From bush camp to conservation champion: Survivor Nyasulu’s fight to save wildlife
Sharon Muchara
In the heart of Zimbabwe’s Hwange District, Survivor Nyasulu stands as a beacon of hope for Africa’s endangered wildlife.
His journey, from a wide-eyed schoolboy at Painted Dog Conservation’s (PDC) Wilton Nsimango Children’s Bush Camp to a leading voice in anti-poaching and community engagement—proves that real conservation starts with empowering local communities.
Today, as PDC’s Marketing and Communications Officer, he bridges the gap between wildlife protection and the people who live alongside it.
Speaking to Matebeleland Pulse’s Weekly Pulse hosted Providence Moyo, Nyasulu said his passion was ignited early. “When I was in Grade 6, I attended the bush camp—five days of free conservation education and game drives that changed my life,” he recalls. That spark led him to join PDC as a ranger in 2015, where he faced the brutal realities of wildlife protection: sleeping in the bush, patrolling amidst the Big Five, and confronting armed poachers. “We’d recover 5 to 10 wire snares daily. Imagine 10 animals trapped, maimed, or killes just in one day,” he said.
But ranger work was only the beginning. Survivor earned his Learner Professional Hunters License, mastered wildlife photography, and transitioned into advocacy using storytelling to highlight Zimbabwe’s conservation crises. His message is urgent: poaching and human-wildlife conflict are decimating species like painted dogs, lions, and elephants. When predators kill livestock, retaliatory killings follow. “If communities don’t benefit from conservation, why would they protect wildlife?” he asked.
PDC tackles these challenges with predator-proof bomas (livestock enclosures) and education programs, but Survivor insists more must be done. “The biggest gap? Excluding locals from decisions,” he argues. “They bear the costs of conflict, crop raids, lost cattle, yet rarely share in tourism revenue or policymaking.” His solution? True inclusion. Engage communities as partners, not bystanders.
As climate change and habitat loss escalate, Survivor’s story is a rallying cry. “I started with nothing but passion. If a bush camp kid like me can help lead this fight, anyone can,” he says. For Zimbabwe and the world—his journey underscores a truth: saving wildlife starts with investing in the people who live beside it.
