Big Life’s rangers all come from the local Maasai community and bring with them the kind of bush skills that can only be acquired from experience. This head start in their career as a ranger is essential, but these skills need to be built upon in order to do their jobs safely and successfully in an official capacity. Additional training in standard operating procedures, scout skills, field craft, interviewing and investigation, first aid, forensics, technical skills, navigation, equipment use and maintenance, and monitoring are all vital to their daily duties.

Big Life rangers undergo an initial three-week training course at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Training School, which is required by Kenya’s Wildlife Management Act. However, ongoing refresher training is critical for both performance and morale. Big Life determined that the best way to maintain an effectively trained ranger force is to facilitate ongoing in-house training. Several years ago, Big Life received funding to build facilities for the Amboseli Conservation Academy (ACA), an internally managed training facility which can accommodate 30 rangers in training at one time. In addition to formal training programs, Big Life also collaborates with other partner organizations such as the Pangolin Project to train rangers on identifying pangolin signs and even how to properly handle these sensitive animals should they confiscate one from a wildlife trafficking arrest.

The goal of this kind of supplementary training is to minimize ranger injuries, to maintain zero poaching incidents, and to have wildlife crime prosecution cases successfully resolved. As a testament to the success of this work, within our area of operation, 0 endangered elephants have been killed by poachers for 4+ years, 0 critically endangered black rhinos have been killed by poachers in 6+ years, and many wildlife populations are rebounding. All of this success would be nearly impossible without investing in our rangers.

We are grateful to our donors and partners who help facilitate ranger training, including: Lead Ranger, the Amboseli Tsavo Community Wildlife Ranger Association (ATCWRA), and the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Tall and lanky, Shadrack’s sharp eyes scan the horizon. His motorbike is parked behind one of the large tanks, and he’s already nimbly climbed to his perch on top of the Noosilale borehole to start his watch at dusk.

The surrounding landscape is bleak, ravaged by months without rain. Zebras file in, a hesitant giraffe lingers, and Kilimanjaro looms to the South as local women finish gathering water before nightfall.

Shadrack’s job as a borehole attendant is to guard the tanks and make sure the water continues to flow. If it runs dry, frustrated animals will break it apart trying to access the interior plumbing.

He says, “I like watching the animals, but elephants the most. I know when they are coming, even when the night is at its darkest, because I have stayed up here [on top of the water tank] for many nights, and I know where all the bushes are, so when I see one in a place I do not recognize, then I know it is an elephant. They only like to drink from the water trough where the water is fresh and prefer not to drink from the puddles. If there is no water, there is trouble. They will dig up the pipes.”

“This is all new piping. We had to put concrete over it because elephants broke the last ones. They are destructive, but that is their nature. Through education and compensation, Big Life has taught us to learn to live with them.”

When asked if he likes his job, he replies, “Yes, it is peaceful. I believe I am helping the community as well as the wildlife by looking after this borehole. Everyone needs water, especially now, and the borehole is the only reason many of these animals and people’s shoats and cattle are still alive. This job has been my only source of income and I am thankful for that. I can feed my shoats and myself.”

Photo: Josh Clay

While the past month has been extremely difficult for both the people and wildlife here in Amboseli, there have been brief interludes of fun. Over the past four Saturdays, several locations across Big Life’s area of operation have provided a stage for some serious competition between group ranch teams as they jump, run, and throw for potential glory in the upcoming Maasai Olympics Finals, scheduled for December.

Each event has been hotly contested, perhaps even more so than previously as the prize money for a placed finish can make an enormous difference to those whose livelihoods are stretched to the limit because of this drought. It has also meant that attendance, although still good, has been impacted, as many spectators have not been able to attend, instead needing to tend to their livestock or unable to afford the journey.

While men are traditionally the only competitors in the regionals, the greatest excitement in last weekend’s event on Eselengei occurred when women insisted on also having a go at throwing the rungu. Clucking and shimmering in their brightly colored shawls, they had some success at hitting the target, causing considerable entertainment for everyone.

We are desperately hoping the rains will offer some relief for the entire ecosystem soon so that the Finals can be properly attended and celebrated by everyone.

The Maasai Olympics would not be possible without our generous partners and sponsors including: National Geographic Society’s Big Cats Initiative, the Disney Conservation Fund, Chester Zoo, and Play for Nature  / Parc Animalier d'Auvergne. 

Photo: Josh Clay

Where human development spreads along roads and other lines of infrastructure, it chokes ancient wildlife movements. But in Amboseli there are still gateways connecting the various sides of the ecosystem - these are the keys to wildlife movement.

Nowhere is this starker than in the Kimana Wildlife Corridor, which connects Amboseli National Park to Kimana Sanctuary and beyond to the Chyulu Hills and Tsavo. At one point this corridor funnels through a tiny pinch point that is only 85m wide and 800m long. If that small gap closes, it’s the end of this important corridor. It’s that simple, and that fragile.

So we are beyond excited to announce that Big Life has agreed on conservation easements with the owners of the two pieces of land in this pinch point of the Kimana corridor, and with two other landowners at the point where it narrows on the western side. Three of these agreements will be for 50 years, while the fourth is for 25.

Easements are written into the title deeds and have stronger legal backing than land leases, and we can be absolutely sure that this land will stay wild for this extended period. Easements cannot be lifted prior to expiry without mutual agreement of both parties, providing the highest level of protection.

While Big Life continues to react to immediate threats, the current drought and its impact being foremost on our minds, the future of this ecosystem depends on our ability to protect the land and habitat. We believe that this is best done through partnerships with its traditional owners.

Everyone wins with these deals. The landowners still own their land and have willingly signed the agreements for financial benefit, and everyone can sleep easier at night, knowing that this set of important keys is now safe for the next 50 years.

Photo: Jeremy Goss