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Operation Pachamama - December 2021 Donor Report

 

There is much to report both looking backward and looking forward. We start where we always start: None of what Operation Pachamama has done and will do would be possible without your generous and continuing support. Give yourself a bow.

 

2021 saw Operation Pachamama sponsor its eleventh through fourteenth anti-poaching ranger through the course at the SA Wildlife College. At the same time, we sponsored ten rangers into their initial deployment as anti-poaching rangers, placing them out in the field protecting animals (six in 2020-21 and four in 2021-22). With the seemingly endless Covid pandemic, the tourism industry in South Africa continues to suffer with the resulting loss of anti-poaching dollars. Thus, the need for the important niche played by Operation Pachamama remains as strong as ever.

 

On the sad front, the donor trip planned for 2021 was postponed due to Covid. It has been rescheduled for November 2022 with the same itinerary. We thank those fellow travelers who have born this delay and their disappointment with patience and understanding.

 

Linda and Tom traveled to South Africa this past November to check on how your dollars were spent at one of the game reserves Operation Pachamama has helped in the past two years. Samara Private Game Reserve sits just outside the town of Graaff-Reinet in the Karoo, and we spent several nights there. We were able to confirm that the anti-poaching dog, Dutchie, that Operation Pachamama purchased for Samara is well-trained and doing important work. We had an opportunity to inspect a formerly run-down and abandoned building that Operation Pachamama dollars refurbished, thanks primarily to one very generous donor. The building is now a comfortable and clean home for Samara’s three anti-poaching rangers, and a prominent sign proudly announces for the world to see the critical role Operation Pachamama played in the renovation of the building into a working, living space. 

 

We are also pleased to note that all three of the rangers currently deployed at Samara were educated and deployed for one year by Operation Pachamama. In other words, your dollars are hard at work doing exactly what you want them to do, making a difference in the lives of animals. (Note:  We will be sending a separate email shortly outlining the vision Samara is trying to implement and how Operation Pachamama, funds permitting, hopes to help).

 

Finally (at least from a backwards perspective), just this past Sunday we held a zoom meeting for donors and other interest parties with one of our South African contacts, Alex van den Heever. Alex stayed up late Sunday night to make an informative and enjoyable presentation about the history and mission of The Tracker Academy and how it operates in conjunction with Operation Pachamama. Feedback from participants has been positive and if you missed it, a link to a recording of the event can be found below:

 https://www.dropbox.com/sh/awptep8n6ak4ecm/AABmvDGDxPUKWe6Wu8cocq5La?dl=0

 

One of the points Alex made that received the most positive reaction was the significant role The Tracker Academy plays in changing the lives of young, unemployed, rural, native Africans. Operation Pachamama’s mission continues that role. Thus, your dollars not only save animals, but they also help the global community by assisting young men and women crawl out of desperate poverty with sustainable jobs in the ecotourism industry.

 

Turning towards the future, Alex was able to provide incredible news about two new opportunities. First, we have the opportunity to expand our mission into an area of pressing need. In the past ten years, the Okavango Delta in Botswana has lost more than 350 rhinos to illegal poaching out of its total rhino population of only 450. That represents a loss of over 75%!

 

As it happens, however, The Tracker Academy has just graduated two young men from Botswana who want to go into anti-poaching work. And it also happens that a nonprofit organization in Botswana, Rhinos without Borders, has reached out to Alex with a proposal to deploy those two men in the Okavango Delta. Unfortunately, the funding isn’t there to do so unless Operation Pachamama fills the void.

 

To be perfectly honest, Linda and Tom were reluctant to venture outside of their comfort zone in South Africa. They were concerned about corruption and whether we could ensure your dollars were fulfilling the function intended by you. However, Alex has assured us that the funds will not go through the Botswana government and that the people operating Rhinos without Borders are legitimate and trustworthy. Your dollars will go to The Tracker Academy which will enter into an agreement with Rhinos without Borders directly. With the ability to monitor, Operation Pachamama has decided to make the deployment of these two anti-poaching rangers our first priority in 2022. The cost of deployment alone for these two rangers is between nine and ten thousand dollars depending upon the exchange rate.

 

The second opportunity is in South Africa and promises to hold the largest long-term benefit. Alex is within days of executing a Memorandum of Understanding with the National Park system (SANParks) to deploy anti-poaching rangers in Kruger National Park. Due to the extreme drop in revenue, Kruger is currently heavily understaffed, falling substantially short of the number of rangers they need. Kruger is vast and a hotbed of illegal poaching.

 

Anti-poaching rangers are virtually guaranteed of being shot at by one of the large cartel operations within six months of deployment at Kruger. How’s that for dedication?

 

Due to the increased danger, the cost of deployment in Kruger is higher than elsewhere. The MOU with SANParks is conditioned upon available funding, of course. Operation Pachamama will be the primary source of that funding and we have set the goal of funding three rangers in 2022. We’d prefer to do four, but the cost of three is between eighteen thousand and twenty thousand dollars. Either way, our work is cut out for us and Operation Pachamama is in an asking mode as we enter 2022.

 

Those of you who are Tusker Club members, it is time to make your annual donation. For everyone else, it is still the time of year when donations of all sizes are most needed and truly welcomed. But we are going to be blunt and tell you we need more help than the minimum if we’re to meet our objectives. Thus, we ask you to do one of three things if you haven’t already done so (or all three if you’re so moved): 1) double your donation this year; 2) convert your donation to a recurring monthly amount (easily done on our website, opmama.org); and/or 3) solicit a friend or family member to become a supporter of Operation Pachamama. Donations can be made on our website as set forth above, on our Facebook page, and via check mailed to PO Box 783, Carefree, AZ  85377. We are eternally grateful for everything you do.

 

Have a blessed holiday season and Happy New Year, and thanks for caring.