Poaching has had devastating consequences for Africa’s wildlife, and rangers have difficulty protecting these remote wilderness areas. Now, the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) has partnered with CAKE, an electric bike company, to create an electric bush bike, allowing rangers to reach remote areas, without the humming of an engine giving them away.
Anti-poaching teams have started using dirt bikes to start patrolling, where it is considered the fastest and most agile vessel to use in the wild. But, this comes with its own set of problems; combustion engines are loud and poachers can hear them coming and, it is costly to buy and transport fuel to remote areas.
‘The bikes we’ve used previously have all been loud, heavy and expensive to keep running in these areas. Sometimes we’ve had to transport the fuel with helicopters, which is very unsustainable and costly for us,’ SAWC said in a statement.
Thankfully, CAKE’s engineers have developed the Electric Bush Bike series which allow rangers to approach poachers inconspicuously. Powered by CAKE’s Kalk AP, rangers in South Africa are equipped with a power kit and solar panels.
The bikes can be charged independently from a power kit, enabling rangers to ride freely through the reserve, charging wherever and whenever necessary. These bikes will be trialled for the next two years by rangers from the SAWC.
CAKE is also exploring alternative uses for their electric Bush Bikes, such as distributing Covid and malaria vaccines in rural Ghana, charging medical fridges with their mobile batteries. Their bikes come with versions equivalent to a 50 cc or 125 cc motorbike, which have been approved for street use in the US and Europe. The bikes have also come with a communication kit when riders camp while out on patrol.
Pictures: CAKE
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