Bermagui vet Dr Carl von Schreiber and his wife Motria are stoked after their trip to a wildlife conservation group in Zambia.
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Before they left they raised $4000 through local community donations to support the work of Conservation South Luangwa.
Along with the money, they arrived with veterinary supplies that CSL's head vet had said were hard to get.
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Grown in five years
CSL now has a pilot who does aerial reconnaissance over the 1,400,000 hectares of wilderness, reaching the pockets that CSL's 80 ground patrols can't.
It has a part-time arrangement with a helicopter to survey areas during the rainy season and to improve access to animals needing attention because they have been shot, caught in snares or trapped in holes.
Ms von Schreiber said CSL's expenses are huge.
The patrol units are out for long stints and need food rations, gear, veterinary supplies, footwear and fuel.
CSL spends far more time than it would like applying for grants and funding "but at the end of the day it is the community donations from visitors that keep them going", Ms von Schreiber said.
"I can't wait to go back. We can do so much there in terms of supplies and medicine."
Tourism reinvigorated
It was five years since their last visit so they didn't know how South Luangwa Valley would have changed economically, socially and environmentally.
The valley relies heavily on tourism so COVID hit hard as international tourism ground to a halt.
As lodges struggled to keep people employed, CSL engaged communities to help with snare removal in the wildlife conservation areas.
Ms von Schreiber said the initiative was a great success.
Thankfully, tourism has recovered and in the main settlement of Mfuwe they saw signs of relative prosperity that previously weren't there, including more schools being attended by more children, more motorbikes and more bicycles.
Moving moments
In more remote villages, the people enjoyed seeing photos of themselves, leading to many happy interactions.
"We loved being invited to sing and dance in a village school," Ms von Schreiber said.
Equally memorable was their arrival flight over the valley above endless folds of mountains and valleys with the meandering ribbon of gold, the Luangwa River.
"Unlike most of the world's rivers altered, drained and diverted by humans, the Luangwa River is one of the last truly wild rivers left in the world.
"It is a precious lifeline for all of life in this magnificent part of the world."
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