UPDATES

The Community Rhino Conservation Initiative's scouts play a huge role in the annual Smile and See programme. Often rising before dawn and sleeping on-site of the next day’s clinic, our logistics crew are responsible for loading and unloading of supplies, set-up and tear-down of tents, keeping medical equipment in good repair, insuring the Smile and See dentist and opticians are fed and hydrated, and a host of other responsibilities. Made up of Imvelo Safari Lodges staff and m

Ngamo Clinic has been one of the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative's most important projects - a real representation of what wildlife can do for local development...and a little insight into what the Initiative's rhinos have managed to accomplish since May 2022! While Ngamo Clinic became operational in September 2022 (read more about this here ), the Clinic's second wing was not yet built. Over the last three years we've gradually been working on finishing it, but onl

On 4 December 2025, 21 recruits officially became Cobra scouts while 3 women became Cheetah scouts! Their "pass out" (or graduation) was celebrated in front of the Ward Councillors, members of the local Zimbabwe Republic Police, traditional chiefs and elders as well as friends and family from the local communities...and even our Smile and See volunteer team was there as spectators! The recruits did a drill display, received their certificates and five of them were recognised

In November 2025, students from the upper years at 4 local secondary and primary schools were invited to submit an application for a careers day, lunch and a game drive hosted by the Community Rhino Conservation Initiative and Imvelo. They were asked to explain why they want to come to careers day, what they want to be when they’re older and include a drawing of an animal or interest they have. The responses varied in jobs from pilots, teachers, guides, cobra scouts, chef and

Twenty-four people from the local communities, including 3 women, are still undergoing basic training to become community wildlife protection scouts, either as Cobras (the men's unit) or the Cheetahs (the women's unit). The training is very important and very thorough. This includes training for first aid, communications, physical training, weapon handling, shooting, environmental education. As we get to know the recruits better, the next few weeks will allow them to step up

During the rainy seasons of both 2023/24 and 2024/25 a great deal of fly activity was reported around the eyes of one of our rhinos, Thuza. It became clear that he was experiencing a great deal of discomfort and irritation and we found out that he had developed cutaneous habronemiasis  of the eyelids, which has not previously been reported to affect rhino in Africa. Attempts to apply both fly repellant to Thuza's face and administer eye drops by CRCI staff and scouts were u