Within the beautiful Victoria Falls National Park is the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust. Their vision is to have both local and international communities across Southern Africa working together to ensure natural African ecosystems are sustained through effective management. They see their mission as one which actively advances and promotes environmental conservation and the sustainable use of indigenous resources in Southern Africa.

The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust has a number of different projects to action their vision and mission.

The Rescue and Rehabilitation Project is a high-care wildlife centre and has been the heart of the Trust since the beginning.  When wildlife has been injured or orphaned due to human interference, not only do they rescue the animals but also provide the veterinary or high care at the High Care Rehabilitation Facility until it is recovered and can be released safely into the wild. If care can be provided in the field that is even better. The trust has cared for everything from bush babies to buffalo to marabou storks and mongoose. Rehabilitation and release is the heart of the Trust. Technology plays a vital role in the constant monitoring post release that some animals may need.

Wildlife Research is the best way to ensure not only the survival and long-term conservation of many endangered species but also in exploring ways to sustainably solve human and wildlife conflicts.

The laboratory at the Trust, a registered veterinary laboratory in Zimbabwe which maintains ISO 17025 standards, continuously tests for both zoonotic and transboundary animal diseases to determine and hopefully prevent any diseases circulating among the different species of wildlife and nearby domestic animals. The laboratory is expanding its capacity to enable it to undertake wildlife forensics.

Community outreach is vital is the wildlife is to be able to exist alongside the humans and domestic animals in the area. The Trust has wildlife ambassadors such as Judge the vulture, Aardy the aardwolf, and Moyo the pangolin. Their most famous was Sylvester the cheetah who played a vital role in highlighting the disastrous plight of cheetahs in Zimbabwe.

Visit the Trust in an hour-long tour of the facilities, meet the crew and the animal ambassadors and experience African wildlife in a way you never have before.