botswana wildlife rescue

Raising funds to treat, rehabilitate, & reintegrate animals in the wild

NEW: Botswana Wildlife Slideshow & Botswana Wildlife Rescue Launch video

with lois

Join Lois as she guides us through her experiences via slideshow: from interacting with a diverse variety of wildlife in Botswana, to meeting Tony, to supporting his efforts to restart a wildlife rescue in the country!

Overview

Meet Anthony Ntalamo of Tony Mobile Safari. Born in Botswana, Tony has been guiding visitors through the Wildlife Reserves for almost two decades; he’s well known for his incredible skill at locating animals while out in the bush and his expansive knowledge about native animal life and behavior. Now he’s looking to do more to protect threatened wildlife, with your support, I want to help him.

We’re looking to raise $100,000 as an initial investment:

to start building a facility, hiring staff and a veterinarian, purchasing vet supplies/food, air support to relocate animals, and other expenses involved in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.

How it started

In August of 2023, I visited Botswana to spend time observing and photographing the wildlife. While out on safari with Tony, we observed a young male leopard with a broken jaw. In other countries where Wildlife Rescues are well funded, that leopard would have been picked up and brought back to a facility for medical care and recovery. The tragedy is, there is no Rescue Center in Botswana, so the leopard was doomed to a terrible death - and further would be removed from sustaining the leopard population.

Unfortunately, in 2010, the government shut down the previous Wildlife Rescue Organization when they discovered the veterinarian from another country was illegally trafficking the rehabilitated wildlife. It is long overdue for a Wildlife Rescue to be supported once again.

It is our collective duty to be stewards of the shrinking natural wildlife reserves and all their sentient beings. The wildlife is in trouble from habitat loss, human/wildlife conflict, climate change, and poaching. Wildlife caught in snares or shot with arrows or guns can often be rescued, treated, and returned to their habitat. Botswana’s vast wilderness containing such diverse animal life is an area especially in need of our awareness and protection.

Updates & Current PLans

development updates

Tony has already drafted some plans for the camp that will precede the building of the rescue facility. On November 12 he met with the ministry official and ministry secretary about securing rights to the land & grants to support the rescue facility. On November 14 they will do a site visit to secure the land needed to build the camp, and then eventually the rescue center.

Click arrows below to view images. This camp includes living quarters for future staff (it takes a village to care for animals correctly!)

animals in need

november update:

The lioness in the video above suffered a deep wound which is only worsening with time. She’s covered in flies, and there is no external help for her. Tony will keep checking on her whenever he can locate her.

december update:

Working with an anti-poaching organization to keep tabs on this lioness, Tony recently learned she succumbed to her wounds and passed away.

Tony’s currently taking a Veterinarian Care Basics course to learn the essentials for wildlife care.

january update - Our first happy ending!

The baby elephant in the video above was orphaned when his mother was killed by Namibian farmers. This happens when the elephants wander onto Namibian farmland looking for food. Tony says the elephants generally know they’re safe on the Botswana side, they’ll come back to Botswana in the night to sleep, but during they day they may cross the border into Namibia looking for food.

Tony and his team (including a veterinarian, a soldier, a wildlife park ranger, and a representative from the anti-poaching organization) were able to rescue the baby elephant which was wandering around alone. They spent 4 days sleeping in the bush, first to find the baby elephant’s herd, then reunite them, and finally to keep watch and make sure he would be reaccepted. Initially there was some hesitance by the herd to accept the baby elephant, until one of his older siblings identified him. Now he is back with the group! Tony and his team received a commendation from the Environmental & Wildlife Minister in Botswana. Bit by bit Tony is building his file of successful rescues which will help him obtain licenses and grants from the government to continue developing the Rescue Center!

February Update - another rescue!

The male lion in this video was injured by a buffalo, he’s a part of a pride of a dozen lions. With Tony’s help, rescuers were able to locate the lion, get to to a vet, and now he’s being treated so he may recover.

Even though nature “runs its course” everyday in the wilderness, and we can’t and don’t try to save every animal, when it comes to large mammals such as these lions, if we want their species to persevere, we have to take extra responsibility for their protection. Humans impact on habitat destruction, exacerbating climate change, and poaching have reduced animal populations to vulnerable levels.

How you can help

Donate Here:

All donated funds go to the Botswana Wildlife Rescue. (We’re in the process of obtaining nonprofit/501 c3 status.)
Countries of donation supported by Gofundme: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.

For other international donations, please be patient - we’ll be setting up a new Paypal soon.

subscribe to our email updates list

We’ll send emails with progress on the development of the facility, and updates from animal life in the bush.