The community game guard and/or ranger workforce in north-west Namibia is heavily male-dominated.  Yet a few courageous women are beginning to change all that. While not the first female rhino ranger, Maleska Harases of ≠Khoadi-//Hȏas Conservancy, has been one of the most active and top female Conservancy rhino ranger performers presently rivaling many of the men.  In 2022, she logged 114 Active Field Days, 21 confirmed Rhino Sightings, and 1161 Foot Kilometers which positions her ahead of many of the male rangers.  In fact, her average foot kilometer per day rate – which enables comparison between rangers who often do not patrol at the same frequency due to different scheduling approaches – finished in the overall Top 20 at 14.5 kilometers per day surpassing over 80% of the other male rangers.  She joined the programme in November 2020 and since has produced a total of 202 Active Field Days, 54 confirmed Rhino Sightings, and 2706 Foot Kilometers to protect what she refers to as ‘her rhinos’.  Further noteworthy, is that despite ≠Khoadi-//Hȏas suffering a number of poaching incidences until 2017, not a single rhino has been poached on Maleska’s watch as a ranger!  She is a role model for other women who think that a ranger’s work is only fit for a man.  In her wake, 2 additional female rangers have since joined her at ≠Khoadi-//Hȏas and another 4 female rangers presently serve as Conservancy Rhino Rangers around the region.  While her individual performance and statistics may not necessarily rank in the top 10 echelon, Maleska exemplifies the future of community-based rangers.

Due to her bravery and commitment Maleska recently won an award at the second Garth Owen Smith Ranger Award (GOSCARS) ceremony in Namibia for his exceptional performance in 2022.  The awards have been set up to recognize outstanding community ranger work across Namibia in remembrance of the late Garth Owen Smith, widely recognized as a key founder of the Namibian community conservation programme in the early 1980’s.