Welcome back to our brand new series, Far-Flung. We’re speaking to the best landscape and wildlife photographers from all over the globe about the vistas that have charmed and thrilled their lenses.
For our second trip, we travel to South Africa with photographer Julia Gunther and meet the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit, the Black Mambas.
To try and stop rhino’s from being hunted to extinction, Balule head warden and founder Craig Spencer uses specially trained local women, who often come from the same community as the poachers, to patrol the reserve
“The entrance to the reserve is only a 20-minute drive from Hoedspruit [South Africa]. But once you’ve driven through its gates, you immediately feel the remoteness of the place,” says photographer Julia Gunther.
Covering more than 40,000 hectares, the Balule Nature Reserve is situated on the western boundary of one of Africa’s largest game reserves, the Kruger National Park. Across its plains roam giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, elephants, lions, cheetahs and rhinos, crossing freely into neighbouring Kruger Park (with which it shares open borders). But beneath the veneer of serenity, there lurks a more ominous threat.
ArrayThree Black Mambas waiting, Balule Nature Reserve, South Africa, 2015.
South Africa – which hosts 80% of the entire world’s rhinos – is an epicentre for poaching. Defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, poaching was born out of necessity as impoverished families would hunt animals for sustenance when they couldn’t afford food. But poaching has become an ever-more lucrative trade in recent years, driven by a growing demand for rare animal parts in traditional Chinese medicine.
Among the most hunted animals is the African black rhino. From 2013-2017, more than 1,000 rhinos were killed annually. Rhino horn is especially prized in countries such as China and Vietnam for its alleged medicinal properties and is currently one of the world’s most valuable commodities, selling for £100,000 a piece on the Asian market. In some areas surrounding Kruger National Park – where the unemployment rate exceeds 85% – the lure of joining a poaching gang can be irresistible.
The only thing that has actually shown any return for its investment is the Black Mambas.
“We’ve experimented with a lot of different technologies [to deter the poachers]: drones, thermal optics, satellite tracking, real-life tracking, but nothing has actually worked,” said Black Mambas founder/CEO in an interview in 2015 for Unreported World. “The only thing that has actually shown any return for its investment is the Black Mambas.”
Julia first came across the Black Mambas after reading an article about them in the Guardian. As her documentary work often examines the role of women in society, Julia was instantly hooked and knew she wanted to do a story on them.
Black Mambas Felicia and Joy, Balule Nature Reserve, South Africa
Established in 2013, the Black Mambas are the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit. The women – some as young as 18 – are there to protect the country’s wildlife, providing early detection of poachers through regular monitoring and daily surveillance patrols.
“The Mambas focus on preventative policing,” explains Julia. “Their eyes and ears are the first line of defence, which means they patrol the park and alert wardens and armed guards to trouble.”
the Black Mambas are the world’s first all-female anti-poaching unit
Each new recruit undergoes three months of intensive training, including 3-mile daily runs, theory and learning surveillance practices and survival tactics in the bush. Although having physical and mental strength and a love of nature are prerequisites, everything else is learnt on the job.
The Mambas spend 21 days on the reserve at a time, before taking 10 days off to return home. Each day, they patrol the park for eight hours looking for signs of poachers. Anything from a tampered fence to a footprint or a wounded animal might act as leads or clues. The Mambas also conduct regular sweeps through the reserve and its periphery, searching cars and buildings for weapons and contraband.
ArrayBlack Mambas Nkateko and Happy
At first light, patrols are conducted on foot and at dusk, they head out onto the savannah in a jeep. Poachers often use the cover of darkness to breach the electric fence and enter the park. After tracking down a rhino, they typically use a tranquilliser gun to demobilise the animal, before hacking off its horn and leaving it there to die.
“Depending on which Mamba station you visit it can feel rather isolated and lonely at times, but if you listen carefully you can hear life all around you,” says Julia. “During a full moon patrol, when the reserve is more lit than usual at night, it is a magical place – even if you are there to look for poachers.”
One night, while Julia was on patrol with the Mambas, they encountered a group of lionesses. Julia remembers how they sat in the open vehicle as the driver failed to get the car to start – and the lionesses gradually moved in closer; then, after what seemed like an eternity, the engine rumbled to life.
Although their army fatigues might give them the outward appearance of soldiers, the Mambas’ strategy is distinctly non-violent and they always operate unarmed. In fact, one of the Mambas says their greatest weapon is being women, as they’re not perceived as a threat.
“Aside from the traditional armed approach, the fight against poachers needs a local, softer hand as well, one that connects to local communities and uses education initiatives,” says Julia.
“The Black Mambas have a unique connection with the communities that live on the boundaries of Balule Nature Reserve and the Greater Kruger Park; they live in the same villages and towns as many of the poachers. They can engage with them on a more personal level.”
Nomuntu
Thuli
Nomsa
Leitah
Part of the education initiatives that Julia mentions involve the Mambas visiting local schools and educating children about the importance of protecting the environment, known as The Bush Babies program. They also teach them about the harmful consequences of poaching.
“It is important to understand that there are different kinds of poaching,” says Julia. “Rhino, elephant, pangolin, etc. are poached for financial reasons. They are a commodity that is shipped out of the country to consumer nations in Asia, the Middle East and the West. The other kind of poaching is bushmeat-based. Poachers kill animals either because they themselves are hungry, or because they can sell the meat at a market. Both are incredibly damaging to the environment and local wildlife.”
Since the Mambas’ deployment in 2013, poaching and snaring has declined by as much as 76 per cent
Although they have been ridiculed in the past for their non-combative approach, the presence of the Black Mambas on the reserve has so far proven a success. Since their deployment in 2013, poaching and snaring has declined significantly (by as much as 76 per cent). In 2015, the Black Mambas were awarded the Champions of the Earth Award for outstanding courage in fighting the illegal wildlife trade.
But their work comes with no small sacrifice. As many of the Mambas are wives and mothers, their long shifts on the reserve mean less family time. Valeria van der Westhuizen, Media Liaison, Transfrontier Africa NPC, says that, last year with the start of the pandemic in SA and the consequent lockdown, some of them had to work 52 days non stop, without an opportunity to go home and see their families at all.
ArrayProud (left) and Yenzekile (right), two Black Mamba scouts, disable a snare laid out by poachers, Balule Nature Reserve, South Africa
Julia says that while motivations for doing the job naturally vary from person to person, the most common reasons for becoming a Black Mamba were: to progress professionally and earn respect in their communities; to help preserve local wildlife and combat the evils of poaching; and to prove that women are just as capable as men.
According to Black Mambas founder/CEO Craig Spencer, a Mamba’s entry salary is way above the industry norms and far above minimum wage: “A Mamba that earns more badges (K9, Sargeant, First Aid, Driver, etc.) earns incentives for every rank accumulated. Therefore a senior Mamba can be earning as much as a senior conservation manager,” he says.
Black Mamba Yenzekile and a dead Kudu
“The Black Mambas are real role models in their communities. They are not only mothers and wives, they are breadwinners as well,” adds Valeria van der Westhuizen.
While spending time with the Mambas, Julia was keen to highlight their strength of character, alternating between individual portraits and group shots which convey the sense of camaraderie that exists between the women, who often have close connections back in their own communities too.
“On a personal level, it was an absolute honour to have been able to work with the Mambas on three separate occasions,” reflects Julia. “As a society I hope we learn how invested local communities are in protecting wildlife, how international the illegal wildlife trade is and how a significant part of it is caused by socio-economic problems.”
- For more of Julia’s work, please visit juliagunther.com
- To make a donation to the Black Mambas to ensure they can continue to carry out vital work, please visit blackmambas.org
