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Where People and Wildlife Collide (or Coexist) – Capture It!”
Show Us the Wild Side of Real Life What does living with wildlife really look like? No filters. No staged drama. No “Instagram vs Reality” lies. Just the real, raw, everyday truth of sharing space with the wild. Across the globe, people and wildlife walk the same paths — sometimes in perfect harmony, sometimes in not-so-perfect chaos. This is your chance to capture those stories. Not the glossy tourist snaps or a lion posing like a celebrity influencer. We want authenticity: dignity, resilience, humor, and heart. Whether you’re a seasoned shutterbug or your best lens is your smartphone (with a suspicious crack across the screen), this competition is for you.…
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Africa at Conservation Crossroads: A Funding Crisis, and Moment of Possibility
There has never been a more urgent or opportune time to rethink the future of conservation in Africa. South Africa (05 May 2025) – As global attention shifts elsewhere and traditional donor streams dry up, conservation in Africa stands at a turning point. Yes, there is a funding crisis. But there is also growing motivation to tell a different story: one of African-led solutions, resilient ecosystems, and recognition of our biodiversity not just for its beauty, but for its central role in sustaining livelihoods, economies, and life itself. Over the past four months, the global funding landscape has shifted — fast. Governments are broke or looking inward. Donors are distracted. Philanthropy…
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Poachers’ partners: When Kruger’s rangers turn rogue
Insiders describe why, and how, rangers sworn to protect wildlife collude with poaching syndicates slaughtering rhinos. Tulani Ngwenya investigates Despite integrity tests and modern surveillance technology, insiders at the Kruger National Park reveal that corruption persists systemically, fuelled by poverty wages, predatory debt cycles, and communal ties binding rogue rangers to syndicates. After months of building trust, Oxpeckers gained exclusive access to information from four people who have witnessed firsthand the dark realities of the illegal connections and how they operate. They described a world where financial pressure, coercion and broken systems converge to push even well-intentioned rangers into the orbit of rhino-poaching syndicates. Melusi*, a mid-level Kruger manager involved in anti-poaching…
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Open doors: Official complicity in cross-border rhino horn poaching and smuggling
An Oxpeckers reporter speaks to syndicate insiders about the role of corrupt law enforcement officials enabling cross-border illegal trade in rhino horns At a smugglers’ “den” near the Lebombo post between South Africa and Mozambique, a former rhino horn smuggler described how border officials receive bribes to ensure safe passage for illicit goods. “If you know the right police manning the border crossing, no problems are encountered. Money talks,” he said. Atanasio* said he currently works as a mechanic in the border area and manages a drug-smuggling operation. He has multiple identities and has gone undetected by law enforcement agencies. The smuggler’s den, masquerading as a car-spraying workshop, was a…
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Coal mining fear sparks unexpected conservation boom in Mpumalanga
The ecologically rich grasslands in Mpumalanga’s highveld have become a front line in the struggle between biodiversity and coal mining. Fearful of open-cast mining’s devastating impacts, a growing number of South African landowners are turning to an unconventional shield: biodiversity protection. While their motives may not be entirely green, the outcome has been, in the words of Brian Morris, “a blessing in disguise” for conservation and South Africa’s biodiversity conservation goals. Morris heads the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency’s biodiversity stewardship programme, which allows for the declaration of “protected areas on land owned by private individuals, by communities, by companies and trusts”. Unconventional shield These landowners commit to “long-term commitments…
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Discovery(ing) the greedy, grubby side of life assurance
I have learnt, the hard way, that people selling life assurance can never be trusted. I base this on my sad and recent experiences with Discovery Life. In 2003 I took out a life policy with Discovery Life, against my mother’s wishes. I checked several times with the agent selling the policy, at the time, that when I was too old to work, the premiums would end, and the benefit would stay as it was, without growing, until my family needed it. I was assured repeatedly that this was so. So, for 21 years, I paid in every month. Not once in that time did anybody from Discovery contact me.…
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