Our rangers patrol hundreds of thousands of kilometers a year. In an ecosystem as diverse as Amboseli, being able to get around quickly and respond to incidents on demand is a matter of life or death. And tough terrain means keeping our rangers mobile is no small matter. Our ranger vehicles require special modifications to make them bush ready, from roll bars to paint. Quality vehicles that are dependable and able to be maintained by our in-house team of mechanics are a gamechanger.

So we were extremely grateful to our partners at Part Time Rangers for helping to fund a new ranger vehicle for us this year. Battling supply chain issues was an operation in itself, but the newest member of our fleet is now actively patrolling the Kenya-Tanzania border in the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area, covering more ground and having a major impact.

FUN FACT: this part of our area of operation has a very different landscape from the rest of Greater Amboseli, so our new vehicle is tan for better camouflage, rather than the green you see on the rest of our fleet.

Thank you, Part Time Rangers for your ongoing commitment to wildlife conservation in East Africa!

Recently, Big Life informers sent along information about two suspects trafficking ivory. The intel led to a successful KWS operation that saw the arrest of two suspects in possession of 37 pieces of elephant tusks weighing 106 kg. As our informer network grows, these operations are happening more frequently and increasingly further afield from our core area of operations (AOO). In this case, the suspects were arrested in Samburu, north of Nairobi.

Big Life Foundation has a wide and highly effective intelligence network that collects information from across Kenya and beyond. We then work closely with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) on intel-related busts, directly supporting operations within our AOO.

The role of the local Maasai people in wildlife conservation efforts cannot be overstated. The success of the recent bust is testament to the trust that these communities have in reporting suspicious activity to Big Life Foundation. This trust has been built over many years of working together and is a reflection of the positive impact that Big Life has had in these communities.

The illegal trade in wildlife products like elephant ivory is a serious threat to the survival of many endangered species. Big Life's intel network and partnership with KWS are critical in the fight against this trade. Together, we have demonstrated that wildlife conservation is a collaborative effort that involves not just the government and field organizations like Big Life but also the local community. Only through such collaboration can we hope to protect our natural heritage for future generations.

There’s been a killer on the loose in Amboseli, one that we couldn’t have arrested with all the rangers in the world. Some species were hit harder than others; the death toll is more than 150 elephants, and an estimated 3,000 zebra and 1,700 wildebeest.

The killer – a severe drought - will shape a generation of wildlife and people. The old and weak died first. For elephant families, the death of the wise and experienced individuals is a devastating loss of leadership and survival knowledge.

Many Maasai families have lost more than 50% of their livestock, which is where most store their wealth. Kids have dropped out of school because their parents couldn’t afford to pay the fees, while others have sold their land to make ends meet.

Against this awful backdrop, there is no single word to describe the return of the rains. Joy. Relief. Ecstasy. The sound of thunder, and the smell of the dry earth taking a long drink from the skies. On cue, herbivores have started dropping their calves. Babies abound. Everything is changed.

It’s far too soon to say that this drought is over, but the widespread showers the last two weeks have brought a semblance of calm. With most of the rainy season still ahead, the landscape is already turning green in the first sign of the recovery process.

We’ve been here long enough to know that no matter how bad things get, nature will recover. But we’ve also learned not to get too excited too soon, and we’ll wait to see if the rains keep coming.

Photo: Jeremy Goss

While on a routine foot patrol, Big Life rangers noticed something odd. To a casual observer, the male giraffe looked fine. But to a trained ranger, danger lurked. Dangling from his neck was a large and potentially lethal wire snare. It hadn’t yet cut any skin, but it would only be a matter of time before it would tighten and threaten this magnificent creature’s life.

Our Rapid Response Unit monitored the giraffe while the Big Life Radio Room alerted the Sheldrick-funded KWS vet, who immediately set out to help with treatment.

Since the snare hadn’t tightened, medical treatment wasn’t necessary, so the giraffe did not need to be completely sedated. Instead, five grown men worked to keep his head safely on the ground while the wire was cut. For such a large animal, it was no small feat. Events like this underscore the critical role our ranger teams play in safeguarding the wildlife across this entire ecosystem, 365 days a year, year after year.

Photos: Josh Clay