Our Conservation Philosophy
For wildlife to survive in the protected areas undergoing a population explosion in a changing Africa, it must offer a competitive form of land use that provides great benefits to local communities that live in the protected areas. Without the full support and cooperation of these local communities as well as those that care deeply about the preservation of wildlife and habitat in these areas we love, wildlife in Africa is surely doomed.
- common sense
Our safaris mean much more to us than just a hunt with a client. A substantial amount of the proceeds and meat generated by our hunting safaris are returned back into the community in the form of game scout employment, community infrastructure development, and supplying basic needs such as food, education, and medicines. Below is an overview of the ways we are helping earn the communities full support and cooperation in wildlife conservation.
Our Conservation Approach
Creating a Legacy
People will know you for who you are but will remember you for what you have done. True Leaders leave a mark on the world that can't be erased.
Embarking on a hunt with Epic safari comes with a profound commitment to conservation that extends far beyond the thrill of the hunt. Our hunting expeditions are deeply rooted in a pledge to safeguard Africa's precious wildlife and delicate ecosystems. We want our conservation efforts to be guided by rigorous principles of sustainable wildlife management and ultimately to leave behind a LEGACY.
These efforts involve closely monitoring animal populations, adhering to strict quotas set by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, and harvesting appropriately aged trophy animals. We engage in collaborative initiatives with the community and provide financial and other support to local law enforcement in order to combat the rampant and ever-present threat of poaching. We partner with local communities in these rural regions to find alternatives or improvements to subsistence farming or alternatives that support a better living and protect the wildlife habitat. We strive to alleviate hunger when famines come about, to bring basic medicines to those in need, assist with education needs, and help out with human-wildlife conflict incidents. By promoting community uplift and providing alternative livelihoods, Epic Safaris hopes to empower these communities to value and protect their environment and secure a prosperous coexistence between humans and wildlife for generations to come.
Our Conservation Efforts
Below are some of the ways we work with and support our local communities. Our work is often channeled directly through the Game Management Area's community resource boards (CRBs) in the areas that we hunt. Each CRB shares a portion of hunting revenues paid to government every season. These distributions on top of our other financial pledges to community uplift made by the hunting operator are used to help fund various needs and projects in the community. In addition, during each safari, the meat is dropped off and distributed to local communities.
Community Conservation
Everything we do at Epic Safaris is centered around benefitting the local communities and their surrounding habitat. Our hunts provide crucial employment and meals that communities rely on.
Education
In our rural hunting areas, schools and education resources are scarce. We have embarked on numerous charitable projects to provide better learning environments in the villages surrounding the areas we hunt.
Health and Medical Support
The majority of concessionaires we work with build clinics and facilitate medical staff and medicine for the clinics in their areas. The funding that is generated from our hunts is critical for basic medical support and healthcare in the rural areas we operate in.
Stopping Wildlife Crime
Not only do our hunts provide a direct incentive to community members to not partake in illegal poaching activities, but they also help fund the DNPW's game scout department. This department plays a critical role in policing poaching activities and protecting the wildlife in areas that border national parks.
Infrastructure
Critical infrastructure is always needed in the areas that we operate. Projects we have supported in the past include bore holes, road maintenance, new class rooms, teacher houses, and much more.
What will your Legacy be?
In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The excellent people who protest against all hunting, and consider sportsmen as enemies of wildlife, are ignorant of the fact that in reality the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creature from total extermination.
-Teddy Roosevelt
It's not just our efforts that will make a difference in the communities around these African iconic national parks. It's all of our collective efforts. Epic Safaris is highly supportive both financially and with our time, know-how, and equipment of Zambia Wildlife and Community Foundation and its vast efforts to protect and conserve wildlife and uplift communities in protected areas around the national parks in Zambia. For more information, please visit zwcf.org.
Please donate TODAY to the Zambia Wildlife and Community Foundation, a 501c3 charity organization.
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