
Image via SouthAfricaBrand.com
South Africa is a country I have always been mystified by. It’s history intrigues me and also sounds quite similar to that of the US. The only difference is the apparent injustices that occurred in South Africa were only addressed not too long ago. With that being said, there is a lot the US could learn from SA and we could learn from them. With that being said, the issue of poaching in Africa is horrendous. It’s truly a double edged sword, simply because you have these animals that are being killed for their skins, horns, internal organs and what have you is done illegally. Unfortunately, poaching is typically performed by impoverished people for subsistence purposes and a supplement for meager diets. In the beginning anyhow. Now those same people who are struggling, resort to poaching to help their families and village by bringing home some cash. Hence the problem. On the same side, most tend to think of the poaching that is set against the hunting privileges of nobility and territorial rulers. Or in more modern times, those who kill the animals for sport and pose in front of their kill for instagram, Facebook what have you…

Image by Julia Gunther via huffingtonpost.com
Enter these beautiful women known as the Black Mambas, South Africa’s all female anti-poaching paramilitary team. These fearless ladies are recruited from local communities on the western boundaries of South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Their task, to inhibit and stop people from poaching rhino’s for their horns, and other animals from being butchered for their “bush meat”. Now a team 36, they have helped to diminish the number of animal casualties of the Balule Nature Reserve. The ex-soldiers are so important because when these animals are sought and killed, the effects on the disruption of ecological and evolutionary processes, changes in species composition within ecosystems and a general reduction in biological diversity. They matter and I just happen to think it’s extra bada** that they are all women.

Image by Julia Gunther via huffingtonpost.com
I salute these brave, intelligent women for using their skills as ex-soldiers for good. Asserting themselves to solve a problem that needs to be seen. Due to all they’ve done, they have also received the “Champions of the World” award from the United Nations Environment Programme in 2015, amongst a string of other awards. These ladies are proving that anyone can contribute to the good of their community and that every little bit matters. Final word: The black mama’s are lit and they’re letting packers know that they do bite!