Cobras in action: fireguards and thatching grass!

Burn to protect

Our Cobra rangers patrol around the clock to protect the community rhinos — but their mission goes beyond anti-poaching.

During the dry season, they also defend the sanctuary against wildfires. One of their key tasks is creating firebreaks: 10-meter-wide cleared areas along the sanctuary where all combustible material — dry leaves, grass, wood — has been safely burned in a controlled manner.

In dense areas, this process starts months in advance. Bushes are cut and left to dry before any fire is lit. Timing is everything — the Cobras wait for the perfect conditions: cold temperatures and low afternoon winds. When conditions are just right, the Cobras begin their work. Using rakes, blowers, and spades, they guide and contain the fire with extreme care. It’s slow, intense, and dangerous work that requires constant control to prevent any accidental spread.

July is ideal for these operations: cold afternoons and low wind make for safer burns. The team usually starts around 2–3 PM and often continues into the night.

It can be scary work but luckily the Cobras have it all under control!

Helping people gather thatching grass

During the dry winter months, women from villages bordering Hwange National Park cut thatching grass to repair or build roofs for their homesteads.

This traditional practice benefits both the communities and the rhino sanctuaries and Hwange National Park as it:

• Clears grass under power lines

• Creates fire guards

• Reduces fuel for fires to spread

Recently, the Cobras stepped in to help a family from Sitambala village — Bekithamba, his wife Fortunate, her sister Noma, and her daughter Sharon — who had collected an incredible 220 bundles of thatching grass, each weighing around 8kg. That’s nearly a month's worth of hard work by hand!

The women did the cutting, bundling, and organizing — the Cobras stepped in to assist with transport. It was a true team effort. The family and mainly the women took the lead — identifying their bundles by the color-coded cloth, organizing the loading, optimizing the space on the trailer, and managing the offloading back in the village. The Cobras provided essential transport support, helping move the heavy grass bundles quickly and efficiently. Together, they turned what would have taken weeks into a smooth, morning-long operation.

All done with plenty of smiles and gratitude. Without this help, the transport would have taken weeks using donkey carts.

The Cobras community wildlife protection scouts are an initial part of the landscape of Southern Hwange, both for the wildlife and rhino, and for local communities.

For more information about the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative, contact us  here