Bush camp kids at water hole
Painted Dog Conservation in Zimbabwe has double the population of the endangered Painted dog in the past ten years by its community- based conservation efforts. It attributes its continued success to a program they offer to grade six level students from the local villages called the Bush Camp. This is a 4-day long environmental education experience. The local communities are so supportive and excited about this program for the kids that they have made it a mandatory requirement for schools in the area. The program is free to the community, as PDC gets all of their funding from donations outside of the country. Every year one thousand children come through the Children’s Bush Camp – for less than $15 a day. They stay a week – and for the first time, they see the dogs and wildlife that live just miles from their villages. It’s like Disneyland to them – it’s the highlight of their lives.
Bush camp work book
So how did this wonderful program get started? When Dr. Greg Rasmussen first set out to save the Painted dog, he knew that it would only be possible with the support of the local people. So, he spent 10 years before he even started PDC on a journey to find what the local rural natives really wanted and needed. He spent time with the community to listen and inquire; and the answer that rang clear was to make their children happy. Throughout these years he also visited local schools to talk to the kids and teachers about the dogs (usually in a dog costume). He saw the youth were deprived of any wildlife education, not from a lack of interest, but more from a lack of inspiration. Greg was finding it very difficult to connect the kids to wildlife when they had never seen it before. The kids from rural villages no longer see wildlife, as the villages are being pushed farther away from the park. Most of the rural village kids have never even seen an elephant or giraffe never mind a Painted dog.
Being a big kid himself, this task made Greg very happy! He built small round huts immersed in the bush and all of the kids sleep in their own beds with mosquito nets. Many of the kids have never slept on beds much less in their own bed, and they definitely have never had mosquito nets. The children are overjoyed by the electricity (the rural villages do not have electricity), the lights flick on and off all night for their first night. The kids are very respectful and well behaved; they are immensely grateful for this experience.
Bush camp kids dress up like Painted dogs for a play
The kids learn about the whole eco-system with a special emphasis on the plight of the Painted dog. They are put in groups named after the various Painted dog packs that are in the area when they arrive and play games that imitate the Painted dog’s behavior and social dynamic. The lessons are in both the local dialect, Ndebele, and English and the kids get an opportunity to see and work with computers for the first time.
In the middle of the camp there is a meeting area on stilts, used for the kid’s plays and dances. Each night they act out, dance and sing what they have learned during the day. The stilted stage is connected to the elevated walkway over the 80-acre dog enclosure. The kids are led out onto the walkway to get an unobstructed view from above of the Painted dogs in PDC’s rehabilitation center.
When I am at PDC, being at the bush camp with those amazing children is definitely the highlight! When I get the pleasure of going into the park with the kids for their first game drive they always break out into joyous song on the way home. This experience brings tears to my eyes. They are beautiful singers and their gratitude and joy is expressed in their singing.
Kids with me in front of Bush camp huts
When Greg is asked what of PDC’s achievements to date he is most proud of, he answers “Our children’s bush camp. Ideally I would like to see them set up adjacent to many of the world’s national parks. It happens in most areas – the local communities never get to see their wildlife often because the areas are made inaccessible as they are designated for tourist or hunting purposes. Consequently it is no surprise that communities see no value in wildlife and consequently make no effort to conserve it.”
The success of this program is tangible; there have been children that have assisted in the arrest of poachers after being at the bush camp. The local communities love it so much that they are now asking for an adult camp.
