When rain falls, wildlife goes on walkabout. When that happens, surveillance from above becomes crucial to mitigating conflict and preventing poaching.

The wet season is really kicking into gear now, and herbivores are taking full advantage of the emerging bounty by dispersing far beyond their usual dry season range. Elephants, especially male elephants like these two - Lobolo (left) and One Ton (right) - are particularly fond of wandering afield.

With 390 rangers spread across our area of operation, there is not much that we miss, but of course, elephants don’t adhere to invisible man-made boundaries.

To monitor wildlife like these two elephants, we go airborne. Enter the Super Cub: a lightweight aircraft, capable of flying and landing anywhere and the perfect means with which to monitor wide-ranging species like elephants.

In this year alone, our aerial unit has patrolled over 24,000 km. That’s equivalent to flying the length of Africa three times. Our Super Cub was instrumental in the radio collaring operation of Esau earlier this year, who subsequently roamed through hunting blocs in Tanzania and back to safety in Amboseli National Park.

It also helped support ground teams by shepherding elephants out of farms and stopped two lion hunts before any animals were injured. Beyond wildlife monitoring, aerial patrols also helped identify 12 cases of illegal activity, from clearing wild land for farming, illegal grazing, illegal sandalwood harvesting, charcoaling, and bushfires.

We are extremely grateful to the Elephant Crisis Fund which has supported our aerial operations since 2014.

📸: Joshua Clay

Last year, rangers conducting a routine inspection of camera traps in the lava forests of the Chyulu Hills were surprised to discover three grainy images of a critically endangered Eastern black rhino named Nontoyie…with a calf.

Since then, the status of Nontoyie and her calf has been on every one of Big Life’s ranger’s minds. The two were photographed again in February, but thereafter, things went quiet. Rhino calves are extremely vulnerable at that stage. All we could do was to keep checking the camera traps, patrolling and keeping the area secure, and pray that it survived.

A full year later, and Nontoyie and her calf have been pictured again, looking healthy and strong.

This is enormously encouraging for two reasons. First, the odds now lean in favor of the calf’s survival. But more so, we now know that the calf is female. This is a critical boost for this tiny population, which only numbers 8.

We’re doing everything we can to ensure their success. With 63 dedicated rhino rangers across 10 outposts on patrol every day, we haven’t lost a rhino to a poaching incident for 8 years. We suspect that this calf is the granddaughter of Cathy, another rhino who died of old age in 2022. The calf now represents the third generation of Chyulu rhinos that have been able to live out their lives safely thanks to the combined efforts of our rangers and those from the Kenya Wildlife Service.

This would not be possible without our supporters around the world. We are particularly grateful to USFWS, Chester Zoo, and our partners at Royal African Safaris for supporting our rhino protection efforts.

📹: Joshua Clay

We weren’t kitten when we said there has been an explosion of lion cubs across the Amboseli ecosystem; this young one is part of yet another growing pride.

High birth rates are not the only indicator of a healthy lion population. Equally important is survival throughout adulthood. We are proud that no lion has been killed in violation of our Predator Compensation Fund (PCF) so far this year. It hasn’t all been clear sailing; our rangers still had to prevent 3 retaliatory lion hunts.

These numbers mark a wider trend of tolerance towards predators that is paying off for the communities and wildlife that live here in Greater Amboseli. Tolerance comes at a cost of course. Since 2017, the annual average for PCF payments is $122,000.

Compensation alone is not enough to create lasting change, and that is why we started the Maasai Olympics in 2012 as an alternative for the traditional killing of lions. Back then, to have zero lions killed in violation of the Predator Compensation Fund in a calendar year would have been a celebration. 12 years on, and it has become the norm rather than the exception.

Just as these lion cubs will soon grow up and seek to prove themselves, we are excited to welcome the next generation of young Maasai who will seek to prove themselves when they compete against the current warrior generation in the upcoming Maasai Olympics on December 14.

📹: Joshua Clay

We know it’s a busy time of year, but we’re here to help! Big Life is proud to present our 2024 Holiday Gift Guide.

The following sustainable gift ideas are a wonderful way to share your love of wildlife with your friends and family. Each item directly supports Big Life’s mission, helping our rangers to protect wildlife and wild lands throughout the entire year. 

NICK BRANDT SIGNED BOOKS

Big Life also offers signed books by our co-founder, Nick Brandt, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Big Life. This includes Across the Ravaged Land, from his time in East Africa, as well as his newer work, The Day May Break. Personalized inscriptions, adding a unique and meaningful touch, are available.