WORLD RANGER DAY 2024 - OVER $50,000 RAISED FOR WILDLIFE PROTECTION!
What began as a small campaign in 2018 with a $5,000 goal has grown into one of our most impactful efforts of the year! Thanks to the incredible generosity of our global community - individuals, foundations, partners, and corporate sponsors - we are thrilled to announce that our 2024 World Ranger Day campaign raised a total of $51,158! This is more than just a number. It represents boots on the ground, uniforms in the field, and rangers equipped and trained to better protect wildlife across KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Read more in our blog post below about this sucessful campaign…and how you can support rangers in 2025!
It truly felt like Christmas for the rangers - many of whom received brand new gear for the first time in years from Wild Tomorrow’s 2024 World Ranger Day campaign!
Through the latter half of 2024, the Wild Tomorrow team drove hundreds of kilometers across KwaZulu-Natal to personally deliver supplies to hardworking rangers. From Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park to Ozabeni, St. Lucia, Western Shores, Tembe, Ndumo, Weenen, Phongolo, Spioenkop, and even support cross-border for our friends in the DRC at Conserv Congo - we made it a mission to reach as many reserves as possible.
WHAT WE DELIVERED
Thanks to your support, rangers received an incredible variety of gear and equipment, including:
130+ uniforms, overalls, and rainsuits
130+ pairs of boots, including 69 donated by Jim Green Footwear
80+ backpacks and tactical gear
40+ sleeping bags and tents
Torches, radios, powerbanks, GPS units, and laptops
Field shirts, camo hats, camping mattresses, binoculars, and even microchip readers and metal detectors
All in all, this gear went to over 330 rangers working in some of the most important and biodiverse areas of southern Africa.
Watch our delivery highlight video below to see the smiles your support made possible!
INVESTING IN TRAINING: CSI FOR WILDLIFE
Beyond equipment, we proudly directed $5,000 toward one of our most exciting training intiatives yet - the Wildlife Crime Scene Investigative Techniques (WCSIT) training course.
Hosted at our Conservation Centre in partnership with Wildlife Defense, this 5-day training gave rangers and law enforcement the tools to properly document, process, and protect wildlife crime scenes - critical skills that lead to real convictions in poaching cases. Read more about the WCSIT course here.
WHY IT MATTERS NOW MORE THAN EVER
South Africa remains at the center of the global rhino poaching crisis, with KwaZulu-Natal being one of the hardest-hit regions. Armed poaching syndicates continue to devastate rhino populations - and the brave rangers tasked with protecting these animals are often underpaid, under-equipped, and overstretched.
This is where your support comes in. When you help provide boots, gear, training, and tools - you are directly empowering those on the front lines to act, respond, and protect.
Supporting rangers isn’t just a nice gesture, it’s one of the most effective, immediate ways to save wildlife.
STAYING TRUE TO OUR ROOTS
When Wild Tomorrow was founded in 2015, our first mission was to support underfunded government reserves in South Africa. While we now manage our own protected area, the Greater Ukuwela Nature Reserve, and a team of rangers, we’ve never strayed from that original mission.
World Ranger Day remains our largest online fundraiser of the year, and it continues to serve the greater conservation community - helping those reserves that need it most.
“It’s incredible to see how the support for this campaign has grown through the years. From launching in 2018 with a mere $5,000 goal to now exceeding $50,000 last year! Rangers now more than ever need our support - rhino poaching is at an all-time high in our region, and the very people tasked with protecting wildlife often lack boots, uniforms, and even basic tools. We are eternally grateful to our friends, supporters, and partners for helping us make each year better than the last.”
WE COULDN’T HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU
This monumental campaign would not have been possible without the generosity and belief of so many. We are deeply grateful to:
ShineMaker Foundation, for their generous $25,000 matching gift
Jim Green Footwear for a crucial in-kind donation of ranger boots, coordinated through the Game Rangers Association of Africa
As well as our friends at PARCA (Pennsylvania Rhino Conservation Advocates), Conserv Earth, & fStop Foundation
And to every individual donor, family foundation, and fundraiser who expanded the reach of this campaign far and wide!
From the bottom of our hearts, an elephant-sized THANK YOU.
HELP US DO IT AGAIN IN 2025
Our 2025 World Ranger Day campaign is now live - and we’re already receiving a flood of urgent requests from reserves arcross the region. With your help, we can meet them all!
This year, all donations made before July 31st will be matched (up to $20,000) thanks to our partners at the Shinemaker Foundation.
TOGETHER, WE CAN STAND WITH THE RANGERS WHO STAND FOR WILDLIFE.