For nearly 25 years, Elliot Mudenda relied on hunting to support his family in Nyawa Chiefdom in southern Zambia. He had started as a farmer, but recurring droughts gradually made farming unreliable and unproductive.
With few alternative income options available, hunting became a means for survival.
However, Elliot knew the risks — the predawn darkness. The hours spent tracking game through the bush. The constant threat of wild animals. The fear of running into game rangers who could arrest him or getting injured.
“I never stopped caring about wildlife,” Elliot says, understanding his path was unsustainable. “But, I also had to survive.”
Today, Elliot…