- Flying for Wildlife
- Helping to protect and
preserve Africa's wildlife
YOU CAN HELP
WHAT WE DO
Regionally a poaching epidemic has decimated the once thriving elephant populations of the Southern African region.
The Great Elephant Census funded by Paul Allen, the late co-founder of Microsoft. census revealed that Zimbabwe is the custodian of the world second highest population of elephant equal to the elephant populations of Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa COMBINED.
At the same time Zimbabwe is in the grips of a decades old socio-economic crisis with little funding to governmental conservation efforts leaving it to civil society to help conserve this global heritage.
Against this backdrop we provide significant conservation assistance through the provision of flights – free of charge- to aide in every facet of conservation.
The aerial perspective provided by Flying For Wildlife’s aircraft is of enormous value to field operations. The flights open up the exploration and monitoring of remote, rugged and expansive areas which are otherwise often left unpatrolled.
We provide time critical conservation intelligence which promotes informed decision-making, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our conservation partners' work.
Our flights enable conservation and research officers to quickly cover large tracts of wilderness, accomplishing in a two-hour flight what would take weeks to complete on the ground.
In August 2015 a group of Zimbabwean ultralight pilots flew more than 15 flights spanning a 3 day period as pre-game count familiarization flights over the Matusadona National Park at the request of Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe (WEZ).
This exercise proved to be the proof of concept and spawning ground for the formation of the Flying For Wildlife Trust. Consequently a non-commercial trust was born in the latter part of 2015 out of concern for the plight of Zimbabwe’s wildlife heritage with particular emphasis on elephant and rhino.
The main objective of the trust is to provide Zimbabwe National Parks Wildlife Management Authority and other stakeholders with regular aerial surveillance and monitoring over wildlife areas and national parks at no cost.
In the short few months since inception Flying For Wildlife pilots have already flown National Parks officers, researchers and anti-poaching units over various areas in the Zambezi Valley.
The activities of the Trust are extremely valuable to conservation efforts and are made possible by kind donations of fuel, accommodation and logistics from all those involved and, of course, the good will of the pilots and aircraft owners.
The Trust currently utilizes privately owned ultralight aircraft. Considering the tremendous conservation benefits of having eyes in the sky, the trust aims to acquire 3 Savannah ultralights to be used for wildlife and environmental conservation efforts.
The Trust’s activities are non-commercial and non-profit and the operations of the Trust are reliant on donations and good will of the pilots and aircraft owners.
MEET THE TEAM
Some of our dedicated volunteer pilots.
RICHARD TENNANT
“The moral imperative on us to help conserve wildlife in whatever way able, is immediate and without question”
Richard lives in Zimbabwe and has been married to Sharon for 17 years and has two daughters.
HANNES SCHOLTZ
Hannes lives in Zimbabwe with his wife Justine and his two boys.
He has a passion for flying and loves the bush. Mana Pools is his most favorite place in the world.
RICHARD THORNYCROFT
A passion for flying, 35 years farming, conservation education, holidays and fishing trips along the Zambezi river, working and visiting other African countries lead Richard to Flying For Wildlife where he could continue to pursue his lifelong interests through the protection of Zimbabwe's wildlife heritage.
ACHIEVEMENTS
Initial efforts by the trust relied on the goodwill of aircraft owners who donated not only their time but the use of their aircraft at the same time. In 2018 the trust was able to acquire its first aircraft and then in 2020 a second aircraft was acquired.
These acquisitions had a significantly positive impact on our ability to help and this is best demonstrated by the fact that to date Flying For Wildlife has flown over 1,200 hrs in aid of conservation, with over 520 hrs flown in 2020 alone.
Our missions have included
- Regular aerial surveillance flights over wildlife areas, delivering “eyes in the sky”
- Recording and reporting carcass locations, often in remote areas where poaching would otherwise remain unnoticed for months, thus gathering a foothold
- Patrolling international borders as these are poaching crossing points
- Monitoring illegal human encroachment into designated wildlife areas
- Monitoring burning within wildlife and wilderness areas
- Monitoring focal animal concentrations to assist with patrol planning
- Monitoring, particularly where elephant survival is dependent pumped water points
- Monitoring to assist ZPWMA with planning of patrols considering water availability
- Assisting with top cover during rhino operations including darting, dehorning, implantation, ear notching and translocating
- Assisting in the rescue, relocation and wild release of pangolin
- Assisting in the locating and tracking of elephant and lion
- Assisting in specialised vulture nest location flights
- African Lion & Environmental Research Trust (ALERT)
- Victoria Falls
Zambezi River Patrol
Chikwenya Airstrip
Chikwenya Airstrip
Mana Pools
Lowvelt Rhino Trust operations collaboration
Lowvelt Rhino Trust operations collaboration
Chitake
Buffalo, Chitake
Kariba shoreline
Kariba shoreline
Mana Pools
Buffalo, Mana Pools
Matusadona
Sanyati River, Matusadona
Sanyati River, Matusadona
Umi River
Umi River
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BEHIND THE SCENES
WE LOVE WHAT WE DO!
CONTACT US
LET'S TALK ABOUT IT
Contact us for more information on how we can help save Zimbabwe's wildlife and environment.
TRUST REGULATORY INFORMATION
Registered Offices
38 Cumberland Road
Eastlea
Harare
Zimbabwe
Accountants
Mikatem Financial Services
No. 12 Birchenough Road
Alex park
Harare
Zimbabwe
Commercial Bankers
CABS
Platinum Services
Harare
Zimbabwe
Notarial Deed Of Trust Registration number - 1465/2015
High Court Trust Registration Number - MAS 92/193
Aviation Regulators Status
The activities of the trust fall within the regulatory operations of the Zimbabwe Recreation Aviation Association as mandated by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe.
Flight Plan Clearances
All flights requiring Air Traffic Navigation Services are covered by a CAAZ approved flight plan filed in advance
National Parks Permission
All flights within air-space falling under the ZPWMA authority are undertaken within pre-approved permission issued from the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.
Ministry of Defence
All flights adjacent to international borders are undertaken within specific clearance granted by the Zimbabwe Ministry of Defence.
