Ranger Teams Across Africa Will Join Forces in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge This September

WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- This September, ranger teams across Africa are uniting around the 2021 Wildlife Ranger Challenge to raise money to help thousands of their colleagues. Due to the devastating economic impact of Covid-19, Africa's rangers are stretched to capacity and continue to see drastic cuts in resources and an increase in poaching. The funds will enable support for wildlife rangers to protect iconic African wildlife such as elephants, pangolins, rhinos, and lions.

Alexander Dreymon, star of Netflix's The Last Kingdom, is encouraging the public to 'Run with Rangers' by signing up to virtually run or walk alongside the thousands of rangers on September 18th. Last month, British adventurer Bear Grylls kicked off the challenge with a video describing the need for urgent action, and throughout the campaign, celebrities, including Tusk's Royal Patron, HRH The Duke of Cambridge Prince William, Olympic marathon gold medalist Eliud Kipchoge, Behati Prinsloo Levine and acclaimed National Geographic Wildlife Photographers, including Paul Niklen and Ami Vitale, will encourage the public to register to run the virtual race and donate to the Ranger Fund.

In August, teams from across 20 African countries will participate in a series of three mental and physical challenges - Push-Up Challenge (week of Aug 13th), Ranger Quiz Challenge (week of August 23rd) and a sit-up challenge (week of August 30th), culminating in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge 21km half marathon on September 18th. The public will be invited to 'Train Like a Ranger' with the LA Clippers' Serge Ibaka leading the push-up challenge. These challenges allow rangers to showcase their important work and provide a platform for their organizations to raise funding.

The Three Main Components of the Wildlife Ranger Challenge:

• Virtual Race: A competition with teams of rangers from across Africa running in a 21km half-marathon on September 18th. The public is encouraged to run or walk 5,10 or 21K in solidarity by signing-up at WildlifeRangerChallenge.org
• Mental and Physical Challenges: Rangers testing their physical and mental ability with a push-up and sit-up challenge, and a wildlife knowledge ranger quiz. Challenges run from August 16th through September 3rd. The public is encouraged to see how they score against rangers, following along at #ForWildlifeRangers on Instagram.
• Ranger Fund: The Scheinberg Relief Fund has generously committed $1.35m in matched funds in support of the rangers most in need. A global public fundraising and awareness campaign for the Wildlife Ranger Challenge seeks to raise a total of $5m for the Ranger Fund to support thousands of rangers in the field.

Funds raised will cover the operating costs for at least 5,000 rangers, enabling them to provide for their families and protect communities and wildlife in some of the continent's most vulnerable areas. The 2021 Wildlife Ranger Challenge partners include:

•     Tusk.org
•     NaturalState.org
•     http://www.scheinbergfund.org
•     GameRanger.org
•     internationalrangers.org
•     thingreenline.org.au or thingreenline.org.uk

For more information or to donate to the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, visit wildliferangerchallenge.org. To engage in the social dialogue, tag #ForWildlifeRangers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ABOUT WILDLIFE RANGER CHALLENGE
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge is a multi-million-pound fundraising initiative supporting wildlife rangers across Africa's protected areas. These brave men and women are working tirelessly to safeguard the continent's iconic wildlife while enduring drastic cuts in salaries and resources due to the devastating economic impact of Covid-19.

Media Contact

Heather Marohn, Bullseye Communications, 19082683770, [email protected]

SOURCE Wildlife Ranger Challenge