Why this matters
Decades of criminal poaching of bushmeat and habitat destruction has emptied these lands of wildlife and degraded entire ecosystems.
Communities which rely on this habitat have suffered as a result leading to severe poverty and hunger.
How you can contribute
The operation to bring wildlife back to the region is underway. We are now fundraising to document this operation.
Help us fund this ongoing media project and to help us spread awareness on restoring not only ecosystems, but entire communities.
OPERATION: RETURN OF THE WILD
Campaign Target: $100,000
Looking to support at a higher tier? Contact us for access to our Elite Tiers.
Shepherds of Wildlife Society is a registered U.S. nonprofit (IRS EIN: 82-4489052). All contributions are made to a verified entity operating in partnership with Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
- Regular price
- $25.00
- Sale price
- $25.00
- Regular price
Wildlife Restoration Media Campaign
Project Mission
Thanks to the help of our community, we have funded Operation: Return of the Wild to restore wildlife to Zambia. Part two of this mission is to fund the media campaign to film the project and bring more awareness to the importance that conservation can have on rural African communities.
This project funds the film crew to capture the operation.
Our Role
Shepherds of Wildlife does not conduct the wildlife capture operations. The capture and relocation has been conducted by professional wildlife teams in Zambia who perform these operations regularly.
Our role is to:
- Raise the funds required to carry out the documenting of the restoration which started in September.
- Document the operation for global audiences
- Educate the public about how wildlife restoration actually works
This restoration effort will be documented as a major storyline for the upcoming documentary: Killing the Shepherd: Return of the Wild
Support Tiers
$25 — FIELD SUPPORTER
Help document wildlife returning to Zambia’s Lower Luano Valley.
$50 — RESTORATION WITNESS
Receive campaign updates and behind-the-scenes field access.
$100 — CONSERVATION BACKER
Exclusive campaign updates and documentary access.
$250 — FOUNDING STEWARD
Recognition on the campaign supporter wall.
$500 — PRODUCER CIRCLE
Signed film/book package and campaign recognition.
$1,000+ — EXECUTIVE PRODUCER CIRCLE
Private updates and recognition as a lead supporter helping document the restoration.
Wildlife has returned to the Lower Luano
Working alongside Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife and local communities, we successfully completed the first major translocations into the Lower Luano.
Capturing the wildlife restoration effort through cinematography, aerials, interviews, and real-time field storytelling.
Documenting local chiefs, scouts, conservation leaders, and families connected directly to the land and wildlife.
Ensuring this story reaches audiences worldwide through editing, social storytelling, podcasts, media outreach, and educational distribution.
Creating a permanent public record proving that conservation rooted in stewardship and human dignity can work.
Fundraising Closes Soon
In September, we already began the capture stage of our mission with release scheduled for November. We have begun documenting the progress but our full campaign is currently underfunded.
Fundraise Window Closed
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Progress
Phase i: Wildlife Trap & Transfer
$150k - Fully Funded
In September 2026, working in partnership with Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife, local communities, wildlife professionals and our partners on the ground, Cape buffalo and puku were successfully translocated into the Lower Luano Game Management Area.
The buffalo are now acclimating in the holding boma ahead of their planned release in November. Puku have also been returned to the Lower Luano.
This is no longer a project we are talking about doing. The restoration is underway.
Phase iI: Documenting the Return
$100k - Fundraising Now
Fundraising continues to support the next stage: monitoring the restoration, documenting the November buffalo release, recording the voices of the people who live with this wildlife, creating educational conservation content and continuing production of Killing the Shepherd: Return of the Wild.
Backers
(Please allow time for your name to appear.)
Executive Producer - $5000+
San Angelo SCI Chapter ($10,000)
Cyndi Flannigan ($5,000)
John and Susan Stransky
Executive Producer - $1000
Jeff Duncan, Anonymous (2x)
General Supporters - $25-100
Judith Sholes
Restoring the wild builds community
This mission goes beyond the return of the puku antelope and cape buffalo. When these critical species return not only does the ecosystem thrive, but also the communities that rely on these precious resources.
COnTINUING OUR MISSION
In our debut film Killing the Shepherd, we dove into the stranglehold of poverty in Africa and shed light on the need for responsible conservation.
Dive-in Deeper with the book
Incredible stories are often left on the cutting room floor during the film editing process. Killing the Shepherd: Beyond the Film delves deeper than any film. Gritty and raw, this book will take the reader through a transformative process providing hope for the future of Africa’s wildlife. It also provides a business blueprint enabling rural communities throughout the dark continent to realize their most basic human rights.
