Great Plains Foundation

09/01/2026

Standing statuesque against an orange sky set alight by the setting sun, this rhino seems indestructible. Which is why it's so hard to comprehend that the future of these resolute giants hangs in the balance. Their survival now hinges on us.

Through Rhinos Without Borders, a conservation initiative started by Great Plains Foundation, 87 rhinos were moved from high poaching areas in South Africa to safer wild spaces in Botswana. They began to breed, with more than 60 calves born within the first three years. Today, the work has shifted from rescue to something just as important: protection. Dedicated teams monitor and safeguard these animals, giving future generations the chance to remain exactly where they belong – in the wild.

Photos like this have always been about connection. A single shot can make us stop, look, and care, hopefully enough to act.

08/26/2026

In a perfect world, painted dogs wouldn't need our protection. They wouldn't need days dedicated to raising awareness of the threats they face. Or conservation projects tracking their movements. But until the situation changes, our rangers will be in the field, monitoring, researching and protecting these special canines.

Painted dogs are among Africa's most endangered carnivores, with fewer than 6,600 left in the wild. Habitat loss, snaring, and disease have pushed them out of most of their historic range. What's left of their future depends on people willing to do the hard, patient work of protecting them, pack by pack, den by den.

This is that work. This is why it matters.

08/19/2026

This past week, our ranger teams in Zimbabwe and Botswana took on the Wildlife Ranger Challenge Push-up Challenge — two minutes, as many push-ups as they could manage, all in the name of conservation. Organised by Tusk and the Game Rangers Association of Africa brought ranger teams from across the continent together in friendly, fierce competition. But behind the burn was something more serious: every push-up completed helps raise funds that go directly toward supporting the rangers who spend their days and nights protecting wildlife on the frontlines. Our Great Plains Foundation rangers showed up with the same grit they bring to anti-poaching patrols and community conservation work. We're proud of every one of them.

And they're not done yet. On 19 September, the same rangers will lace up for the Wildlife Ranger Challenge half marathon — 21km through some of the toughest terrain in the region while carrying a fully loaded pack. Follow along as we build up to race day.

Get involved here: https://greatplainsfoundation.com/stand-with-our-wildlife-rangers-in-the-2026-wildlife-ranger-challenge

08/12/2026

Revered for their wisdom, respected for their strength, and admired for their instincts, elephants are among the world's most beloved species. Yet their numbers keep falling, driven by ivory poaching and shrinking habitat. These gentle giants shape landscapes and engineer entire ecosystems. If we lose them, we lose far more than the species itself. That's why we're working to protect wild spaces and support the communities living alongside critical elephant habitat, safeguarding elephants now, and for generations to come.

This , let's remember: their future depends on us.

08/10/2026

Today is . It’s a chance to highlight how critical these big cats are to healthy ecosystems and to show our appreciation for the men and women who work on the conservation frontlines to protect them. Our Big Cats Initiative founded by Dereck and Beverly Joubert helps provide crucial support to a wide array of big cat conservation projects, ensuring that Africa’s lions (and their feline cousins) are given a fighting chance at survival.

Visit https://greatplainsfoundation.com/big-cats-initiative/ for more.

In the height of flood season in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, lions have no choice but to wade and swim through the deep watercourses that define their territories in this drenched landscape. Almost three quarters of this lion’s turf in Duba Plains is underwater during the annual floods making territorial patrols particularly tricky. Over the course of our careers, we’ve had the privilege of spending much of our lives alongside these big cats, gaining a glimpse into the intricacies of life in the pride, and sharing these stories through our films and photos. Every moment captured helps illuminate the need to protect these charismatic creatures. If we allow species like lions to disappear from the savannahs and woodlands they call home, we risk losing entire ecosystems. Lions are not only apex predators, they are also architects of biodiversity. It’s one of the reasons we are devoted to protecting them against rising unnatural threats

07/31/2026

Before most of us have even opened our eyes in the morning, a ranger's day has already begun. Radios are checked, patrols are planned, and another day dedicated to protecting nature kicks off. On , we're celebrating the people who make conservation possible: rangers tracking wildlife with satellite technology, supporting research on threatened species, completing hundreds of kilometres on patrol, and training the next generation of conservation leaders.

Visit our blog to find out what it means to be a wildlife ranger and what we're doing to support the men and women who work tirelessly on the conservation frontlines: https://greatplainsfoundation.com/investing-in-wildlife-rangers-across-africa/

07/30/2026

Tomorrow is World Ranger Day. For our Wildlife Rangers in Botswana and Zimbabwe, it's another day of essential work – tracking movement, recording data, patrolling landscapes that demand constant attention. This September, sixteen of them carry that same resolve into the 2026 : a 21km half marathon, shoulder to shoulder with rangers from across Africa.

Get behind our rangers and show your support for the incredible work they do – often unnoticed – every single day: https://greatplainsfoundation.com/stand-with-our-wildlife-rangers-in-the-2026-wildlife-ranger-challenge

07/28/2026

What does nature conservation really mean? For our Rangers who spend every day working to protect Africa's wild species and spaces, the answer is simple: "Conservation is life." Nature is an inseparable part of us. Although our Wildlife Rangers come from different backgrounds, landscapes, and countries, their experiences all point to the same understanding. Nature is the living system that connects and sustains us all. It's this understanding that drives them to protect and conserve.

For World Nature Conservation Day, we recently asked our Wildlife Rangers in Botswana and Zimbabwe what conservation means to them. Here's what they had to say: https://greatplainsfoundation.com/nature-conservation-through-the-eyes-of-wildlife-rangers/

07/28/2026

Our Zimbabwe Wildlife Rangers are on the board! They recently completed the Big Ranger Quiz, the first of a series of tests they'll be undergoing over the next few months as part of this year's Wildlife Ranger Challenge. The quiz is a fun test of the rangers' field knowledge – often their most reliable line of defence in the remote landscapes in which they work. Two months from now, these Rangers along with two teams from our Botswana ranger programme will join hundreds of others from across the continent in a 21-kilometre run that celebrates the people protecting Africa's wildlife and raises critical funding for their work.

07/23/2026

Put your knowledge to the test. Wildlife rangers rely on a unique combination of field knowledge, teamwork and determination to protect wildlife and the landscapes they patrol every day. As part of the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, this week saw ranger teams from across Africa go head-to-head in the Wildlife Ranger Quiz, the first of several training challenges ahead of September's 21-kilometre race. Our own Team Makgobokgobo (Male Rangers) and Team Batlhokomedi (Female Rangers) completed the challenge at their stations in Botswana's Okavango Delta, joining hundreds of teams across the continent. Tusk will announce results on 30 July.

Want to see how your knowledge stacks up against theirs? Take the Ranger Supporter Quiz and let us know your score in the comments: https://wildliferangerchallenge.org/challenges/wildlife-ranger-quiz

Support our rangers here: https://greatplainsfoundation.com/stand-with-our-wildlife-rangers-in-the-2026-wildlife-ranger-challenge/