Four of the Best Charities to Support African Wildlife

Xplore Our Planet recently published one of our wild travel guides on the best safari in Africa. It’s impossible to write or research about anything relating to African safari animals without becoming familiar with the struggles these creatures face.

From poaching to loss of habitat, the animals of the African plains face threats from all angles. Terrifically resilient but alarmingly vulnerable, these animals have the potential to bounce back and thrive, but only with our help. 

So how can we help? 

There are lots of charities doing fantastic work to help African wildlife survive and thrive. In this article, we’ve compiled a quick list of a few worth paying attention to. 

Save the Elephant

Save the Elephants is an international non-profit organisation that, surprisingly, exists to protect elephants. The work of Save the Elephants is nearly as legendary as the animals themselves, and over their near three decades of campaigning have helped secure brighter futures for an immeasurable amount of elephants. 

The charity breaks its goals down into four distinct strategies: research and monitoring, elephant protection, human-elephant co-existence, and spreading the word. These four pillars of activity have helped Save the Elephants be a real force for global change when it comes to elephant survival and welfare. If African elephants are your passion, then there is no cause better to support. 

International Rhino Foundation

The beautiful and gentle rhino is one of the most persecuted animals ever to walk the Earth. Hunted for their horn, several subspecies have already gone extinct, with many others critically endangered. 

The International Rhino Foundation works across both Africa and Asia, securing rhino populations through education, research programs, rescue operations, medical support, rehabilitation and release, and protection from poaching. Their work is absolutely vital for the survival of this iconic Africa giant. Their activities in Zimbabwe have seen black rhino numbers increase by around 10% year on year, while their work in South Africa secured more than $750,000 in funding for vital anti-poaching campaigns. 

Four Paws International

Four Paws international runs a series of charitable campaigns and sanctuaries around the world, aiding in the protection of all kinds of animals, from bears to horses. LIONSROCK is a dedicated sanctuary for big cats in South Africa, including lions, cheetahs and leopards. Over the years the sanctuary has been active, Four Paws International has reduced over 100 big cats and given them shelter and protection. 

LIONSROCK offers a secure and protected environment while also being an accurate and engaging natural habitat for the rescued cats. These animals are sadly not fit to be released into the wild, as they are often rescued from captive lifestyles and mistreatment from around the world. However, LIONSROCK does give them a new lease of life and a place to live out the rest of their lives in peace. 

International Anti-Poaching Foundation

Reading the IAPF website, you may struggle to get a sense of what exactly this foundation does. There is a lot of information to move through, but we’ll try and break it down into the important points. The International Anti-Poaching Foundation was established by Damien Mander, an Iraq war veteran who decided he wanted to put his military skills to use in the conversation field. 

The foundation follows a practice of long-term sustainability through community outreach and education of local populations to the problems with poaching, and the economic benefits of conservation, while also arming and policing wildlife reserves to arrest and prosecute anyone caught poaching animals. The foundation moves from project to project, training regional rangers before moving to other vulnerable areas. IAPF has also established a program called Akashinga – Nature Protected by Women; the program aims to empower disadvantaged women in Zimbabwe by offering them ranger training and employment. 

The International Anti-Poaching Foundation is very successful in its goals. The presence of IAPF rangers in reserves can have dramatic effects on poaching rates, and even entirely eliminate it. 

If you know of a charity worth highlighting on this page, please use our contact form to share some details!