When Counting Matters Most: Conservation Under African Skies

Neels van Tonder
Oct 15
5 min read

621 species. 24 hours. One extraordinary contribution to African wildlife conservation.

A Night Worth Remembering

"It was the most terrifying and the most exhilarating thing I have ever done."

These words from our colleague Nigel French capture something profound about stepping outside our comfort zones for a greater purpose. In October 2025, Nigel participated in the annual Hwange National Park Game Count in Zimbabwe - a 24-hour wildlife census that represents one of Africa's longest-running conservation initiatives.

Stationed at a waterhole dominated by elephants, Nigel and his team recorded 621 individual animal sightings, with an estimated 590 elephants visiting their observation point.

For an entire day and night, under the silvery glow of the full moon, they became part of something extraordinary: the systematic effort to understand, protect, and sustain one of Africa's most precious wilderness areas.

We're grateful to Nigel for sharing his experience and allowing us to celebrate this remarkable contribution with our community.

Hwange National Park: A Conservation Success Story

To appreciate the significance of this annual count, you need to understand Hwange National Park itself.

From Depletion to Abundance

Spanning 14,651 square kilometers, Hwange is Zimbabwe's largest national park and one of Southern Africa's most important conservation areas. But this wasn't always the case. When the area was first established as a game reserve in 1928, wildlife was almost non-existent. The elephant population was estimated at under 1,000, and both black and white rhinoceros had been eliminated by uncontrolled hunting.

Today, Hwange tells a dramatically different story. The park now hosts one of Africa's largest elephant populations, with up to 50,000 elephants moving through its landscapes. It protects over 100 mammal species and nearly 400 bird species, including some of Africa's most endangered wildlife such as African wild dogs, whose population here represents one of the largest surviving groups on the continent.

The Water Lifeline

Hwange's transformation required systematic intervention. The park sits in a semi-arid region with shallow soils and scarce natural water. Conservation organizations work alongside Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to maintain an elaborate system of water pumps that collectively deliver 3-4 million liters daily to artificial waterholes during the dry season - a staggering logistical achievement that sustains the ecosystem.

Why Game Counts Matter

The annual Hwange Game Count, now in its 55th year, provides critical data that informs conservation decisions:

Strategic Conservation Through Data

Population monitoring – Tracking wildlife numbers over time reveals ecosystem health trends
Resource planning – Understanding animal distribution guides investment in water infrastructure and habitat management
Early warning detection – Changes in wildlife behavior often signal environmental stress before crises develop
Impact measurement – Quantifying conservation outcomes validates what works and identifies needed adjustments

Consider this: In 1967, the count recorded 3,435 elephants. By 2024, that number had grown to 29,990 - evidence that sustained, strategic conservation efforts deliver results.

The Full Moon Methodology

Counts occur during the last full moon of the dry season - late September or early October - when natural water sources have dried up, concentrating wildlife at known waterholes. Moonlight enables nighttime observation without disturbing animals. Volunteers at each waterhole meticulously record species, numbers, age classes, sex ratios, physical condition, and behaviors for 24 consecutive hours.

This systematic approach ensures consistency across years, making the data scientifically valuable for researchers and conservation managers worldwide.

What Caught Our Attention

When Nigel described his experience, a few things struck us - not because we were looking for business lessons, but because they sounded remarkably familiar:

"Those water pumps had to work every single day"

Nigel mentioned that if the pumping systems failed, animals would suffer within hours. There's no "we'll fix it next week" when lives depend on infrastructure.

It reminded us why we're so particular about monitoring and maintenance. Not everything is life-or-death, of course - but your business does depend on systems working when they need to.

"The data had to be accurate"

Every animal counted, every behavior noted, every observation recorded precisely. Because decisions about resource allocation, conservation strategy, and intervention timing depend on that data quality.

We think about this constantly with business systems - garbage data in, poor decisions out. The principle is universal, whether you're managing elephants or inventory.

"It took decades to see results"

The transformation from 3,435 elephants to 29,990 didn't happen in a year, or five, or even ten. It required consistent effort, patient investment, and willingness to trust the process when results weren't obvious.

We'll be honest: this is hard to practice in business. Everyone wants quick fixes. We want them too. But meaningful transformation - whether in ecosystems or technology infrastructure - doesn't work that way.

"Everyone had a role, no single hero"

The game count works because government agencies, conservation trusts, research institutions, private donors, and volunteers coordinate efforts. No single organization could do it alone.

This mirrors what we see work best with technology: combining your business knowledge with technical expertise to solve challenges together. Partnership over vendor relationship, if you will.

Conservation as Part of Business Responsibility

We're not claiming to be a conservation organization - we're an IT services company. But we are learning to think beyond quarterly metrics and recognize that businesses exist within communities and ecosystems, not separate from them.

When Nigel talks about the importance of reliable infrastructure, meticulous data collection, and patient long-term commitment in conservation work, we recognize those same principles in our own work. The contexts differ dramatically, but the fundamentals of getting complex things right remain consistent.

Hwange and the Greater Vision

Hwange forms part of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) - a massive initiative linking protected areas across Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, and Angola. More than twice the size of the United Kingdom, KAZA represents one of the world's most ambitious cross-border conservation projects.

This unfenced mega-conservancy allows elephant populations to move freely across international boundaries, following ancient migration routes. It demonstrates how transcending artificial barriers creates possibilities that isolated efforts cannot achieve.

Looking Forward

We're grateful Nigel shared his conservation experience. His willingness to spend 24 hours at a waterhole - recording every animal visit in meticulous detail under the full moon - reminds us that meaningful contribution often requires discomfort, patience, and commitment to something larger than ourselves.

Whether that's protecting wildlife or helping businesses navigate technology, some principles seem to hold true: measure carefully, collaborate openly, think beyond immediate results, remember that today's work enables tomorrow's possibilities.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading about elephants on an IT company's blog. We thought it was worth sharing.

At First Consulting Alliance, we simplify technology so businesses can focus on growth. If you're curious about how we approach things, we'd welcome a conversation.

Learn more at fcaafrica.com

About the Hwange Game Count: The annual Hwange National Park wildlife census is Southern Africa's longest-running continuous wildlife monitoring program, now in its 55th year. Coordinated by Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe in partnership with conservation organizations, the count provides essential data for ecosystem management and conservation strategy.