Zimbabwean Ranger Gets An Award From Prince William For Protecting Painted Dogs

A wildlife ranger from Zimbabwe named Jealous Mpofu has been recognised by Prince William of Britain for his exceptional work in protecting painted dogs, which are endangered in Zimbabwe and other African countries.

Mpofu, 54, is a chief tracker at Painted Dog Conservation in Hwange National Park. He received the 2023 Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award at the annual Tusk Conservation Awards in London. The award acknowledges the dedication and bravery of individuals who work daily to protect Africa’s wildlife. This event celebrated the remarkable efforts of conservationists in safeguarding Africa’s natural heritage. Mpofu told The Herald in an interview on Tuesday:

I am so excited to have been honoured by Prince William. This means a lot to me, my family and Zimbabwe. This is a great honour and it will raise the profile of our conservation efforts to save painted dogs in Zimbabwe. We must continue with the good work to save painted dogs from extinction.

According to John Lemon, the chairman of Painted Dog Conservation Inc, Jealous Mpofu is a local hero who has made a significant impact on shaping the future of the next generation. Jealous joined Painted Dog Conservation in 1997 and now leads a team responsible for tracking and monitoring packs of painted dogs in Hwange National Park. He also works with the local community to remove snares and combat poaching. Jealous takes care of five packs of dogs, knowing each one individually as if they were his own. He is highly respected in his community and serves as an inspiring role model for aspiring conservationists, teaching them the importance of understanding, empathy, and conserving the species they love. Tusk CEO, Charlie Mayhew said:

Each year we are blown away by the commitment, excellence and passion of our winners. Our 2023 conservation leaders are no exception. Truly exemplary, Ekwoge Abwe (Cameroon), Fanny Minesi (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and Jealous Mpofu (Zimbabwe) are inspirations to their communities and the pure definition of biodiversity defenders. It is an honour to celebrate them.

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For over 25 years, Mpofu has devoted his life to protecting painted dogs, also known as African Wild Dogs. These dogs are the largest canids in Africa and the second largest in the world, after wolves. Unfortunately, they are endangered and listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Mpofu has been actively working to safeguard these dogs from threats like poaching, loss of habitat, and habitat fragmentation. Ronnie Sibanda, the marketing and communications manager of PDC, praised Mpofu for his well-deserved recognition and his selfless dedication to painted dog conservation. The population of painted dogs in Africa has drastically decreased from around 500,000 to approximately 7,000 due to poaching, habitat loss, and fragmentation. In Zimbabwe, there are around 700 painted dogs living in the wild, which represents about 10% of the global population.

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