Bees in Anti-poaching? (5-minute Video)

Anti-poaching operations are not just about chasing poachers through the bush. Zambeze Delta Safaris (ZDS) has several community projects to improve the livelihoods of the people in the area.

One of them is beekeeping. The project is centered around the women in the community and beehives, and beekeeping training is provided to the “bee shepherds”.

At harvest time, the bee shepherds can choose to keep or sell the honey. If they decide to sell, they are paid on the spot.

ZDS is developing a lockable concrete hive, reinforced with the wire from recovered snares, to keep potential thieves from raiding the honey.

Another of ZDS’s projects is the community fishing program. The Zambezi Delta has an incredible catfish population, which cannot easily be overexploited because a layer of papyrus covers the Delta.

The buffalo, elephant and hippo keep only a few little pools open, so the fishermen can only access a tiny proportion of the Delta. A set number of vetted fishermen are issued license tags that allow them to access the waters.