Wirral's female Rangers leading by example

Wirral rangers Flora and Jo are joining thousands of women worldwide, who dedicate their lives to protecting wildlife and the environment, in celebrating World Female Ranger Week.

The event—which began on June 23 and runs until June 30—is highlighting the 5,000-plus female wildlife rangers around the world who are involved in everything from arresting poachers to seizing snares that trap animals to educating local communities about conservation.

As well as celebrating the vital roles this global community of women plays, the week hopes to inspire others to consider becoming rangers as a career—currently, only 11 percent of rangers are female.

As Flora and Jo demonstrate in their video, female rangers perform a vital role in helping to protect, manage and nurture our parks and open spaces and they want to inspire others to follow in their footsteps.

World Female Ranger Week was created by adventurer and conservationist, Holly Budge, who has been supporting the work of female rangers for almost a decade.

Holly—who, among her many achievements, was the first woman to skydive over Everest—is also the founder of the UK Charity How Many Elephants, which draws attention to the shocking plight of African elephants due to the illegal ivory trade.

Holly promotes World Female Ranger Week through How Many Elephants, which this year will include live and online events and a fundraising platform to support rangers worldwide.