At Pete's Pond in Botswana, a crocodile nicknamed "Fatty" eyes nearby cattle egrets.

One man's passion to protect Botswana's wildlife and give animals room to run free in expanded territory has led to a success story at Mashatu Game Reserve. Pete Le Roux believed wildlife could repopulate the reserve if they avoided the Limpopo River, where poachers lurked. Using the remnants of an old irrigation system from the area's failed attempts to grow cotton, he carved Pete's Pond into the landscape as an alternative watering source—and as his answer to the rampant poaching and senseless killing of Africa's wildlife. The idea worked.

"We have effectively taken an area that was unsuccessful agricultural land and turned it into a viable wildlife preserve," says Le Roux as he gazes out on the pond. "That is the most rewarding thing we've done here, to see the game come back."

The greater vision is to build links between all of the country's national parks and reserves, an initiative championed in the late 1990s by former South African President Nelson Mandela. Progress is being made, but challenges remain to ensure the survival of Africa's largest wild species.