The world confronts many pressing issues, but it isn't easy to find them all collected in one place. The African continent is facing explosive population growth, conflict for resources and land, unstable governments, extreme corruption, and all the usual suspects of deforestation, drought, food scarcity, poverty, and the illegal hunting of wildlife. It can be overwhelming to consider the challenges in one sentence.
For the wildlife, it is a more visceral struggle against snares, traps, spears, tourists, cattle herders, and the never-ending quest for food and water.
Taken one at a time, step by step, there are ways out of the swamp. Millions of people around the globe are working tirelessly to bring hope, peace, and a better standard of living to all of Africa. However, fundamental challenges still exist in almost every village and town across vast swaths of territory.
The images in this collection speak to those issues. They illustrate the local problems people must solve to have a productive future. While some sad realities may be visible to the average visitor, many are unaware of the details, and the situations go unconsidered. Here we find the challenging existence that rural folks experience on the edges of national parks, game reserves, conservation zones, and other places set aside for the natural world.
The give and take among the people and the animals is not to be taken lightly. It is a dialogue and outreach happening daily in thousands of hamlets. If the wildlife is to survive in any meaningful form, the local communities must be supportive and convinced that the conservation efforts benefit all. As land, water, and food become scarce, people and animals must find a way to co-exist better. The successes inspire and fuel the mission; the failures can bring tears and a stiffer resolve.
Africa has always been a place of mystery, adventure, and legend. Explorers through out the ages have told tales of spectacular scenery, wildlife, riches, and people. The attention from the outside world usually brought with it disastrous colonialism. For centuries, the continent has suffered at the hands of colonists, slave traders, greedy resource extractors, and poachers searching for magnificent animal treasures. This long, tortured experience has given us horrors, heroes, and hope. Today, many African countries are making great strides toward modernity, yet there are still places where you can find dictators, civil wars, ruined peoples, and habitats in desperate need of help.
Most modern travelers experience an Africa that is curated, sculpted, and presented in a way that leads to a vacation unlike any other. These trips hide the truth just over the hill, around the comer, or locked away in vaults. This unseen reality is not at first apparent, even to a seasoned person of the world, for that is the power of Africa to envelop you in her spirit. Yet, if one looks deeper and goes a little further, one begins to understand that many aspects of the terrible historical struggles continue today for both people and wildlife.
Andrew Wegst has spent many months in Africa, documenting efforts at wildlife conservation and producing films, PSAs, and photos that bring awareness of the issues to both African and foreign audiences. This exhibit aims to condense that process of discovery into forty images. The images herein were captured over three years in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Cameroon. They speak to the incredible beauty and the ongoing struggle that is Africa. Andrew hopes they will provide a glimpse beyond what most exhibitions highlight and bring the dire issues of the illegal trade in wildlife parts, bushmeat hunting, habitat loss, resource scarcity, human/wildlife conflict, and other lesser-known problems into a sharper focus.
What will become of this vast expanse? Will your grandchildren see a lion in the wild? Will the Maasai people have land to roam? Will the great wildebeest migration continue uninterrupted? Will Africa keep its place in history as the wildest place in the world, or will turmoil swallow it?
Join with Andrew and his new non-profit Maono Conservation to see how you can help make a difference.
While there are positive signs in some countries and much more is being done to stop the trade in ivory, it continues to be a significant business. in many parts of the world.
The zebra is an iconic species of Africa. They are closely related to the horse and donkey.
The zebra's biggest threats are illegal hunting for their skins, habitat loss due to ranching and fanning, and competition for water with livestock.
The great wildebeest migration will also have 200,000 zebras making the long trek in search of food and water.
Plains zebra: 750,000
Grevy's zebra: 2500
Hartmann's mountain zebra: 800
Cape mountain zebra: 600
Najin is one of two northern white female rhinos left on the planet. They both are too old to breed.
Sudan, the last male, died in 2018
Poachers kill roughly three rhinos a day. Markets in China and Vietnam covet the horn as a medicinal cure, although it has no genuine medical value. Prices average $30,000 a pound or more.
The horn is composed of keratin, the same substance found in human hair and finger nails.
25,000 rhinos remain in Africa.
Southern Whites: 20,000
Northern Whites: 2
Black: 6400
Mountain gorillas share 98.5% of our DNA.
Their primary threats come from deforestation, habitat degradation, and humans.
Encroaching livestock and exposure to human diseases are also significant threats.
The demand for exotic bushmeat is a major driver in their decline.
Only about 1,000 mountain gorillas remain, scattered across two national parks in Uganda, Rwanda, and The Democratic Republic of Congo.
These majestic animals are undergoing a silent extinction, and the species has moved from "least concern" to "vulnerable."
Giraffes are hunted for their meat, coat, and tails. The tail is prized for making good luck bracelets and fly whisks.
Increased human pressure on the environment, habitat loss from farming and deforestation, illegal hunting, and the impact of civil wars are all pushing the species slowly toward extinction.
There are 40,000 giraffes in Central and East Africa. A 40% decline in the last 30 years.
Perhaps of all African animals, the elephant reigns supreme in our minds—the largest land animal in the world.
The population of African elephants has shrunk from about 10 million a century ago to about 400,000 today.
The sole reason. Ivory. While China recently banned ivory sales, and prices are slowly dropping, the market still flourishes.
Today, an elephant is killed every 15 minutes.
In traditional Samburu culture, women become outcasts if they are widowed or divorced. An organization in Kenya teaches them to drive jeeps and to become Lion Guardians. They find a new purpose and stature in patrolling for the big cats and informing other villages when the animals are nearby.
In traditional Maasai culture, a teenage boy must kill a lion to become a man. Several organizations work with these young warriors to teach them to become protectors of lions. They find equal respect in guarding the predators and warning herders of their presence.
Involving the local community in conservation is the goal, and it works.
Chimpanzees who live removed from designated reserves are struggling for survival. They must raid farms for food, cross busy highways, and navigate life in people's backyards. This chimp, part of a family of 22, travels between the few acres of forest that survive.
As human families grow, they divide their land into ever smaller plots. They cut down the forest to pay for school fees, and cash crops like tobacco are grown on the ground.
Five such chimp families in Uganda are trying to exist in forest islands. Uganda has 5000 chimps.
The wildebeest migration is the most incredible over-land movement of animals on the planet.
Over two million animals, including zebras and antelope, make the yearly 500-mile journey in search of water and food.
Migratory animals face many threats, including habitat destruction, exploitation, disease, and global climate change.
In February, the height of the calving season, over 8000 wildebeest are born each day.
Lions are indeed the kings of the jungle. But life is getting more difficult.
African lion populations have plummeted to an estimated 20,000, and they now face a crisis. Lions could be extinct in the wild in 20 years.
Human/wildlife conflict, habitat loss, and poaching are the causes.
Maono Conservation focuses heavily on lion conservation by providing better education.
Although lion bones are not part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, as tiger populations decline, these more readily available products are entering illegal wildlife markets as substitutes.
Traditional tribes place great value on their cattle. The practice of grazing on already depleted lands can push them onto protected areas in search of more plentiful food.
This quest for food often results in human/wild life conflict. Livestock herds grazing in or near protected areas put them close to lions who kill the easy prey.
This deadly interaction can provoke retaliatory killings and is the leading cause of death of lions.
NGOs are working tirelessly to train Maasai warriors to be lion guardians, but much more needs to happen to reduce these needless lion deaths.
Climate change is altering the weather patterns across the continent. Water is becoming more scarce in most parts of the world. But many areas of Africa have experienced sustained drought.
All inhabitants feel the added pressure.
Habitat loss from agricultural expansion and increased human settlement in the savannah landscape lead to degradation and fragmentation. The increasing scarcity of water resources has caused a higher rate of foal mortality. This unfortunate situation forces the animals to travel great distances to eat or drink.
Twenty thousand bags of charcoal enter Tanzania's capital Dar es Salaam every 24 hours. The African continent is losing forests twice as fast as the rest of the world.
Governments have attempted to curb charcoal use, but it is a longtime cultural practice that will not be easily stopped.
These men are unloading bags from traditional Dhow sailing vessels in the port of Zanzibar.
The ships and the port are much the same as they were 900 years ago.
To many Africans, bushmeat - the cooked, dried, or smoked remains of wild animals for sustenance or commercial sale - is not only the food of their forefathers; it is a life-sustaining protein where nutrition is scarce. It is also a source of badly needed funds.
Bushmeat is exported to the major urban areas and off the continent to restaurants and consumers worldwide.
Hunters regularly place snares and traps in protected areas to catch antelope like this, harming many species.
If you spend time with gorillas, you will see they are much like us. This female was patiently waiting out the rain and looking none too pleased.
The family groups are close-knit and can last for 20 years.
Law enforcement is a challenge in the national parks, resulting in the occasional killing of gorillas for their meat, body parts, and simple sport.
In Uganda, gorilla tourism is the country's highest grossing visitor activity.
Most tour operators run ethical businesses, but there are exceptions.
A popular choice among tourists is the self-drive option. Driving without a guide and off-road puts themselves and wildlife in danger. Many park visitors are not trained in wildlife etiquette and do not respect the established roads in favor of getting their photographs.
Frequently drivers also don't respect park speed limits, and animals die as a result.
Always try to travel with reputable guides.
Tourism to Africa has exploded since the decline of COVID. There is an overwhelming demand to see wildlife. While these tourism dollars are the lifeblood of local economies, the pressure from all those visitors on the landscape can be enormous.
In places like Maasai Mara and Ngorongoro Crater, there can be upwards of 300 vehicles per day or more driving in search of the animals.
For many, the idyllic safari experience can be challenging to come by.
While tourism brings badly needed revenue, the stress it places on animals has yet to be determined.
The swarm of vehicles can get between a predator and its prey, causing the hunt to fail and the animal missing a meal.
Populations of seven species of vultures have declined by more than 80% in three generations. Poisoning accounts for 61%.
The poisoning usually happens after farmers target lions, leopards, or hyenas that have attacked their livestock. Vultures consume the poisoned predators or baited carcasses and become secondary, innocent victims.
The illegal trade in ivory and rhino horn is also at fault. Poachers deliberately target the birds by lacing carcasses with poisons, even after they've left with the tusks or horns. This practice keeps the birds from circling the poached carcass and alerting authorities.
Leopards often try to stay hidden and are very shy. It's best to identify them by looking for the tail hanging down from the branches of a tree.
Even with their elusive character, they fall prey to poachers.
Their skin is prized, and their body parts have value for use in traditional medicine.
Habitat destruction and fire also threaten their survival.
There are about 12,000 remaining in the wild.
With an overall population of 6.5 million, Nairobi is fast becoming an African megalopolis.
While Nairobi National Park is a protected area next to the city, the pressures on the animals are apparent with even a brief visit.
Larger populations increase the demands on land, deforestation, urbanization, and competition for limited natural resources.
Development slowly encroaches on conservation areas and cuts off migration routes between them.
This rhino was named Sudan. He was the last Northern White male rhino on the planet. He died in 2018 at the age of 45.
Northern white rhinos were declared extinct in the wild in 2009. Sudan was the last male of this subspecies alive anywhere.
Since 2008, poachers have killed at least 6,000 African rhinos. It is now a real possibility that wild rhino populations could become extinct within our lifetimes.
Extinction is forever.
Snares are made from heavy wire and are very simple to produce.
These practical killing tools are set throughout protected areas and can have a devastating effect on local wildlife. The demand for bushmeat drives the use of these devices.
This pile of confiscated snares was collected from one park and is kept in a locked storage facility.
Spring jaw traps come in all sizes and are often homemade. They have Small metal teeth, which guarantee the prey gets caught.
The demand for bushmeat is behind these traps.
These traps can cut off the foot of an animal, or the trapped creature may chew its way out of the trap. Either outcome most likely results in a slow, painful death.
The consumption of bushmeat is a significant threat to many animals, including endangered species and those threatened with extinction.
A pile of various snap jaw traps sits in a ranger armory.
More than ten percent of snares placed in the bush result in the killing of wildlife or amputation of their legs, feet, or trunks. This painful encounter leaves them disabled and makes it difficult to survive.
These two elephants are looking for food, one with a regular trunk and one with a shortened trunk.
It was severed as a result of a snare.
Bushmeat hunters do not go after lions, yet they also get caught up in snares.
These types of traps are indiscriminate killers.
This collared lion has a scar from a snare encounter around its rear section.
Hunters often miss their mark or must fight back in self-protection.
It is difficult to know whether this buffalo was the hunter's prey or someone speared it as it charged.
Either way, wildlife in national parks is continuously harassed.
Africa has the most diverse collection of wildlife in the world. What will become of the great continent or our planet if we allow elephants and other incredible species to disappear?
Ivory sales finance conflict and enrich traders around the globe. The same people who smuggle drugs, people, and other contraband conduct the poaching, transportation, and sale of ivory.
Boko Horam in Nigeria, for instance, has been well-funded through the sale of ivory.
The market for illegal wildlife and their parts is estimated to be $20 billion annually.
Maono Conservation dedicates its efforts to reducing elephant deaths due to poaching and human/wildlife conflict. We create educational media programs to spread awareness of promising and proven best practices that decrease these harmful interactions. Our foundational belief is that by empowering local folks to take meaningful action, we can improve the future for both wildlife and people.
Pangolins are the most trafficked mammal globally and are critically endangered because of illegal wildlife crime. People sell these animals mainly in Asia for their meat and dried scales which some think have medicinal properties.
Rarely seen in the wild, Pangolins are rapidly disappearing in places where they exist. Extinction is a real threat in many of the countries where pangolins live.
These three were found in a bushmeat market in the capital city of Cameroon, Yaounde.
Pangolins curl up in a ball when threatened.
The business in illegal wildlife is booming, much like illicit drugs and arms. Killed for their fur, bones, teeth, and other body parts, big cats face many threats, including being sold as pets. The recent decline in cheetah populations is a direct result of the live animal pet trade.
Prized for their beautiful coats, the hunt for leopards continues. The remains of this animal rest in a locked armory.
The illegal ivory trade is a criminal enterprise that has been decimating African elephants for centuries. It has spawned slavery, wars, and destruction on vast scales. What was an enormous market for piano keys, combs, and other practical items is now a thriving business in trinkets mainly sold to tourists in places like Vietnam, Laos, and China.
This warehouse in Tanzania houses 90 metric tons of ivory valued at over $50 million.
Poaching for ivory is indiscriminate. Poachers will take tusks of any size. Often, young animals not yet old enough to have ivory will be orphaned. Some lucky ones find new homes and can eventually be released into the wild, while others rarely survive.
This tusk weighs eight pounds. It came from a young individual. Tusks as large as 180 pounds were not uncommon in the last century.
Recently, hippo teeth have been poached as a substitute for elephant ivory.
And yet, despite the extensive efforts and successes, there are times when it all breaks. In these moments, the conservationist, local villager, and foreign photographer face the terrible reality that comes when animals are poached or found in places of horror.
At first, one feels disgusted by the actions of fellow human beings. The sense of outrage fills the soul until bursting. The realization that others see the world's living things not as the rightful inhabitants they are but for the meager payday they can provide.
Across Africa, thousands of animals are killed, maimed, trapped, and traded every day. The reason is almost always the same. Money. Elephants killed to fuel the illegal ivory trade. Rhinos killed for the supposed medical benefits of their horns. Lions killed for the business in skins and bones or revenge. Vultures poisoned as innocent bystanders in a war between herders and predators. Hippos for their teeth. Zebras for their skin. Animals of all sorts for their meat are eaten locally or sold abroad to restaurants catering to exotic appetites. The crimes are too numerous to list.
Maono Conservation is working tirelessly to create a better future for these magnificent animals. The belief is that improved education and awareness can motivate a change in opinion about the actual value of natural resources.
There are multitudes of approaches to this seemingly intractable problem. By using our programs featuring workable solutions, we believe that people will utilize new methods to reduce the unnecessary destruction of wildlife.
Never buy any product that could be an illegally trafficked item. Animals do not need to die for trinkets. Leave only footprints and take only photos.
Some places have taken extreme measures to protect endangered wildlife. There are 32 southern white rhinos at this preserve, with the goal of increasing the population further. This southern white rhino and calf are protected 24/7 by dedicated armed guards. The rangers follow the rhinos and keep track of their every move and location.
Is this the future for most highly endangered animals? Armed guards, electric fences, cameras, and other protective measures undoubtedly can't be employed everywhere. The poaching must end, and the only way to achieve that is to get consumers to stop buying illegal horns,
Maono Conservation has partnered with one of the most successful African lion conservation NGOs, Kopelion. Their vital work in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area has significantly impacted the relationship between the local Maasai people and the regional lion population in a positive way.
We work with them to create educational programs focusing on their crucial lion protector work with the local Maasai villages. It involves teaching young Maasai warriors to track lions and report their locations to the cattle managers instead of the traditional spearing of the cats if problems arise. The increased tolerance for these animals also enables the opening of wildlife corridors and improves the habitat by restoring a healthy landscape.
Tanzania has one-third of the world's remaining lions which has decreased by 50% in the last 25 years. Our partnership ensures that this critical knowledge and training is used more thoroughly in the region and is viable as a workable model for lion conservation in other areas.
Large predators require extensive protected areas, which are increasingly under pressure on the African continent.
Maono Conservation is raising awareness of the importance of these large swaths of land by partnering with other organizations to spread critical information on the best practices for improving the future success of wildlife and local communities in a world of ever-decreasing resources.
Maono Conservation is currently working with the Uganda Conservation foundation to develop education programs that address the illegal hunting of bushmeat within national parks and rehabilitating habitats and neglected preserves. We have also partnered on several community development projects that focus on reducing conflict from elephants eating crops, working with local authorities to reduce wildlife crime, and creating programs for local schools to raise awareness of the importance of natural resources.
We are also developing programming that documents the success of the Uganda Conservation Foundation’s partnership with local communities and the Uganda Wildlife Authority. These unique relationships have resulted in unprecedented rehabilitation of the Murchison Falls and Queen Victoria National Parks. Maono’s media projects are helping to broadly disseminate this successful approach to reducing human-wildlife conflict.
UCF uses these programs in schools, ranger training, local community centers, mobile presentations, and more. This relationship is a model for future collaborations in other countries.
There is hope. While the future may be challenging at best, there are minor signs that the worst of the horrors may be slowing. Many countries are finally coming to realize that their stocks of wildlife are worth far more alive than dead. A single elephant, for example, may generate one million dollars in tourism over its lifetime and only a few thousand for its tusks.
The younger generations worldwide are turning against the idea that animal parts bring status or unproven cures. Former Maasai warriors who once killed lions for prestige are now finding equal respect as guardians of the big cats. China has finally banned the sale of ivory, and the price has been falling. Vietnam is enacting new legislation to toughen penalties for traffickers. Many African nations are improving their park ranger training and patrols. Countless NGOs are working every angle with local communities to shore up what's left of African wildlife.
You can make a difference as well. When traveling to Africa, seek out reputable outfitters and tour companies. Don't buy anything you suspect of coming from an animal. Choose not to eat bushmeat and other wild animal delicacies and give where you can.
Together, we can make a difference.
Andrew has been filming and photographing the world and its wildlife for over 30 years.
He won the 2016 News and Documentary Emmy Award for Best Cinematography in a Documentary. PBS Nature's ''Super Hummingbirds".
Recently, he has furthered his commitment to the world's wildlife and strengthened his resolve that the illegal trade in animals must end. The result of this renewed effort is Maono Conservation.org.
Please visit and see what we're doing to help local communities and the wildlife around them.
Andrew considers himself lucky and is grateful every day for the opportunity to make a small contribution to a better world.
