I went to Zambia to investigate disappearing wildlife. What I discovered was how deeply that loss affected the people living there. My latest essay, Thirty Bags of Corn, tells part of the story that changed my understanding of conservation. tomopre.substack.com/p/thirt…

After more than a week of permits, approvals, meetings, and bureaucratic delays in Zambia, we’re finally moving! Next challenge: capture and relocate 50 puku antelope to the Lower Luano Valley. Operation Return of the Wild continues. shepherdswildlife.org

Captured Cape buffalo in Lower Zambezi National Park. Couldn't find a car charger anywhere in Lusaka. Then a guy on the roadside downtown had exactly what I needed. Africa provides. On its own schedule. 🎥 #Zambia #Conservation

My largest trout on a dry fly—possibly nine pounds—from a Scottish loch I won’t name, with my friend Ali Hutchins. Fly fishing settles my mind and reconnects me with the natural world I spend so much time documenting. Days like this stay with you.

Everybody wants wildlife and open spaces. Who pays to keep them? I joined The Sportsmen’s Voice to discuss The Real Yellowstone, ranching, hunting and the rural families at the heart of conservation. Listen: congressionalsportsmen.org/s…

A nice surprise: #47 on Substack’s Rising in Culture list. A lifetime behind the camera. Stories about wildlife, people, and experiences that stay with us. Thanks to everyone reading and supporting my work. Read here: tomopre.substack.com

The first Cape buffalo step off the trucks into the holding boma in Zambia’s Lower Luano Valley. Years of work brought us to this moment. Behind the scenes of Operation Return of the Wild. Real people. Wildlife coming home. Follow: shepherdsofwildlife.org

I’m at the boma in Zambia’s Lower Luano as we prepare for Cape buffalo to arrive. Operation Return of the Wild is returning animals driven locally extinct by commercial bushmeat poaching. Follow the journey and sign up: shepherdsofwildlife.org

Niagara Falls with Olivia during AGLOW’s conference. My old man was president in 1971; being honored by fellow outdoor communicators means so much. More on that soon. Grateful for the encouragement to keep telling stories connecting conservation and human dignity.

A first for me: helping carry a sedated Cape buffalo while more buffalo stood beyond two steel cables. The hands-on work of restoring wildlife to Zambia’s Lower Luano. Follow Operation Return of the Wild: shepherdsofwildlife.org #ReturnOfTheWild

A first for me: helping carry a sedated Cape buffalo while more buffalo stood beyond two steel cables. The hands-on work of restoring wildlife to Zambia’s Lower Luano. Follow Operation Return of the Wild: shepherdsofwildlife.org #ReturnOfTheWild

Commercial bushmeat poaching wiped out Cape buffalo and puku locally in Zambia’s Lower Luano. Now they’re back. Our new Operation Return of the Wild update explains this milestone—and the work ahead. shepherdsofwildlife.org/blog…

Buffalo transport to organize. Elephants walking through camp. Day one in Zambia. We’re helping return Cape buffalo to the Lower Luano after poaching wiped them out locally. Follow the journey: sign up for the Shepherd’s Journal. shepherdsofwildlife.org

I was 14. The pike were huge. The company was bad. And my father said something on that lake I've never forgotten. This week's essay: Pike Paradise 🧵👇 tomopre.substack.com/p/pike-…

Love the fish on a remote lake where monsters live? And learn a valuable lesson about life? Check out my latest Substack essay! tomopre.substack.com/p/pike-…

A first for me: helping carry a Cape buffalo roughly 150 feet. She responded more strongly than expected to the immobilizing drug, so we helped the vets move her to the chute for reversal. Animal welfare and human safety come first. #OperationReturnOfTheWild

This young Cape buffalo bull had already been darted when he broke out of the capture trap. He made it about 500 yards before the team caught up with him and guided him back to the truck. I’d never helped lead a Cape buffalo anywhere before. #ReturnOfTheWild