Join a patrol in The Black Mambas: The World’s First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit by Kelly Crull. This anti-poaching team is unlike any other: they carry no weapons. Instead, they keep animals safe with frequent patrols and a keen eye for footprints, snares, and other clues that poachers are nearby. These courageous women work in a nature reserve in South Africa’s Greater Kruger National Park.
Author and photographer Kelly Crull traveled to South Africa to see firsthand how the Black Mambas are making a difference. Today he joins us to share some of his stories from the bush and from his own patrol with the anti-poaching unit.
What was your inspiration for the book?
I love adventure, and I love to travel. And if I’m honest, I wrote this book so I would have an excuse to meet the Black Mambas in person. One of the advantages of being a photographer is that I have to visit the places or people I need to take photos of for my books. I’m currently working on a book about polar bears because I want to visit the North Pole.
What is your favorite part of the book?
My favorite moment in the book is the scary part. The rangers have discovered that poachers are using a hole in the fence to go in and out of the reserve. The rangers hide and wait for the poachers to return to their camp inside the reserve. It’s almost midnight and completely dark. Wild animals could be lurking nearby. Suddenly, the rangers see a flashlight in the distance. The poachers are coming!
This scene in the book is based on my interviews with the rangers. They told me stories about waiting in the dark for poachers to return to their camp. In one story, the poachers saw the rangers hiding in the bushes, and the poachers chased them. Thankfully the rangers got away without getting hurt!
What was your research process for making The Black Mambas?
I spent five years learning from the Black Mambas while I worked on this book. I interviewed them. I read articles, listened to podcasts, looked at photos, and watched videos about them. I talked with their friends, families, and co-workers. Best of all, I got to visit the Black Mambas. I rode in the back of their truck during night patrol and got up early to walk the fence. I swept the bush for snares. I listened. I observed. I was curious. I asked questions. I took lots of pictures. I still wasn’t an expert like them, but I began to see patterns in their stories, which I wrote down in my field journal. Then, I wrote the book using their words and the photos I took on my trip.
What was it like to meet the Black Mambas in person?
One of the very first things I noticed when I visited the Black Mambas at the Olifants West Nature Reserve in South Africa was that they saw things I did not. They noticed a herd of rhinos on a hill, a small cat perched in a tree, and lions lounging in the grass. I would have passed by without taking a second glance.
One night on patrol, a ranger pointed into the bush. “Leopard,” she whispered. I didn’t see a thing. The rangers tried everything they could to help me see that leopard, but I never saw it. Eventually, I just aimed my camera in the general direction the rangers had pointed and took a bunch of pictures. Sure enough, when I got home and looked at my photos, I saw the blurry outline of a leopard sneaking through the bushes.
The Black Mambas call themselves the “eyes and ears of the reserve” because they pay attention to what is going on around them. That’s their job. They figure poachers won’t sneak into the reserve if someone is watching them. This idea is called visual policing.
When I got home after my visit, I decided to copy the Black Mambas and practice noticing wildlife. Even though I live in a city, I noticed all kinds of wildlife that I had never seen before. Recently, I noticed that a family of foxes live in my backyard. I had no idea!
What was the most surprising thing about visiting the Black Mambas?
After dark, I asked if I could take a photo of the rangers in their truck. I set up my tripod a few yards away and snapped a photo. I remember thinking, “I wonder if this is safe for me to be standing out here in the middle of the bush at night? Who knows what could be watching me from the bushes.” At that moment, one of the rangers yelled, “Kelly, get in the truck now!” I grabbed my things and ran. From the truck, I saw an enormous male elephant stomping his feet and flapping his ears. He was standing exactly where I had taken a picture only seconds before. The rangers had probably saved my life! And how in the world had they known an elephant was in those bushes?
Were you ever scared when you were in the bush with wild animals?
Yes! We were driving through the bush when our truck lurched to a halt. “Lions!” someone whispered. I squinted to see if I could spot lions off in the distance only to discover that two lions with bushy manes were lounging in the grass only three yards from where I was sitting! And our truck had no roof or windows. I leaned over and asked, “Is this safe?” They assured me that lions would not attack as long as we were sitting still because the lions thought of us and our truck as one animal far too big to eat.
What do you hope readers will learn or discover from reading your book?
I’m not sure what others will learn from reading The Black Mambas, but one thing I discovered is that the Black Mambas are regular people just like you and me. They are normal people doing something extraordinary. I consider myself an ordinary person, so I find it inspiring to think that someone like me could do something extraordinary.
One of my students, Sonia, recently told me that she has an electric scooter, and sometimes she rides around her neighborhood after school and looks for birds that are hurt or abandoned. She has rescued dozens of birds, which she brings to the bird rehabilitation center where she volunteers. Sonia started saving birds when she was ten. And you know what? Sonia is a conservation hero, but like the Black Mambas, she is also a regular person just like you and me. I wonder what extraordinary thing you might decide to do today.
Praise for The Black Mambas
★”The most exhilarating parts of the book, however, follow the Black Mambas on patrol as they observe wildlife up close, search the bush for snares, look for signs of poachers, and even plan and carry out a poacher ambush—all without guns. Documenting these courageous accomplishments are thrilling, large-scale photographs of the Black Mambas in action and the animals they serve to protect.. . . A joyful tribute to these dauntless women.”—starred, Booklist
★”The energy, passion, and effort of this unit is made obvious through these images and will inspire readers to look around their own surroundings for ways to care for neighboring wildlife. . . A fascinating, kid-friendly title on wildlife conservation that will captivate and empower elementary school readers.”—starred, School Library Journal
“Admiring glimpses of women in a vital, challenging line of work.”—Kirkus Reviews
“An earnest, enthusiastic tribute to the world’s first all-woman anti-poaching unit.”—Publishers Weekly
Connect with the Author
Kelly Crull is an author, illustrator, and photographer. His work includes Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic which was selected for the Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List and nominated for the Keystone to Reading Book Award. Kelly’s lively school visits have been known to include reenactments of the Running of the Bulls and La Tomatina, the world’s largest food fight.