Zambia provided experiences which I could only have dreamed of before this exchange. From tracking lions to dancing with local Zambians in parades, every day was something different. However, there was one day that I will never forget.
Just as we had come to the mid-day break, myself and some of the other MATZ were informed of some snaring efforts that were occurring along the river. We gained this information from Corey, the conservation manager for Chipembele. Corey needed as many hands as possible to help remove these snares which would if left kill many native animals.
It was a spur of the moment task that we gladly accepted as this was one of our first hands on conservation experiences for many of us.
We set off in the blistering sun along with Corey and many of the Chipembele students who will be visiting next year. It was an amazing experience and showed how significant poaching is over there. However, it was incredible to see the strive that the Chipembele students had to help conserve their native wildlife. You could tell from their faces and actions that they cared about conservation as much as we did.
After 2 hours of walking in the midday sun and collecting these snares we felt fulfilled that we had done something for the better of wildlife. For even one of these snares could have been detrimental to many of the Zambian species.
An experience that has further developed my hunger to help conserve the environment and create a ripple effect of change in the world.
This is the Tisamale program.

Dylan
MATZ Member