CELEBRATING WORLD RANGER DAY

(Project: Conservation Education)

On July 30^th 2016 at Lilongwe Wildlife Centre, Malawi celebrated World Ranger Day for the very first time, following an initiative by LWT and DNPW. World Ranger Day celebrates frontline conservation work achieved by scouts in the field and commemorates those who have been injured or lost in the line of duty.

As a launch for Malawi, this year’s celebrations looked at the challenges faced by scouts today. Visitors were invited to attend presentations by DNPW, Lilongwe Community Choir and Pro-telligent Security, in addition to the premiere of LWT’s Ranger Day film. DNPW director, Mr B. Kumchedwa, graced the occasion as guest of honour and congratulated Malawian rangers for their hard work.

Visitors were then given the chance to learn the combat skills they had seen performed on stage by Pro-telligent, and to compete against each other at the Lilongwe Wildlife Centre obstacle course. There were some impressive shows of sportsmanship with the top 3 men finishing just 5 seconds apart!

Tour operators, lodges and cafes kindly sponsored the event in the form of a charity raffle. Meditterraneo restaurant, Flavours Café, Bua River Lodge, Madidi Lodge, Ama Khofi, Latitude 13, Koko Bean Café, Kuti Wildlife Reserve, CAWS, Land and Lake Safaris, Malawian Style and Lilongwe Wildlife Trust all gave generously, donating fantastic prizes for the guests of the day.

Funds raised have been divided between LWT’s Wildlife Emergency Response Unit and donated to DNPW to help scouts on the ground in their daily work. We very much look forward to next year’s event, when we hope to get you all involved in fundraising for this excellent cause!

Check out the video below to see the amazing job Malawi’s Rangers do: