The Tarangire National Park and adjacent wildlife areas are a paradise for animals, offering them the perfect dry-season-retreat. The Tarangire River and the swamps usually provide sufficient water and a comfortable habitat for elephants, even during the dry season. There is hardly another park in Africa that houses so many pachyderms. As more and more elephants settle in and around the national park, tensions rise among the local community.

The area around the Tarangire is underdeveloped, has an inadequate infrastructure, few schools and offers even fewer opportunities to work – in short; it is a breeding ground for human-wildlife conflict. Historically these neighbouring communities have had negative experiences and encounters with wild animals, viewing these wild animals as a threat to them, their livestock and destroying their crops. These daily challenges combined with negative external influences and pressures with promises of short-term rewards create an environment where animal poaching can easily become a way of life. It is a difficult task to persuade the local community not to poach elephants when they trample on their fields or steal their crops. Poaching is often self-defence and can only be tackled by finding new ways of resolving conflict.

Our local partner is the Chem Chem Association. It was established in 2008 and since contributes to the conservation of the greater Tarangire eco-system and the upliftment and sustainable development of the surrounding rural communities. Together with the local community, two priorities have been defined: the protection of elephants and the support of the local community. The foundation consults with the government to manage a wildlife reserve located between the Tarangire National Park and Burunge Lake, and is responsible, among other things, for combating poaching with its specialised anti-poaching team. Cooperation with the local community focuses on training, for example as a ranger or in the tourism sector, but also in general conflict resolution when it comes to the coexistence of wildlife and humans.

With a visit to the Chem Chem Safari Lodge and Little Chem Chem you support the work of the Chem Chem Association, and get an idea of its essential and successful on-site work. Below is an aerial photo of Little Chem Chem.