We are pleased to report that a major anti-poaching breakthrough has been made at Odzala-Kokoua National Park with the arrest of the kingpin of a regional ivory poaching and trafficking ring.

The Chadian President, His Excellency Idriss Deby, along with a senior Chadian Government delegation, met with an African Parks delegation on April 1 to discuss the protection of wildlife resources in Chad.

On 26 March 2013, a ceremony marked the joint official opening of the new Day Visitor Centre and the Ruzizi Tented Lodge at Akagera National Park. These new developments are part of an integrated Tourism Development Plan aimed at increasing park revenue for the park’s long-term sustainability.

During 2012, numerous camera traps were set up along walkways within the forests of Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Camera traps capture what human eyes miss and these traps continue to open the door to the hidden life of a tropical African rainforest.

Kapotwe - Cover star of African Geographic and featured in several news articles around the world must be the most famous shoebill. Here we will inform you about how Kapotwe became famous and why she is an important ambassador for all her fellow shoebills.

The Majete project has proven to be an immense success since 2003 when the Government of Malawi entered into a 25-year public private partnership with African Parks for the rehabilitation, development and management of this once desolate reserve devoid of any animal life.

African Parks was the proud recipient of an additional €890,000 from the Dutch Postcode Lottery at the annual Goed Geld Gala, which was held at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam on 13 February.

A nine-year old Congolese boy called Paul was found wandering in Garamba National Park this week after being held captive by the LRA for a month.

Two elephant calves have been sighted in Zakouma National Park in Chad for the first time in many years. It is hoped that the presence of the calves marks a turning point in the fortunes of the park’s elephant herds which have been decimated after a decade of relentless persecution by poachers.

Akagera National Park in eastern Rwanda has seen a steady increase in visitor numbers since Akagera Management Company (AMC), a joint partnership between the Rwanda Development Board and African Parks, assumed management of the park in 2010.

Construction of the new Ruzizi Tented Lodge commenced in January 2012 and was completed for opening in October 2012, representing a major achievement for Akagera. Although a well-proven concept elsewhere in Africa, this Tented Lodge is the first of its kind in Rwanda.

African Parks has launched a Victim’s Fund to take care of the widows and families of rangers whose lives are lost in the course of duty. The establishment of the fund has been directly stimulated by a €35,000 donation provided by Stichting Energo.

The Majete lions have finally come into the main tourism area and spent some time in the open so that we could see them. They seem to be developing a territory which includes the main tourism circuit.

Lady Liuwa was on the front page of the Zambia Daily Mail newspaper on Monday, 14 January 2013. Her picture was associated with an article based on the decision to ban lion hunting in Zambia, made by the Tourism Minister Sylvia Masebo.

As part of the Dutch Postcode Lottery's contribution to Earth Hour in 2012, 2500 solar lights were donated to WWF and African Parks for distribution to rural communities in the Bangweulu Wetlands.

Read the article that appeared in the New York Times on 1 January 2013, focusing on the anti-poaching challenges faced by Zakouma National Park.

Given the significant rise in poaching attacks, African Parks has stepped up its anti-poaching efforts in Garamba National Park. Thanks to the publication of several media articles, Garamba National Park is on the map and funders have reacted swiftly to try and counteract the slaughter of elephants.

The release of the sixth leopard to be introduced to Majete Wildlife Reserve took place on 8 December 2012. This release brought to a conclusion the re-establishment of this species as a final step in the ecological rehabilitation of Majete.

In November, David Hancock was relaxing at the camp site in Lango Bai when suddenly he was distracted by a group of between 12 to 14 bongo moving through the northern corner of the bai.