‘They are true Wildlife Warriors!’ Bindi Irwin uses her star power to bring attention to an anti-poaching organisation run by women
Bindi Irwin is using her star power to bring attention to an anti-poaching organisation in South Africa.
The wildlife warrior, 21, shared a series photos of herself with members of the Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit, which were taken back in 2018.
Photos from her visit – which was featured in the first season of Crikey! It’s the Irwins – also shows Bindi joining the rangers on patrol.
‘They are true Wildlife Warriors!’ Bindi Irwin has used her star power to bring attention to an all-female anti-poaching initiative based in South Africa’s Kruger National Park called the Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit
In the caption, she called the women ‘role models’ and encouraged her fans to follow their work and donate to their cause.
‘They are doing in South Africa as the first all-women anti-poaching initiative. They are true Wildlife Warriors on a mission to change the world,’ she added.
The Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit was founded in 2013 by conservationist Craig Spencer of Transfrontier Africa and are based in Kruger National Park.
Role models: The wildlife warrior, 21, shared a series photos of herself with members of the Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit from her visit back in 2018 – which was featured in the first season of Crikey! It’s the Irwins. In one photo, Bindi joined the rangers on patrol
The group of 22 women protect wild animals, particularly rhinos, that live and roam around the Balule Private Nature Reserve.
They also ‘search and destroy poachers’ camps, wire snares and bush meat kitchens every single day’ according to Transfrontier Africa.
During Bindi’s 2018 visit to Kruger National Park she spoke to Craig, who explained that he had to approach the chiefs of their communities about starting up the women’s group.
‘They are mission to change the world’: Bindi called the women ‘role models’ and encouraged her fans to follow their work and donate to their cause
He said that the chiefs wanted those jobs for their men, but Craig insisted that the women should get the ranger jobs because of their ‘nurturing attitude’.
‘Now, they (the rangers) are deployed all over the landscape in five different locations.
‘They patrol independently, day and night and it’s worked tremendously well for us,’ Craig added.
How it all started: The Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit founded in 2013 by conservationist Craig Spencer (pictured with Bindi). He told Bindi that he insisted to community chiefs that the women should get the ranger jobs because of their ‘nurturing attitude’