2019 Impact Report

It is an honor for us to share the steps the Mzuri Wildlife Foundation has taken over the last year to protect wildlife species, promote outdoor sports education and preserve our country’s hunting heritage. We are deeply grateful to you and our other donors and friends who make this work possible. These grants are a reflection of the values of our supporters and, we hope, will inspire your continued involvement.

Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust

Zimbabwe

Mzuri’s 2019 grant supported the Trust’s work to conserve the carnivore population in Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls region. This area is home to a critical population of lion that link the populations in Botswana to the west and the larger lion population in Hwange National Park to the south through wildlife corridors. Grant funds were used to collar and monitor lion and their spatial movements, remove snares from cats and prey species, and further the Trust’s work with local wildlife authorities and police on illegal wildlife trade cases.

leopard climbing tree limb

Zimbabwe Leopard Project

Zimbabwe

Mzuri provided the funding to launch a multi-year project researching the leopard populations in southern Masvingo Province of Zimbabwe. The project’s purpose is to inform decisions on the future of leopard hunting in Zimbabwe and to determine what is sustainable for hunting as a renewable resource. The research, which is providing in-depth data on leopard counts, reproductive rates, male to female ratios, cub survivability, etc., will be published and reported to the Zimbabwe Fish and Wildlife and given to the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Department. Grant funds were used to hire two rangers for scouting, trapping and baiting for camera data and to purchase tracking collars, camera traps, bicycles for the rangers, and transportation and fuel for the researchers.

Kids Outdoor Sports Camp

California

Over 200 youth campers in California attended Kids Outdoor Sports Camp over the summer of 2019. Of these campers, 132 participated in four Beginning Camps. Returning campers participated in activities to learn new sports and improve their skills in the outdoors. All campers learned about conservation while enjoying an amazing week in the outdoors without electronics. Mzuri’s grant provided scholarships for underprivileged youth and funding for KOSC staff.

The iThemba Trust

South Africa

The iThemba Trust is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty for the rural population of South Africa through sustainable rural development and quality education. Mzuri Wildlife Foundation has focused its support on iThemba’s community-based outdoor education programs. In 2019, Mzuri’s funding helped 52 teenage and younger campers attend iThemba’s challenging, three-night adventure camp and sponsored 29 students for the extended Back to Nature program which includes weekly lessons and an annual field trip. The grant also supported expanded training for iThemba’s outdoor center team.

NRA’s Women on Target

United States

Women are the fastest growing segment of the shooting sports. NRA’s Women On Target Instructional Shooting Clinics are designed to encourage more women to participate in all aspects of the shooting sports. These clinics provide introductory firearms safety training in a positive, supportive environment that is fun for both participants and volunteers. In 2019, Mzuri grant funds contributed to the purchase of safety glasses and earplugs for the 9000 new women shooters hosted at the clinics in the last year.

Water for Wildlife

Utah

The Water for Wildlife Foundation works to preserve, protect and improve water resources for wildlife and wildlife habitat. Over 505 water projects have been placed in 12 arid western states. The 2019 Mzuri grant was used to complete the installation of a larger capacity big game guzzler in the Wah Wah Mountain range of Utah, benefitting local elk, deer and antelope in addition to mountain lions, birds, and many other species of wildlife.

Dogs in Defense Against Poaching

Israel

Mzuri’s grant to the Israel Nature and Heritage Organization provided the funds for two defense dogs, including training, field preparation, and partner training, for anti-poaching use and protection of park personnel and sites. In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in violence and vandalism in Israel’s national parks and nature reserves while poaching has become more challenging to combat. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority successfully piloted the use of dogs to locate animal remains in favor of improved enforcement and to protect threatened inspectors and is expanding the program.

BOW & Conservation Education Programs

California

With grant support from Mzuri, California Waterfowl Association’s 2019 Becoming an Outdoor Woman (BOW) program hosted 14 events for 226 participants. Thirty-one new hunters received their hunter safety certificates and 115 volunteers taught women new outdoor skills. CWA had an 80-100% attendance rate for all of the women’s events.

A second Mzuri grant supported CWA’s Wildlife Conservation Science Education Seminar. Many of the 16 California teachers who attended came from schools that lack the opportunity to teach much, if any, conservation science. Over four days, attendees were taught about wildlife conservation and effective wildlife management practices and brought this knowledge back to their classrooms.

Get Involved in Mzuri’s Work

Visit a grantee during your travels and give us your feedback. Tell us about a conservation or education program you like that is making a notable difference. Encourage your hunting and fishing buddies to check out what we do. If you’d like to get more engaged, please contact Holly Garrison, Executive Director, at holly.garrison@mzuri.org

How you can help