'Black Mambas' protect South Africa's rhinos - Sách nói Miễn phí

A mostly female anti-poaching unit has been awarded with the UN's top environmental prize for their work protecting a South African nature reserve. Listen to the story on Rivet

Black rhinos are a critically endangered species, and with 80 percent of the world's rhino population living in South Africa, the country's national parks are a key battleground in the fight against poachers.

Rhino horns are more valuable than gold or drugs on the black market, but one unique group of park rangers in South Africa says no rhino's yet been killed on its watch.

They're called the Black Mambas, and they're an Anti-Poaching Unit made up almost entirely of women.

Siphiwe Sithole ((SEE-fee-way SEE-toh-lay)) is one of the squad's more than 2 dozen rangers,

((CLIP: us the women of black mambas are dangerous to poachers you cant bribe us, black mambas is so strong and so unique it cant be corrupted by any kind of money))

Since the unit was founded in 2013, the Black Mambas have helped arrest at least six poachers, removed more than a thousand snares, took out 5 poachers' camps, and reduced snaring in the reserve by 76 percent.

Ranger Felicia Mogakane ((moh-guh-KAH-nay)) says word of the team's spread among poachers

((CLIP))

Audio courtesy of the United Nations Environment Program--or U-N-E-P--which says more than more than 12 hundred rhinos were killed in South Africa, just in 20-14.

While the unit gets some government funding from South African National Parks, it takes on all its own additional costs and relies heavily on donations.

But because of the success of the Black Mambas in reducing poaching in their nature reserve, they've been selected as the 20-15 winners of the UNEP Champions of the Earth Award in the category of inspiration and action.

Now, other environmental authorities in Africa are studying the Black Mamba's model and considering similar projects in the future.