WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.640 --> 00:00:14.599 Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Wade and I'm Bruce gulland Spotlight uses a special 2 00:00:14.880 --> 00:00:24.519 English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where 3 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:41.039 in the world they live. Lots of people say how can you work out 4 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:48.320 in the wild when you are a woman. But I can do anything I 5 00:00:48.479 --> 00:00:56.399 want. Many other people, especially young women, like us. They want 6 00:00:56.439 --> 00:01:02.640 to join us. I am a woman, I am going to have a 7 00:01:02.640 --> 00:01:08.920 baby. I want my baby to see a rhino. That is why I 8 00:01:08.959 --> 00:01:19.760 am protecting it. Leaita Mikabela said this to The Guardian newspaper. Mikabela is 9 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:29.040 part of a group in South Africa called the Black Mambas. They work to 10 00:01:29.159 --> 00:01:38.840 protect wild animals, particularly one special animal, the rhinoceros or rhino. Today's 11 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:56.280 spotlight is on the Black Mambas of South Africa. South Africa is a large 12 00:01:56.439 --> 00:02:05.239 and beautiful country. Like many countries, it has some special areas that are 13 00:02:05.319 --> 00:02:13.960 kept only for nature. People do not live in these game parks or reserves. 14 00:02:15.360 --> 00:02:23.280 The areas are separated to protect the plants and animals there. These include 15 00:02:23.919 --> 00:02:31.879 large elephants, tigers, lions, and many kinds of smaller animals too. 16 00:02:34.360 --> 00:02:43.319 Rhinos also live there. These large gray animals have large pointed horns on their 17 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:55.759 face. Rhinos are protected by the laws of the country, but people still 18 00:02:55.840 --> 00:03:06.240 hunt them. Some people think that the rhino horn has special powers they will 19 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:14.520 pay a lot of money for it. Because of this, people illegally kill 20 00:03:15.120 --> 00:03:23.639 or poach rhinos in South Africa's game reserves. Now there are not many rhinos 21 00:03:23.919 --> 00:03:31.280 left. If people do not stop killing them, in ten years, there 22 00:03:31.360 --> 00:03:45.199 will be none. In Kruger National Park in South Africa, the park officials 23 00:03:45.560 --> 00:03:53.439 have worked for a long time to stop poachers. Like other national parks, 24 00:03:53.639 --> 00:04:01.360 they employed mail rangers with guns to patrol the park. These rangers would shoot 25 00:04:01.680 --> 00:04:11.120 or arrest anyone that they found trying to kill the rhinos. The punishment for 26 00:04:11.319 --> 00:04:18.240 poaching a rhino is up to twenty years in prison. There is also a 27 00:04:18.399 --> 00:04:30.120 fine of over one hundred thousand dollars. But even with punishments and armed rangers, 28 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:39.720 the rate of rhino deaths in Krueger Park was still very high. Authorities 29 00:04:39.800 --> 00:04:47.279 needed another solution to save the rhinos, so they formed a new group in 30 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:58.079 a nearby area called Belula Nature Reserve. This group has reduced trapping and poaching 31 00:04:58.240 --> 00:05:10.439 in their area seventy six percent. This new force is made up only of 32 00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:17.000 women. They are named the Black Mambers after a deadly kind of snake. 33 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:27.839 The Black Mambers do not carry guns. Instead, they concentrate on protecting the 34 00:05:28.079 --> 00:05:36.600 animals and natural environment in the park. Sipiue Citole is one of the Black 35 00:05:36.759 --> 00:05:47.680 Mambers. She explains to the Guardian why her group is so important. There 36 00:05:47.720 --> 00:05:57.399 were men rangers carrying guns, but still the rhinos were being killed and lots 37 00:05:57.439 --> 00:06:05.079 of animals were being put I think they said, let us start something and 38 00:06:05.319 --> 00:06:14.879 add women and see what happens. Women are more loyal to their jobs, 39 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:24.519 so they feel very strongly about what they do. In twenty thirteen, the 40 00:06:24.680 --> 00:06:32.160 park employed twenty six women from the surrounding community. The women come from poor 41 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:43.079 communities around the park. Before they begin, they receive military training and wildlife 42 00:06:43.360 --> 00:06:51.399 education. They learn methods to follow poacher's footprints and to take apart traps. 43 00:06:54.120 --> 00:07:00.720 Since twenty thirteen, the Mambers have patrolled the metal fence which marks the park 44 00:07:00.879 --> 00:07:11.519 area. They watch for poaches, They remove traps or snares set by poachers, 45 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:20.040 and they report everything they see. The Mambas also go into the community. 46 00:07:21.319 --> 00:07:30.160 There They educate people, especially children, about protecting animals, and the 47 00:07:30.199 --> 00:07:39.439 women of the Black Mambas have made a big difference. The Guardian says, 48 00:07:39.519 --> 00:07:46.720 in the six months before they began, sixteen rhinos were killed in Bolula. 49 00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:56.439 In the year after the Black Mambas started, only three rhinos were killed. 50 00:07:57.680 --> 00:08:07.120 Sibiwe Citole says, the Black Mambers are winning the war on Puching. We 51 00:08:07.519 --> 00:08:18.839 have zero acceptance of rhino putching and the illegal wildlife trade. The putchers will 52 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:33.720 fall, but it will not be with guns and bullets. People all over 53 00:08:33.799 --> 00:08:41.279 the world have noticed the Black Mamber's success. The New York Times published pictures 54 00:08:41.320 --> 00:08:50.519 of them. They won an award from the UK Organization Helping Rhinos, and 55 00:08:50.759 --> 00:08:58.159 the UN gave them the Champions of the Earth Prize in twenty fifteen for their 56 00:08:58.279 --> 00:09:09.240 courage. The executive director of the United Nation's Environment Program, Achim Steiner, 57 00:09:09.879 --> 00:09:18.639 said, their many successes are a result of their great courage and strong desire 58 00:09:18.799 --> 00:09:28.960 to make a difference in their community. The Black Members are an inspiration not 59 00:09:28.200 --> 00:09:37.559 only locally but across the world to all those working to stop the ugliness of 60 00:09:37.600 --> 00:09:48.679 the illegal wildlife trade. Winning awards like this shows people that it is possible 61 00:09:48.840 --> 00:09:58.360 to prevent poaching. It also shows local people that the Black Mambers are valuable. 62 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:09.720 But Felicia Mouhakanae explains, it is about knowing that people in South Africa 63 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:20.360 love and are thankful for what we are doing. They are so happy that 64 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:30.000 there are mombas. Some years ago they used to say this job is for 65 00:10:30.159 --> 00:10:37.919 men. Now there are women who are working to protect the wildlife. It 66 00:10:39.159 --> 00:10:46.840 means a lot to us and makes us continue to do our job when we 67 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:54.600 know that people are behind us supporting us. If I were not doing this, 68 00:10:56.679 --> 00:11:03.840 I would be sitting at home with out a job. Jobs are limited 69 00:11:03.080 --> 00:11:11.480 in South Africa, so this is a big chance for me because I am 70 00:11:11.639 --> 00:11:24.279 able to take care of my family. The Black Mambers are doing important work 71 00:11:24.440 --> 00:11:33.320 to save rhinos, but they are also doing important work in their communities. 72 00:11:33.879 --> 00:11:43.279 They are supporting their families by earning money, and people respect and honor them 73 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:50.360 because of the work that they do. The Black Mambers show that communities and 74 00:11:50.639 --> 00:11:58.960 nature can work together. They bring hope for both people and animals in sound 75 00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:07.519 South Africa. We close our program today with the words of another member, 76 00:12:07.519 --> 00:12:16.879 Collette Engelbaini, who shares her hope for the future. If we work together 77 00:12:16.240 --> 00:12:24.080 as a community, we can solve this problem. People need to open their 78 00:12:24.200 --> 00:12:33.320 minds and their hearts. It is not about money, it is about our 79 00:12:33.519 --> 00:12:46.000 culture, our future. The writer of this program was Na Dam The producer 80 00:12:46.360 --> 00:12:52.600 was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the 81 00:12:52.759 --> 00:13:01.879 United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. 82 00:13:03.120 --> 00:13:11.320 You can listen to this program again and read it on the internet at www 83 00:13:11.879 --> 00:13:22.720 dot Radio English dot net. This program is called Black Mamba's Women Protecting South 84 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:31.440 Africa. You can also leave a comment on our website or email us at 85 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:41.679 Radio at Radio English dot net and find us on Facebook. Just search for 86 00:13:43.039 --> 00:13:50.480 Spotlight Radio. Look for our free listening app in the Google Play Store and 87 00:13:50.759 --> 00:14:07.519 in iTunes. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.