease in cattle are costly to control and havr major trade implications, as well as the ability of draught cattle to work.
Therefore bTB and FMD not only have broader health implications, but also will affect the recovering economy of Zimbabwe and the commercial sale of beef as a commodity.
The Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust working together with the Department of Veterinary Services, Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority as well as local communities, plans to dart and test 100 buffalo in the area as well as sample 200 cattle for bTB, Brucellosis and FMD.
Project Field Photos:
Sampling of Buffalo
Sampling of Buffalo in Gonarezhou National Park
