Over 2,000 rangers run largest race to support Africa’s nature protectors

More than 2,000 wildlife and marine rangers including 166 teams from 21 African countries simultaneously completed the synchronized half-marathons carrying up to 22 kilograms of kit across some of Africa’s most critical conservation landscapes.

Now in its seventh year, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, organized by international conservation charity Tusk and the Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA), with funding from Mark Scheinberg, stands as the continent’s largest initiative celebrating the men and women protecting Africa’s wildlife and wild landscapes. 

The initiative has raised more than $25 million for welfare, equipment, and training, and supported or engaged more than 11,500 rangers, since launching in 2020 to help rangers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The just held 2026 event is expected to generate a further US$3 million.

Following two months of training including tactical quizzes and a range of other physical challenges, the 21 kilometers races held on the 19th of September 2026 saw ranger teams push their physical endurance to the limit across the continent, including special regional hub events in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Zambia, and affiliated races in many other countries. 

Winners of the regional hubs were: 

• Murchison Falls Hub (Uganda):
  • Men’s: Kidepo National Park 
  • Women’s: Kidepo National Park  
• Lewa Hub (Kenya):
  • Men’s: Mountain Bongo Project 
  • Women’s: IFAW Olgulului 
  • Mixed: Kenya Wildlife Service Team A 
• Southern African Wildlife College (South Africa):
  • Men’s: Marula North
  • Women’s: Black Mambas 
  • Mixed: Southern Africa Wildlife College

Zambia regional hub results were not immediately available.

The final overall winning team will be known early next week after all race data is analysed. 

Chantal Migongo-Bake, Chief Conservation Officer for Tusk, said:

“Today’s display of strength, discipline, and unity across Africa is a powerful reminder of what rangers endure every single day to protect our shared planet. As our research shows, Africa still has only one-fifth of the rangers it needs. We must treat rangers as essential frontline environmental defenders who deserve proper equipment, fair pay, insurance, and long-term investment.”  

One-Fifth of the Needed Workforce

Africa currently relies on just 65,000 rangers, yet effectively securing its wild spaces and meeting global nature targets will need an estimated 345,000 dedicated personnel on the ground – five times the number today. 

With expected donations to this year’s event, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge has raised an estimated $28 million for Africa’s rangers since its inception in 2020.

Yet organisers warn that global backing still falls short of what is required to safeguard Africa’s biodiversity. 

Africa hosts nearly a quarter of global terrestrial mammal species and one-sixth of all plant life, making its ecosystems globally critical to planet-wide climate and biodiversity goals.

Rangers will also be essential if African nations are to meet the global target of protecting 30 percent of land and sea by 2030. 

To build a sustainable future for conservation, the job of being a ranger must transform into a respected, well-resourced career to which young people aspire.

Despite performing broad critical functions – from community peacekeeping and search-and-rescue to ecosystem monitoring – many continue to operate without adequate equipment, sufficient health and safety training, or basic insurance.  

The Wildlife Ranger Challenge aims to help close these gaps and expand the continent’s ranger workforce.

The Challenge was the catalyst for the Ranger Welfare Standards Initiative, launched in 2024 by Tusk and GRAA with support from The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The initiative has already enabled insurance cover for 6,800 rangers, with a target of reaching 10,000 by 2030.  

Funds raised from this year’s Challenge, backed by match-funding from founding donor Mark Scheinberg, will go directly to participating ranger units across the continent to support operational costs, equipment, medical insurance through the Ranger Welfare Standards Initiative, and specialised capacity development.