Anele Matshiselaa, a 27-year-old wildlife resources manager coming out of lockdown in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, resolves to convince more local people to visit the wildlife parks across the country.

“Without tourists from Europe, America and Asia, we won’t be able to maintain animal safety and security” he says. “It’s time for indigenous Zimbabweans to see the zebras, lions, rhinos and elephants for themselves.” He is spurred on by seeing his friends penniless, made worse by the Covid-19 crisis, though it’s the longer term consequences of a two-year drought, which has devastated crops and livelihoods, bringing the country to its knees. “We haven’t had water to wash our hands… there are people who say they would rather die of Covid than endure this impossible life.”

His efforts to encourage locals to the wildlife parks begin at home with his family, and his method of enticement includes the possibility of seeing their ancestral totem, the elephant. Show less