Meet The Women On The Front Line Against Poaching

The Black Mambas are the all-female team taking on ivory poaching in South Africa.

Despite a ban on the international trade in ivory, this is a major problem for the country and conservationists predict rhinos could become extinct in the next 10 years if the species is not allowed to recover.

They have just completed a two-week course run by British Army veterans in the Balule National Park to learn how to gather evidence.

For the park's head warden, Craig Spencer, the all-female makeup of the group is the key to the success of the operation:  

"I'm getting three generations for the price of one. I invest in these ladies, they go back to their communities, speak to their kids and mother and aunties and so on... Every generation gets impacted by these 36 young women."

The Black Mambas patrol the park's border around the clock and frequently cover up to 20km a day following poachers tracks and searching for evidence.

Latest figures suggest their efforts are working, as the last known rhino to be a victim of poaching was in March. 

At the moment, just a handful of snares are removed daily, whereas it used to be almost 100.