Chad’s killing now an elephants’ haven

Receiving the thumbs-up from his three passengers, Labuschagne, who was then manager of Zakouma National Park in Chad, steered the fixed-wing Cessna C180 towards a spot 12 miles south. Earlier that morning, his rangers had spotted the elephants there.

It was precisely these elephants that had drawn me to this remote Central African park. Although few Westerners have heard of it, Zakouma is home to one of the most stunning conservation success stories in Africa. Unchecked poaching had previously rendered the protected area a near war zone: as rebel factions attempted to overthrow the government from 2005 to 2010, poachers took advantage of the country’s lawless state to massacre 90 per cent of the park’s elephants. But after taking over Zakouma’s management in 2011, Labuschagne and his team transformed it into a rare safe haven for Africa’s imperilled elephants.

“If you look at the Central and West African savannas, elephants have almost been exterminated – their populations are just being lost nonstop,” said Chris Thouless, the director of the Elephant Crisis Fund at Save the Elephants, a nonprofit organisation based in Kenya. “Zakouma, however, is an outstanding exception.” Starting in 2002, heavily armed poachers on horseback, many from Sudan, relentlessly stormed the park, reducing the elephant population to just over 400 from 4,000 in less than a decade. “In my time in Zakouma, I lost seven rangers killed by poachers, and we twice received visits from the rebels,” said Luis Arranz, who served as the park manager from 2001 to 2007. “All the difficulties came from the poachers, who were ready for everything – to kill and to die for ivory.”

Everyone assumed the animals were doomed.

But the president of Chad, Idriss Deby – a longtime advocate for his country’s wildlife – was not willing to give up on Zakouma’s elephants. He began exploring the possibility of bringing in African Parks, a South Africa-based nonprofit organisation that specialises in managing and rehabilitating failing protected areas, to take over Zakouma’s management. But immediately, his government advisers opposed the move.

Dolmia Malachie, the coordinator of Chad’s National Elephant Action Plan, said he was at first opposed to the African Parks model of doing things – especially of handing control of the park over to a foreign group. “I was able to convince everyone in the ministry that we would not give Zakouma to African Parks,” he said.

But in 2010 – ignoring Malachie and others – Deby handed over Zakouma’s reins to the foreign nonprofit. Although Deby – who has been in power since 1990 – has a concerning track record in terms of human rights abuses and corruption, conservationists generally regard him as an ally. “The key thing is he’s allowed African Parks to save Zakouma and has also given them a management agreement for a new area in the north,” said Thouless, referring to Ennedi, a 15,000-square-mile Unesco World Heritage Site signed over to African Parks in February. “That is a sign of commitment.”

Shortly after Deby made his decision, Labuschagne and his wife, Lorna, who are originally from South Africa, were brought in to direct efforts in Zakouma. They quickly set to work modernising the park’s communication centre and facilities; weeding out corrupt staff; training and better equipping the rangers; and building stronger relationships with local communities around the park.

“What the Labuschagnes put in here was absolutely groundbreaking,” said Leon Lamprecht, Zakouma’s current manager. “They’ve gotten numerous awards both here and internationally for their work.”

Even Malachie was quickly won over: “When Rian came, he did a fantastic job,” he said. “I don’t know of any other park manager who has been able to do as great a job as he did.”

Things could have fallen apart in 2012, however, when a catastrophic poaching attempt claimed the lives of six rangers. But rather than give up, the Labuschagnes doubled down on their efforts. “When it was finalised and we knew that they were dead, we had to go to each family and tell them – it was very, very difficult,” Labuschagne said. “But we used that incident to argue for better communication equipment and for better arms and ammunition, because we knew this could potentially happen again.”

    The writer is a wildlife expert

They also formed a team of anti-poaching rangers called the Mambas, who quickly took to the job. “The Chadian mindset is very proud, very effective and no-nonsense,” Lamprecht said. “If you take that kind of brave, strong person who doesn’t easily give up and you give him the necessary training to do the job, you then have a very good ranger.”

At the same time, the Labuschagnes began inviting people from surrounding villages – including around 5,000 children annually – to go on free educational overnight safaris. “The mistake most parks make is they don’t allow the local population to come in for nothing or for a very small amount,” Lorna Labuschagne said. “We felt it was more important to get people here than to get a park fee out of them.”

Because of the park’s heightened security and the increasing support of surrounding communities, Zakouma has not suffered a confirmed poaching incident since January 2016. After a several-year stretch with very few births, the elephant population has once again begun growing, and six black rhinos arrived this month from South Africa. A critically endangered species, black rhinos became extinct in Chad in 1990 when the last animals were poached for their valuable horns.

Camp Nomade is not cheap, but that has not stopped it from selling out since opening in 2015. (A stay there runs to $5,500 (£4,130) per person for seven nights, not including chartered flights from N’Djamena.)

I had the opportunity to overnight at Camp Nomade with Labuschagnes in January 2017. I was immediately struck by the careful attention paid to even the subtlest details. Hand-woven grass fences surrounding the kitchen and en suite bathrooms made the camp blend in with the scrub and trees on the edge of the floodplain, while carpets and leather sourced from artisans throughout the country gave the cosy, open-air common area a distinctly Chadian feel. My home for the night – a modest but comfortable walk-in tent that provided an unbroken view of sprawling wilderness – was sewn by local seamstresses.

“The biggest goal was not to have Nomade look like those commercial projects you see in Southern Africa,” said Jamie Sparks, who was the camp manager when I visited and who left the job so she could write a cookbook-cum-memoir about her time in Zakouma. “Everything here was produced at Zakouma or around Chad.”

The plan is to increase those profits by broadening Zakouma’s international appeal and accessibility through Tinga Camp, a less exclusive but more affordable option than Camp Nomade, priced at $135 to $145 per night. Its 24 rooms, including ones suitable for hosting families, will receive a complete makeover in 2018. “We’re trying to open the doors to Chad for more and more people,” Sparks said. “You’ll get an incredible trip, and you’ll be helping the elephants.”

Chads killing now an elephants haven

Receiving the thumbs-up from his three passengers, Labuschagne, who was then manager of Zakouma National Park in Chad, steered the fixed-wing Cessna C180 towards a spot 12 miles south. Earlier that morning, his rangers had spotted the elephants there. It was precisely these elephants that had drawn me to this remote Central African park. Although few Westerners have heard of it, Zakouma is home to one of the most stunning conservation success stories in Africa. Unchecked poaching had previously rendered the protected area a near war zone: as rebel factions attempted to overthrow the government from 2005 to 2010, poachers took advantage of the countrys lawless state to massacre 90 per cent of the parks elephants. But after taking over Zakoumas management in 2011, Labuschagne and his team transformed it into a rare safe haven for Africas imperilled elephants. If you look at the Central and West African savannas, elephants have almost been exterminated their populations are just being lost nonstop, said Chris Thouless, the director of the Elephant Crisis Fund at Save the Elephants, a nonprofit organisation based in Kenya. Zakouma, however, is an outstanding exception. Starting in 2002, heavily armed poachers on horseback, many from Sudan, relentlessly stormed the park, reducing the elephant population to just over 400 from 4,000 in less than a decade. In my time in Zakouma, I lost seven rangers killed by poachers, and we twice received visits from the rebels, said Luis Arranz, who served as the park manager from 2001 to 2007. All the difficulties came from the poachers, who were ready for everything to kill and to die for ivory. Everyone assumed the animals were doomed. But the president of Chad, Idriss Deby a longtime advocate for his countrys wildlife was not willing to give up on Zakoumas elephants. He began exploring the possibility of bringing in African Parks, a South Africa-based nonprofit organisation that specialises in managing and rehabilitating failing protected areas, to take over Zakoumas management. But immediately, his government advisers opposed the move. Dolmia Malachie, the coordinator of Chads National Elephant Action Plan, said he was at first opposed to the African Parks model of doing things especially of handing control of the park over to a foreign group. I was able to convince everyone in the ministry that we would not give Zakouma to African Parks, he said. But in 2010 ignoring Malachie and others Deby handed over Zakoumas reins to the foreign nonprofit. Although Deby who has been in power since 1990 has a concerning track record in terms of human rights abuses and corruption, conservationists generally regard him as an ally. The key thing is hes allowed African Parks to save Zakouma and has also given them a management agreement for a new area in the north, said Thouless, referring to Ennedi, a 15,000-square-mile Unesco World Heritage Site signed over to African Parks in February. That is a sign of commitment. Shortly after Deby made his decision, Labuschagne and his wife, Lorna, who are originally from South Africa, were brought in to direct efforts in Zakouma. They quickly set to work modernising the parks communication centre and facilities; weeding out corrupt staff; training and better equipping the rangers; and building stronger relationships with local communities around the park. What the Labuschagnes put in here was absolutely groundbreaking, said Leon Lamprecht, Zakoumas current manager. Theyve gotten numerous awards both here and internationally for their work. Even Malachie was quickly won over: When Rian came, he did a fantastic job, he said. I dont know of any other park manager who has been able to do as great a job as he did. Things could have fallen apart in 2012, however, when a catastrophic poaching attempt claimed the lives of six rangers. But rather than give up, the Labuschagnes doubled down on their efforts. When it was finalised and we knew that they were dead, we had to go to each family and tell them it was very, very difficult, Labuschagne said. But we used that incident to argue for better communication equipment and for better arms and ammunition, because we knew this could potentially happen again. The writer is a wildlife expert They also formed a team of anti-poaching rangers called the Mambas, who quickly took to the job. The Chadian mindset is very proud, very effective and no-nonsense, Lamprecht said. If you take that kind of brave, strong person who doesnt easily give up and you give him the necessary training to do the job, you then have a very good ranger. At the same time, the Labuschagnes began inviting people from surrounding villages including around 5,000 children annually to go on free educational overnight safaris. The mistake most parks make is they dont allow the local population to come in for nothing or for a very small amount, Lorna Labuschagne said. We felt it was more important to get people here than to get a park fee out of them. Because of the parks heightened security and the increasing support of surrounding communities, Zakouma has not suffered a confirmed poaching incident since January 2016. After a several-year stretch with very few births, the elephant population has once again begun growing, and six black rhinos arrived this month from South Africa. A critically endangered species, black rhinos became extinct in Chad in 1990 when the last animals were poached for their valuable horns. Camp Nomade is not cheap, but that has not stopped it from selling out since opening in 2015. (A stay there runs to $5,500 (4,130) per person for seven nights, not including chartered flights from NDjamena.) I had the opportunity to overnight at Camp Nomade with Labuschagnes in January 2017. I was immediately struck by the careful attention paid to even the subtlest details. Hand-woven grass fences surrounding the kitchen and en suite bathrooms made the camp blend in with the scrub and trees on the edge of the floodplain, while carpets and leather sourced from artisans throughout the country gave the cosy, open-air common area a distinctly Chadian feel. My home for the night a modest but comfortable walk-in tent that provided an unbroken view of sprawling wilderness was sewn by local seamstresses. The biggest goal was not to have Nomade look like those commercial projects you see in Southern Africa, said Jamie Sparks, who was the camp manager when I visited and who left the job so she could write a cookbook-cum-memoir about her time in Zakouma. Everything here was produced at Zakouma or around Chad. The plan is to increase those profits by broadening Zakoumas international appeal and accessibility through Tinga Camp, a less exclusive but more affordable option than Camp Nomade, priced at $135 to $145 per night. Its 24 rooms, including ones suitable for hosting families, will receive a complete makeover in 2018. Were trying to open the doors to Chad for more and more people, Sparks said. Youll get an incredible trip, and youll be helping the elephants.