• About Lusenga Trust
• About our park
• Mission Statement
• Community Projects
• Board of Trustees
• Anti Poaching Campaigns
• Wild Gallery
• How To Get There
• Places To Visit

• Lusenga Lodge
• Chita Lodge

Anti- Poaching Activities

Within and around Lusenga Plains National Park there are 3 distinct types of Poaching all of which Lusenga Trust Limited is assisting Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) combating. The least serious but hard curb is SUBSISTENCE POACHING. Zambia is a relatively poor nation and the rural people do not have the luxury to view wildlife for its beauty and often view it for nutritional value it can provide for their families. One of the greatest threats and challenges in the Park is the Bush meat Trade or what can be classified as COMMERCIAL POACHING. This type of Poaching is normally instigated by middlemen and the wealthier that are often from the bigger towns and cities. Then they are TROPHY POACHING which mainly targets endangered species for the ivory, horns, pelts and body parts. Once again these poachers are often, although not always employees at the end of the chain. They tend to use more sophisticated Military weapons. It is trophy hunting that is responsible for the extermination of the once healthy population of Rhino and of the decimation of elephants during the 1970’s and 80,s. Due to rapid response to Gunshot reports there has been a decrease in the use of firearms in poaching activities. Unfortunately this has resulted in an increase in the use of wire snares.

Our Anti-Poaching activities are undertaken by our cadre of Village Game Scouts (VGS) and ZAWA wildlife Police Officers. Our VGS operate under the direct supervision and authority of staff from ZAWA. Our Anti-poaching strategies differ from one area to the next and depend on local context and threats which exist, VGS are typically deployed at either fixed posts, such as Control Posts on Roads and other transport axes or on mobile patrols, which are deployed at strategic points and move by foot, bicycles, vehicle or boat. These control posts slow commercial bush meat trade by interrupting transport of meat for markets and weapons to the park. At the control the control posts VGS search any passing vehicles for bush meat, wildlife products and illegal weapons. Mobile patrols are deployed to strategic areas where the threat of poaching is often highest. Patrols can last from a few days to a month. All patrols carry GPS units to record their itinerary, allowing for a spatial analysis of patrol effort and effectiveness.

Data such as patrol effort (number of men/women and number of patrol days), spatial coverage, illegal human sign, animal carcasses, seizures and arrests is entered into a Database and this can be analyzed and compared across time and space. There is strong evidence that the number of wildlife has increased or at least stabilized in and outside the park since beginning of VGS involvement. Statements from VGS suggest that wildlife is now coming back to areas where it has been absent for many years.