 Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Wade. And I'm Bruce Gulland. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live. Lots of people say, how can you work out in the wild when you are a woman? But I can do anything I want. Many other people, especially young women like us, they want to join us. I am a woman. I am going to have a baby. I want my baby to see a rhino. That is why I am protecting it. Leita Micabela said this to The Guardian newspaper. Micabela is part of a group in South Africa called the Black Mambas. They work to protect wild animals, particularly one special animal, the rhinoceros or rhino. Today's spotlight is on the Black Mambas of South Africa. South Africa is a large and beautiful country. Like many countries, it has some special areas that are kept only for nature. People do not live in these game parks or reserves. The areas are separated to protect the plants and animals there. These include large elephants, tigers, lions and many kinds of smaller animals too. Rhinos also live there. These large grey animals have large pointed horns on their face. Rhinos are protected by the laws of the country, but people still hunt them. Some people think that the rhino horn has special powers. They will pay a lot of money for it. Because of this, people illegally kill or poach rhinos in South Africa's game reserves. Now, there are not many rhinos left. If people do not stop killing them, in 10 years, there will be none. In Kruger National Park in South Africa, the park officials have worked for a long time to stop poachers. Like other national parks, they employed male rangers with guns to patrol the park. These rangers would shoot or arrest anyone that they found trying to kill the rhinos. The punishment for poaching a rhino is up to 20 years in prison. There is also a fine of over $100,000. But even with punishments and armed rangers, the rate of rhino deaths in Kruger Park was still very high. Authorities needed another solution to save the rhinos. So, they formed a new group in a nearby area called Balula Nature Reserve. This group has reduced trapping and poaching in their area by 76%. This new force is made up only of women. They are named the Black Mambas after a deadly kind of snake. The Black Mambas do not carry guns. Instead, they concentrate on protecting the animals and natural environment in the park. Sipue Sitole is one of the Black Mambas. She explains to the Guardian why her group is so important. There were men rangers carrying guns. But still the rhinos were being killed and lots of animals were being poached. I think they said, let us start something and add women and see what happens. Women are more loyal to their jobs so they feel very strongly about what they do. In 2013, the park employed 26 women from the surrounding community. The women come from poor communities around the park. Before they begin, they receive military training and wildlife education. They learn methods to follow poachers' footprints and to take apart traps. Since 2013, the Mambas have patrolled the metal fence which marks the park area. They watch for poachers. They remove traps or snares set by poachers and they report everything they see. The Mambas also go into the community. There they educate people, especially children, about protecting animals. And the women of the Black Mambas have made a big difference. The Guardian says in the six months before they began 16 rhinos were killed in Balula. In the year after the Black Mambas started, only three rhinos were killed. Sipiwe Sitole says, The Black Mambas are winning the war on poaching. We have zero acceptance of rhino poaching and the illegal wildlife trade. The poachers will fall, but it will not be with guns and bullets. People all over the world have noticed the Black Mambas' success. The New York Times published pictures of them. They won an award from the UK organization Helping Rhinos. And the UN gave them the Champions of the Earth Prize in 2015 for their courage. The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program, Akeem Steiner said, Their many successes are a result of their great courage and strong desire to make a difference in their community. The Black Mambas are an inspiration, not only locally but across the world, to all those working to stop the ugliness of the illegal wildlife trade. Winning awards like this shows people that it is possible to prevent poaching. It also shows local people that the Black Mambas are valuable. Mamba Felicia Mohakane explains, It is about knowing that people in South Africa love and are thankful for what we are doing. They are so happy that there are Mambas. Some years ago they used to say this job is for men. Now there are women who are working to protect the wildlife. It means a lot to us and makes us continue to do our job when we know that people are behind us supporting us. If I were not doing this, I would be sitting at home without a job. Jobs are limited in South Africa. So this is a big chance for me because I am able to take care of my family. The Black Mambas are doing important work to save rhinos, but they are also doing important work in their communities. They are supporting their families by earning money and people respect and honour them because of the work that they do. The Black Mambas show that communities and nature can work together. They bring hope for both people and animals in South Africa. We close our programme today with the words of another Mamba, Colette Engelbeni, who shares her hope for the future. If we work together as a community, we can solve this problem. People need to open their minds and their hearts. It is not about money, it is about our culture, our future. The writer of this programme was Reena Dam. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this programme and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this programme again and read it on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This programme is called Black Mambas, Women Protecting South Africa. You can also leave a comment on our website or email us at radio at radioenglish.net and find us on Facebook. Just search for Spotlight Radio. Look for our free listening app in the Google Play Store and in iTunes. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight programme. Goodbye.