*ready for headline?* Armed, Vegan Troop of All-Women Bad Asses, Taking Down Poachers
Armed, Vegan Troop of All-Women Bad Asses, Taking Down Poachers along Africa’s Zambezi Left and Right
(EnviroNews World News) — The International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) has recruited women to protect the world’s natural heritage along Africa’s Zambezi River. The Akashinga, or “Brave Ones,” is a privately-funded, highly-trained, vegan group of local women from extremely disadvantaged backgrounds assigned to protect the Lower Zambezi Ecosystem along the Zambian and Zimbabwean border. The goal is to recruit 2,000 women in an effort to protect 30 million acres of African wild lands by 2030.
Founded in early 2017 by former Australian Special Operations soldier Damien Mander as part of his approach to end poaching in Africa, the Akashinga is the first fully armed, all-women, anti-poaching team in Africa. (The Black Mambas of South Africa are the first female anti-poaching team; they are unarmed.)
The choice for Mander to go vegan, and also insist on his team being vegan, hinged on the realization that they were going out to protect one group of animals and coming back to eat another. He couldn’t live with that hypocrisy, and wanted to protect his team from the scrutiny it would surely receive if members were still eating meat.
His experience in Iraq with American female soldiers helped change his mind. His training experience with the Akashinga solidified his belief.
“Thirty-six women started our training, modeled on our special-forces training, and we pushed them hard, much harder than any training we do with men — we put them through hell,” Mander told The Guardian. “Only three dropped out. I couldn’t believe it.”
https://www.environews.tv/world-news/091319-armed-vegan-troop-of-all-women-bad-asses-taking-down-poachers-along-africas-zambezi-left-and-right/
= new reply since forum marked as read
it's a great thing to hear! 
Thanks for posting this, underpants!
