Zimboundary is a made up of two cyclists who have come together to take up a challenge, ‘Cycle Challenge Against Poaching’. The two cyclists concerned are Ashley King and Linda Davidson who are cycling the entire border of Zimbabwe as one nonstop ride in an effort to raise funds and awareness for anti-poaching efforts in Zimbabwe. They started their ride on the 6th of July this year from Aberfoyle in the Honde Valley, riding 100km per day for six days and then a rest day. The entire ride is over 3,600km and will take approximately seven weeks to complete.
The target of the cycle challenge is to raise a total of one million dollars in sponsorship. The money raised will be paid to three organisations, namely the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit, the Tikki Tywood Trust and the Matusadona Anti-Poaching Project.
One of the cyclists, Davidson, speaking on what motivated and prompted the cycle challenge, said “There is a richness in my love for my beautiful country, her people and her animals. There is a richness in the respect I hold for the people and organisations who work tirelessly to prevent poaching and animal trafficking and support wildlife preservation and there is a richness in the flame deep down inside me that will not be put out, that constantly tells me that I can do something about it. Yet what? What can I do? I can ride a bicycle. Whether I can ride it 3,600km remains to be seen but ride it I will.”
The team has one support vehicle to assist with procuring supplies and setting up camp. Sadly during the cycle challenge Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority rangers on patrol discovered four dead elephants in the park just outside Victoria Falls along the Zambezi River, an official confirmed. The four elephants had died from fresh cyanide poisoning raising fears that more game could be killed by poachers using the chemical, hence the urgent need to raise awareness about poaching in Zimbabwe.
Speaking to Harare News during the cycle challenge the ‘Zimboundary – Cycle Challenge Against Poaching’ team said, “We have learned to expect the unexpected, take nothing for granted and to be grateful for anything and everything on this amazing journey. The hardships make us far more appreciative of the beauty in each day.”
A message from the team:
Updates on ‘Zimboundary – Cycle Challenge Against Poaching’ can be found on our Facebook page and on our website www.zimboundary.com. A big thank you to Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authorityfor giving ‘Zimboundary – Cycle Challenge Against Poaching’ team permission to ride through the national parks. And also thank you to the local people along the way who are helpful with tips on the routes ahead as King and Davidson ride through the challenge. Hopefully this will be the first of many initiatives to combat poaching in Zimbabwe.
