Matetsi Victoria Falls establishes in-house Anti-poaching Unit
We are delighted to share the news of the establishment of an in-house anti-poaching unit on Matetsi Private Game Reserve. The latest step in our conservation journey, which we recently documented in this short video.
Over the last six years, we have seen life return to Matetsi Private Game Reserve, a vast 136,000-acre wilderness that had been previously devastated by poaching and illegal hunting.
With the commitment of our family-owners, we are proud to have been able to take the next step in this journey. We have brought in passionate Zimbabwean conservationist, Brian Gurney to set up and lead our conversation and security team. Focused primarily on protecting the vast wilderness that is Matetsi Private Game Reserve, and the wildlife that call this area home, this team has also been trained as personal security should guests request this.
The formation of this in-house anti-poaching unit is essential to realising our long-term conservation goals, which include reintroduction of wildlife species within Matetsi Private Game Reserve (for example waterbuck in the near future, and hopefully rhino down the line) as well as the on-going preservation of flora and fauna species. Please read this recent blog post written by Brian Gurney, where he shares the story of the de-snaring operation of a young elephant, a great example of the incredible conservation work being done by Brian and his team across Matetsi Private Game Reserve.
Pictured here is the “passing out parade” of the scouts that have been trained up so far to form this unit. Serendipitous that this happened to fall on the same day that we were celebrating our five year milestone and the announcement of Matetsi Victoria Falls being voted the number one resort hotel in Africa in the prestigious Travel + Leisure 2021 World’s Best Awards. We are very proud of this achievement and the ongoing vision of the Gardiner family to realise the dream of showcasing everything exceptional about this beautiful country, Zimbabwe.
"Everything that we preserve, nurture and create will be our legacy, and as we protect our wild places for wildlife and future generations, we hope to inspire others to do the same" Sara Gardiner - Co-Founder
If you would like to find out more and/or would like to support our conservation efforts, please contact co-founder Sara Gardiner directly: [email protected]