An
adult
male
lion
was
found
caught
in
a
deadly
snare.
Injured
but
alive,
he
was
darted,
treated,
and
released
back
into
the
wild
–
but
there
was
a
much
more
gruesome
discovery
waiting
nearby…
The
brutalized
remains
of
a
lioness
–
the
snared
lion’s
partner
–
were
found
near
the
snare,
her
flesh
stripped
from
her
bones,
and
her
head
and
paws
hacked
off.
She
leaves
behind
two
four-year-old
offspring
and
three
nine-month-old
cubs
–
all
of
whom
must
now
fend
for
themselves. Without
their
mother,
their
chances
are
slim.
Worst
of
all,
the
tiny
cubs
are
acutely
vulnerable
to
poachers.
This
lion
died
after
being
caught
in
a
lethal
snare.
These
torture
devices
leave
animals
suffering
for
hours
or
days
before
they
succumb
to
their
injuries.
Credit:
Kariba
Animal
Welfare
Fund
Trust
We
need
to
act
FAST
to
prevent
more
despicable
acts
of
cruelty
like
this.
The
grim
discovery
was
made
by
local
conservationists
who
immediately
alerted
Zimbabwean
wildlife
authorities
and
our
partner,
the
Victoria
Falls
Anti-Poaching
Unit
(VFAPU).
There
has
been
an
alarming
rise
in
poaching
in
Zimbabwe,
and
criminals
seem
to
be
particularly
targeting
lions.
This
iconic
species
may
be
king
of
the
jungle,
but
lions
stand
no
chance
against
armed
and
ruthless
poachers,
who
violently
kill
and
sell
their
body
parts
into
the
illegal
wildlife
trade.
Lion
paws,
teeth
and
bones
are
especially
sought
after
as
fake
‘medicinal’
cures
and
status
symbols
in
Asia.
For
poachers
in
the
Zimbabwean
wilderness,
killing
one
of
these
majestic
beasts
and
hacking
off
its
paws
and
head
is
nothing
more
than
a
quick
way
to
make
money.
The
remains
of
the
freshly
butchered
female
lion
that
was
found
near
the
injured
male.
Credit:
Shutterstock/Juanita
Layne
(left,
IMAGE
FOR
ILLUSTRATION
PURPOSES
ONLY)
&
VFAPU
(right).
One
of
the
best
ways
to
stop
poachers
in
their
tracks
is
through
innovative
AI-powered
technology.
AI-powered
camera
traps
are
a
critical
and
highly-effective
tool
in
the
fight
against
poachers
–
and
with
your
help, we
will
install
them throughout
poaching
hotspots
in
Zimbabwe.
This
year
alone,
using
four
existing
camera
traps,
our
partner
VFAPU
has
removed
97
snares,
detected
49
attempts,
and
arrested
11
poachers who,
if
convicted,
could
face
up
to
nine
years
in
prison.
The
team
also
rescued
six
animals
from
snares.
AI-powered
cameras
detect
human
movement
in
real
time
and
send
instant
alerts
to
anti-poaching
units.
Teams
are
immediately
dispatched
to
stop
the
poachers
before
they
can
lay
cruel
snares
or
kill
an
innocent
creature. But
four
camera
traps
are
not
enough
to
catch
every
poacher,
and
we
must
install
more
as
soon
as
possible.
Camera
traps
are
vital
to
identify
poachers,
day
or
night,
and
send
immediate,
real-time
alerts
to
anti-poaching
teams.
Credit:
VFAPU
For
every
$400
(£312)
raised,
we
can
install
an
additional
camera
trap,
helping
our
partner
to
protect
lions
and
catch
poachers.
VFAPU
patrols
a
vast
area
covering
124,000
acres
(50,000
hectares).
The
more
sophisticated
camera
traps
we
can
install,
the
more
animals
we
can
protect,
and
the
more
poachers
will
end
up
behind
bars
–
where
they
belong.
We
need
to
install
at
least
10
more
camera
traps
to
help
the
team
cope
with
the
dramatic
surge
in
poaching
–
but
we
can
only
do
this
with
your
support
today.
Right
now,
lions
are
sitting
ducks
for
poachers.
With
your
support,
we
can
not
only
protect
vulnerable
animals,
but
actively
arrest
and
prosecute
the
criminals
profiting
off
their
deaths.