Each anti-poaching team has one vehicle, usually a pick-up truck or an open-air
buggy. Some of these vehicles are new-ish. For example, in 2006, the Wildlife
Conservation Foundation of Tanzania (WCFT) donated 3 Toyota Land Cruisers to the
Tanzania Wildlife Department. However,
many of the anti-poaching vehicles are old.
When a government vehicle breaks down in the bush or in a village, the men fix it with whatever equipment they have brought with them. If they cannot fix it, they radio the nearest government headquarters or hunting safari camp, and they wait until somebody arrives with the correct parts or expertise.
Each anti-poacher carries an AK47 with a small supply of ammunition. The men are required to account for each round of ammunition. While they could benefit from having newer weapons, NO MORE POACHING does not donate or pay for weapons, ammunition, weapon repair or weapon training.
Each anti-poacher also has one change of official clothing, including a green uniform, a green beret, a black belt and calf-high black boots to protect against snakes. Each man also carries a tee-shirt, shorts and flip flops in a small bag. While this may not seem like much clothing, it is normal in the Tanzanian bush.
An anti-poaching team sets up camp in an unused hunting safari camp or in a fly camp, which means they park the vehicle in a shady area. The men share the tents, or if they do not have enough tents, they sleep outside in blankets. If they are going to stay in a fly camp for two or three days, they may build a small lean-to for shade, using tree limbs and woven grass.
They cook over an open fire. When they are in hunting camps, they use tables or chairs, but when they are in fly camps, they sit on their haunches or on logs, if they can find some without ants in them.
The anti-poaching teams do not have refrigerators, generators, Tupperware, Saran wrap, or mosquito netting. They are used to living without such things, and all that would not fit on the vehicle, anyway. When the anti-poaching teams moves to a new camp, the men pile their equipment in the back of the truck and sit on top of it.
At night, the men take turns staying awake so they will not get ambushed by poachers. During the day, they drive around looking for poachers or signs of them, such as dead animals, human footprints, boot prints, old campsites, trash, or holes dug for water. They also watch for smoke from campfires and for vultures circling overhead, indicating a kill beneath them. They also hike to the hilltops where they can check the area through their binoculars and hear gunshots better.
Since the Selous is such a vast area, and there are so few anti-poaching teams, they depend heavily on the legal hunters to report sightings. Then, the nearest team hurries to the reported area and follows the poachers' trail. When anti-poachers catch poachers, they take them back to Dar-es-Salaam to face charges.
When a government vehicle breaks down in the bush or in a village, the men fix it with whatever equipment they have brought with them. If they cannot fix it, they radio the nearest government headquarters or hunting safari camp, and they wait until somebody arrives with the correct parts or expertise.
Each anti-poacher carries an AK47 with a small supply of ammunition. The men are required to account for each round of ammunition. While they could benefit from having newer weapons, NO MORE POACHING does not donate or pay for weapons, ammunition, weapon repair or weapon training.
Each anti-poacher also has one change of official clothing, including a green uniform, a green beret, a black belt and calf-high black boots to protect against snakes. Each man also carries a tee-shirt, shorts and flip flops in a small bag. While this may not seem like much clothing, it is normal in the Tanzanian bush.
An anti-poaching team sets up camp in an unused hunting safari camp or in a fly camp, which means they park the vehicle in a shady area. The men share the tents, or if they do not have enough tents, they sleep outside in blankets. If they are going to stay in a fly camp for two or three days, they may build a small lean-to for shade, using tree limbs and woven grass.
They cook over an open fire. When they are in hunting camps, they use tables or chairs, but when they are in fly camps, they sit on their haunches or on logs, if they can find some without ants in them.
The anti-poaching teams do not have refrigerators, generators, Tupperware, Saran wrap, or mosquito netting. They are used to living without such things, and all that would not fit on the vehicle, anyway. When the anti-poaching teams moves to a new camp, the men pile their equipment in the back of the truck and sit on top of it.
At night, the men take turns staying awake so they will not get ambushed by poachers. During the day, they drive around looking for poachers or signs of them, such as dead animals, human footprints, boot prints, old campsites, trash, or holes dug for water. They also watch for smoke from campfires and for vultures circling overhead, indicating a kill beneath them. They also hike to the hilltops where they can check the area through their binoculars and hear gunshots better.
Since the Selous is such a vast area, and there are so few anti-poaching teams, they depend heavily on the legal hunters to report sightings. Then, the nearest team hurries to the reported area and follows the poachers' trail. When anti-poachers catch poachers, they take them back to Dar-es-Salaam to face charges.
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