Wilder Impact

We're turning wild stories into real-world change. Here are some of the organisations we're partnering with to make our impact truly wild.

Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust

With a focus on wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and education, the Wildlife Trust takes a multi-faceted response to protecting the wildlife around Vic Falls. Their programs are helping to reshape the way people and wildlife interact. 

Zimbabwe National Parks Authority (a.k.a ZimParks)

That’s right, we’ve got the government of Zimbabwe of our side! Nothing happens in any of Zimbabwes many incrdible National Parks without ZimParks knowing about it. And through our partnership we have unlocked the country for wildlife filmmakers as we work with ZimParks to improve their messaging, communication and international reputation.

Vic Falls Anti Poaching Unit

Could this be the worlds only Urban Anti-Poaching unit? It’s a completely different game trying to find poachers in a city. While its hard to hide from rangers in the bush, amongst a sea of other people, the anti-poaching unit must find other ways to bring justice. These community minded men are responsible for not just the animals lives, but the peoples as well. Because in a city where elephants and buffalo walk down the highstreet, education is key.

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The greatest detection technology in the world has 4 paws and a wagging tail. The anti-poaching dog unit run by Keith Sparks is an absolute marvel. His dogs have the discipline of soldiers and can track the faintest scent of a person over miles of bush thats over 24 hours old. They are crucial piece of the anti-poaching infrastructure in Victoria Falls and are worth far more than their weight in gold.

IMPI

Going where no vehicle can reach, the mounted anti-poaching unit use one of man kinds oldest alliances to get ahead. This horse anti-poaching unit rides deep into the bush to cover as much ground as possible. Surveying vast areas of bush to keep the wildlife safe, they are often the first responders to wildlife in trouble and thanks to their work, they have found countless snares, saved countless lives and brought many poachers to justice.

Ele-Collection

The new kids on the bloc. Ele-collection are revolutionising recycling across Southern Africa. Using their tenacity and ingenuity, their 3 young founders have turned one of Africas biggest problems into possibly its greatest asset. Using an incredible machine by the team at Plazrok, they are turning plastic waste into building aggregate to help with the expansion of the city of VIctoria Falls. By hiring local people to collect plastic, they are building a profitable business that can turn any and all plastic waste into valbule building material.

Painted Dog Trust

The painted dog trust is tackling one of the most difficult problems in africa. Roadkill. This is a problem all over the world but it is far more than just a nuisance, its a catastrophe for wildlife. Embarking on a grim morning ritual, the team sets out to count and collect evidence of roadkill along the Kazangula road between Zimbabwe and Botswana.

C.A.R.E

Sometimes conservation takes on a very different face. At C.A.R.E they work with pets in the small communities around north west Zimbabwe. By helping with human wildlife conflict and stemming the growing stray dog population, care is bringing the world of animal welfare to the villages of Zimbabwe.

Pristine Vic Falls Society

The Pristine society has 1 simple goal. To make Victoria Falls the cleanest and greenest city in Africa. They want to make the naturla wonder, the gleaming jewel in Africas crown as they change the culture and tidy up the streets. Through education campaigns, the installation of new bins and now, the re-using of the citys food waste to grow more food, they are taking waste management into their own hands and have already made a massive difference.

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Show Not Tell

I am the Co-Founder and Marketing Director of a company called Ele-Collection. Story telling is extremely important to our success. We’ve worked with a handful of production companies in the past, and I must say, Barking Gecko is in a league of its own. Their creativity, organisation, flawless equipment and vision are bringing this industry into a new chapter. One where partnered projects are given more than ‘exposure’ or simple content. Barking Gecko took their time to understand our needs before creating a video that genuinely brought us closer to our goals. It’s been the most successful piece of content we have released to date with over 145,000 views (and climbing). If you would like to have your view of film production changed, give Barking Gecko a shot.

Tom Richards

Producer

Tom is a wildlife and conservation documentary producer who for the last decade has produced multi award-winning blue chip and expedition–based natural history series such as Earth at Night in Color, Earthsounds and The Wild Ones. He’s made films for Apple TV+, the BBC and Sky TV as well as his own independent films for YouTube.   

Outside of the day job he’s also an activist – whether that’s running the Extinction Rebellion Bristol Media team during Covid, or as a co-organiser for grassroots collective Filmmakers For Future: Wildlife working with the wildlife filmmaking industry to speed up the transition to greener, non-extractive and more impactful working practices.  

It’s his love of challenging the status quo that brought him here, to The Barking Gecko. 

Benedict Rickards

Zoologist

Benedict Rickards – Founder, Chief Gecko Wrangler

Benedict is the loudest thing in the bush… and that’s saying something. A Zoology graduate and unapologetic animal nerd, he’s worked on everything from epic natural history documentaries to fast-paced children’s TV (because, cliché or not, getting kids hooked on nature is the best way to save it).

Armed with an endless supply of wildlife facts, boundless energy, and absolutely no concept of an “inside voice,” Benedict brings wild enthusiasm to every project. When he’s not behind the camera or cooking up new ways to tell nature’s stories, you can find him on the ultimate frisbee field — as if he wasn’t already cool enough.

Troy Reid

Cinematograher

Troy Reid started his career in marketing. With a strong background in business and marketing he built one of Zimbabwe’s own Apple dealership from the ground up but something was missing. He was losing his connection to the wilderness of Zimbabwe he’d enjoyed as a child so he sold his business and followed his passion Wildlife Filmmaking.

Having worked on a huge variety of wildlife shows over the years, Troy has always been left wanting to have done more for the people who have given their time, expertise and sometimes their lives to save the wild. It’s this sense of duty and justice which drives him on The Barking Geckos mission to leave a lasting impact wherever we go!