North Carolina Zoo’s Post

🦁🌍 Happy #WorldLionDay! 🌍🦁 As we celebrate these magnificent big cats, let's also reflect on the challenges they bring to communities in Africa. Human-wildlife conflict is a daily concern for most people in Africa. Can you imagine living in an area where lions roam freely, where every evening you are filled with both hope and worry? Hope that the lions won't harm your livestock or put your loved ones at risk during their daily activities. Also, worry that you may wake up to find your livelihood taken from you. For some communities in Africa, this is their reality. On this day, let's raise awareness about the importance of finding ways for lions and communities to coexist. Human-lion conflict, like most, is complex, but conservation efforts driven by community involvement are key to protecting these iconic species and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of both humans and wildlife. #HumanWildlifeConflict #Coexistence #ConservationMatters #CommunityEngagement

The Swayne’s Hartebeest, a breed of antelope native to Ethiopia, is much revered by Oromo communities. But it's an endangered species, threatened by destruction of grasslands and overhunting. With support from Sida, Farm Africa in collaboration with the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority and community has supported the protection and improved management of the Swayne’s Hartebeest Sanctuary, home to 850 of these much valued animals. 🦌 We helped developed a sense of ownership of and responsibility for the park amongst the population of 13,500 people living there by enabling them to make a living from the sale of grass harvested from the park. Local leaders Aba Gedas play an enormous role in the protection and effective management of the park. Although the park has no physical fence, it is fenced through the mindset of the people: according to the local geda system no one should enter and disturb the park. Find out more about Farm Africa's work in Ethiopia's Central Rift Valley in our report: https://lnkd.in/dVatVePd #WildlifeConservationDay

THE PANGOLIN TRAGEDY The pangolin poaching crisis has reached critical levels, specifically in South Africa. Despite the global ban on trade, pangolins are still being poached at an alarming rate of one every five minutes. This is due to demand from traditional medicine markets in Africa and Asia. Asian pangolin populations have been decimated, and we want to prevent this from happening in South Africa. In the pangolin project, Selati supports the Rotterdam-based Kruger Park Wildlife Foundation, as well as South Africa’s Pure Wild Fund and WESSA (The Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa), one of South Africa’s longest standing environmental organisations. WESSA transfers pangolins that are rescued from the illegal wildlife trade to high-care rehabilitation facilities. These animals are then rehabilitated, fitted with specialized trackers and released into the wild. By closely observing and tracking the released pangolins we can make a significant contribution to their conservation. We thank an anonymous Dutch family foundation for making this rescue project possible. Selati: The Free Spirit of Africa E: [email protected] www.selatispirit.com www.krugerpurewild.com

5 FACTS ABOUT RHINOS 🦏 On World Rhino Day, let’s discover some interesting facts about rhinos to love them more: 1️⃣ Rhinos can weigh over 3 tons 2️⃣ What are rhino horns made of? The same stuff as our fingernails 3️⃣ Rhinos have poor vision 4️⃣ They love mud 5️⃣ Rhinos are under threat Over 7,100 African rhinos have been killed by poaching in the last 10 years – that’s around 2 every day. To learn more about the threats to Rhino’s, catch the Talk Show programme on VTV2 at 9pm today. With the support from USAID, the Saving Threatened Wildlife Project implemented by WWF in collaboration with MBFP, is working with partners in the public and private sectors to protect endangered species that are at risk of being trafficked into Vietnam, including African rhinos. © Marcus Westberg / WWF-US ----- #SavingThreatenedWildlife #USAIDProtectWildlife #WWFWildlife WWF-Viet Nam USAID @EducationforNatureVietnam TRAFFIC

Zimbabwe's Hwange National Park is facing an increasing elephant population, leading to concerns over habitat destruction and environmental risks. Over 100 elephants have died due to a drought caused by El Nino, with water sources in the park drying up. The park already has an overcrowded elephant population of over 45,000. Efforts to address the situation include the installation of solar-powered boreholes, but they are insufficient to meet the animals' water needs. As a result, elephants are forced to travel long distances, resulting in clashes with humans and a rise in human-wildlife conflicts. https://lnkd.in/dE2rjcZS

World Pangolin Day 2024 is on February 17, a day to raise awareness of pangolins or scaly anteaters, one of the most unique and endangered mammals on Earth. Their scales are harvested for traditional medicines that see them as cure-alls, but their scales are made of keratin like your fingernails and hair From Scent imprint conservation dogs, we work daily with pangolin scales with our wildlife detection dogs. Did you know that we have donated two specially trained dogs that search for pangolins in the wild? K9 Thor in South Africa and K9 Clive in Bangladesh, collect data for researchers, and because we know where they are the rangers can protect them better. We do this together with Global Conservation Force. #k9 #worldpangolinday #pangolins #pangolinconservation #snifferdogs #bavarianmountainhounds #bergzweethond #conservationdogs #fieldresearch #k9unit #scentimprintconservationdogs

Ever dreamt of elephant neighbors? In Zambia, that's a reality! This article explores the unique coexistence between Zambians and these giant creatures. But wait, there's more! Local wisdom suggests elephants might even hold the key to predicting natural disasters. Discover this fascinating story of community, conservation, and animal intuition. #LivingWithWildlife #HumanWildlifeConflict #CommunityConservation #IndigenousKnowledge #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #AnimalBehavior #AnimalBehaviourAndDisasters #ClimateChangeAdaptation #EnvironmentalPrediction #SaveTheSoil #CleanWaterAfrica #ProtectOurPlanet #GoGreen #ActNow #ForOurFuture #ProtectThePlanet #TireRecycling #GreenManufacturing #EcoInnovationAfrica #PublicHealthAdvocacy #RightToCleanAir #EnvironmentalImpact #BreatheClean #InvestInAfrica #TogetherWeCan https://lnkd.in/eXT_xRbX