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Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust
The Trust is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance and promote environmental conservation in Southern Africa through hands-on wildlife research, management of a wildlife medical care facility and orphanage, and the education and empowerment of indigenous resources through active involvement in conservation training and community outreach programs. The objectives of the organization are first and foremost the care and rehabilitation of wildlife, and to impart knowledge and skills of conservation of natural resources to communities. Wild Horizons Wildlife Trust is dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and the environment. Their aim is to honor this through working on four project sectors:
- Community Outreach Programs: These are projects that are based in the surrounding communities with promotion of the education of conservation and self-sustainability. Projects include hosting 34 school groups for a day of conservation awareness and interaction with elephant, and joint community projects to control erosion, finding donations of school supplies for rural community schools and a project to provide SPCA harnesses to donkeys in the local area. In addition the Trust addresses the issue of communicable disease transference between humans, wildlife and livestock in bordering communal lands.
- Wildlife Research: Projects rooted in wildlife research are aimed at attempting to find an answer for the age old question of “How do we protect a particular species?”. The Trust assists other research projects in finding solutions for conservation including working with a French-based research team in Hwange National Park. Working together with the Botswana-based research organization “Elephants without Borders” they are reviewing elephant movement across international borders. In addition they are currently analyzing the genetics of both the black and white rhino populations in Hwange and Matopos National Parks, to see if each population is sustainable.
- Wildlife Orphanage: The Wild Horizons Trust was initiated with the idea of rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife in mind. Any animal that has been injured, abandoned, or has some species threat should be protected. The Trust accepts any wild animal that has in some way been harmed or interfered with by humans. Their mission is to treat and rehabilitate these animals and release them back into the wild. They have particular expertise with raising orphaned elephants. Working together with the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU) they also dart and treat any wildlife that is injured and can be treated in the field (many of these injuries due to snaring and poaching).
- Conservation Training: Although the Trust firmly believes in the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife, they also believe in teaching people to conserve and protect the environment. They have established a conservation training program that works with local communities to promote training for self-sustainability and anti-poaching. This includes addressing issues of wildlife-human interaction, especially in relation to elephants and lions.
The Trust is currently building a wildlife laboratory and clinic. This facility will be fully operational and equipped for a higher quality of treatment for injured, abandoned, orphaned or any wildlife needing additional care. The Trust will also use the lab and clinic as a base, as it is situated within Victoria Falls National Park. A wildlife disease monitoring program is already underway in conjunction with the Dept. of Veterinary Services Wildlife Unit, in which samples can be processed and either analyzed or sent on to the respective specialists in the field. This facility will be a central destination for researchers, visiting vets, veterinary interns, and students.
Silent Heroes Foundation will provide veterinary supplies to help meet the needs of the Trust, in particular with respect to the construction of the new wildlife laboratory and clinic.
For more information about the Trust please visit their website at:
