PROTECTING WILDLIFE ON THE FRONTLINES
The mission of Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife is to help end the African poaching crisis and conserve endangered species. Mission accomplishment is achieved by utilizing the unique skills and experience of post-9/11 U.S. veterans to train park rangers and support their communities. The skills garnered by these veterans include; land navigation/orienteering, mission planning, patrolling principles, information collection, partner building, partner training, advanced critical thinking, and critical situation decision-making. To ensure that the most capable personnel are brought onto the team their backgrounds much be validated and screened, and their knowledge, skills, and abilities must be assessed to select them from a pool of their peers.
HOW WE DO IT
Train Local Rangers
Your donations go directly toward training local park rangers free of charge to work better, smarter and faster using the best techniques available. Our training and expertise empowers local forces to maximize the positive impact they are already working so hard to achieve.
Surveillance and Protection
Our team of highly-trained veterans operate on the ground, legally, with local African park rangers and law enforcement to stop poachers before they act.
Education and Conservation
We are committed to educating local communities on the long-term benefits of a thriving wildlife community. On the reserves we protect, we continually support in the monitoring and research of wildlife and endangered species.
100 ELEPHANTS ARE SLAUGHTERED EVERY DAY
The wholesale slaughter of rhino and elephant by poachers has put them firmly on the path to extinction. Currently, an elephant is killed every 15 minutes for their ivory and every 8 hours a rhino gunned down for their horns. The suffering that these animals have to endure is abhorrent. Many African park rangers are under-trained and ill-equipped and VETPAW is assisting in turning the tide against poachers.
The illegal trade of ivory and rhino horn on the black market has become a multi-billion dollar industry, funding terrorist organizations and criminal networks. It is estimated that up to 40% of their funding comes from wildlife trafficking. Simply put, rhino horn is one of the most valuable substances on Earth valued at $65,000 a kilogram.
WE ARE VETERANS. WE ARE VETPAW.
VETPAW is a group of post 9/11 US veterans with combat skills who are committed to protecting and training park rangers to combat poaching on the ground in Africa. We empower veterans because their skills learned on the frontlines of war are unrivaled.
LEARN THE INS AND OUTS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
VETPAW’s goal is to help end the African poaching crisis and conserve endangered species. We invite you to join our conservation efforts on our beautiful sanctuary in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. Experience an incredible vacation, while getting hands-on conservation experience with some of the most critically endangered species in the world.
Your immersive safari will leave you with a true appreciation for the magnificent beauty of African wildlife, and the realizations of the imminent threats to their survival. Most importantly, you will head back home with a sense of confidence in these animals’ continued safety and a sense of achievement for taking part in such a crucial task.
VETPAW PARTNERS
Some of our most meaningful partnerships are built by supporters just like you! We welcome all inquiries and if you would like to host an event or inquire about a speaking engagement from our founder, Ryan Tate, please fill out the form to get in touch!