Big Life’s rangers are as committed to their families as they are to their work protecting their home, often at great sacrifice.

Some rangers are posted deep in the Chyulu Hills or on the opposite end of the ecosystem where phone signal is nonexistent and the journey home is arduous.  And while most of our rangers are from our area of operation, a few come from further away in other parts of Kenya.

Tom Kihoro is one who must travel far to see his family. As the Head Mechanic at Big Life Foundation, and he ensures that every single vehicle runs smoothly. His workshop team is so efficient that other organizations often come to Big Life for their repairs. His room at Big Life HQ is full of reminders of his family: photos and drawings by his daughters adorn the walls and the side of his wardrobe is marked with each of their heights as they have grown older.

“Living far away from my family is tough, and when my wife died in 2017, I found it extremely difficult to be there for my children. They live in Nakuru and go to school there, but it is a 12-hour round trip, and I was not sure how I could look after them as well as continue doing my job. However, Big Life supported me so much through it all, both financially and emotionally, which I will always be grateful for. I see my family every month or two and while my two eldest are adults now, I always make sure I am there for my youngest to take them to school at the beginning of term. It's the small things that matter.”

Please support rangers like Tom, and join in the work to save wildlife and wild lands today by joining our Ranger Club as a monthly donor.  All Ranger Club members receive special perks, including 20% off Big-Life-branded merchandise in Big Life’s e-store. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly throughout July.

Sign up today.

Photo: Josh Clay

Whether you’ve been watching Big Life from the sidelines or are an occasional supporter, we hope you’ll say “yes” to that question today. There is an unprecedented set of needs in the Greater Amboseli ecosystem as a severe drought ravages the land, wildlife, and local communities. This is happening at a time when the rising cost of food and fuel is squeezing our efforts to respond.

The Ranger Club is a group of thoughtful individuals who are committed to holistic conservation and donate monthly. Each additional Ranger Club member increases our chance of success during this challenging time.

It includes people like Betty from New York, who says: “I choose to direct my charitable giving to Big Life because of their holistic approach to conservation. They of course protect vanishing animal species (and who doesn't love elephants?), but more importantly, Big Life supports the humans who share that space with the animals, bettering their lives in so many ways, with schools, traveling clinics, and the Maasai Olympics.”

Another Ranger Club member, Alan from Massachusetts, says, “I came across Big Life Africa a few years ago. I love how transparent they are with their financial spending. I have been a supporter since the day I researched the organization and discovered how much good they do for both the animals and the community.”

Big Life’s Ranger Club members ensure that funding for wildlife conservation is available day in, day out.

Please join in the work to save wildlife and wild lands today by joining our Ranger Club as a monthly donor.  All Ranger Club members receive special perks, including 20% off Big-Life-branded merchandise in Big Life’s e-store. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly throughout July.

Sign up today.

Photo: James Suter

Growing up in the remote areas of East Africa is wildly different than growing up in a major city anywhere in the world. In the bush, you are not separated from nature, you are a part of it. This cultivates a desire to protect the land you live and depend on, ensuring that it will take care of you. But that land depends on a functioning ecosystem to have a biologically thriving home.

Every single one of Big Life’s 342 trained rangers come from within our area of operation, or immediately adjacent to it. Nearly all of our community rangers are Maasai, although there are a few Wakamba from the Chyulu Hills. Being local means they already know the ecosystem in and out, helpful during night operations and while on patrol. They speak a variety of languages including Maa, Kikamba, and Kiswahili.

They range in age from 18 to 65 years old and will typically work as a ranger for at least a decade or two. Some of Big Life’s rangers have even inspired their own children to grow up and become wildlife rangers, inspiring a new generation of wildlife heroes. Currently, Big Life employs five sons of retired rangers, and two sons of current rangers. Big Life’s community rangers are an inspiration to their local communities, families, as well as the world.

The Maasai tribe is as iconic as the wildlife and landscape they co-exist with. Their livelihood is semi-nomadic and pastoral, herding cattle and goats. In fact, all Big Life rangers keep livestock in addition to their regular duties and most also have small holding farms.  

Big Life’s community rangers all call the Greater Amboseli ecosystem home, and no one knows how to protect it better than they do. Their culture and way of life is predicated upon having a healthy ecosystem to live in. While working as a Big Life ranger provides the obvious major benefit of employment, other benefits include access to healthcare, family planning, and education.

We are grateful to all of our brave men and women who risk their lives in the field daily to protect the wildlife and wild lands of East Africa for the benefit of us all. And we are equally grateful for our supporters around the world that have invested in the success of our rangers.

Throughout the month of July leading up to World Ranger Day on July 31^st, we’ll introduce you to several of our dedicated rangers and share stories from the field.  

Please show your support of their efforts to protect the Greater Amboseli ecosystem with a donation today. By joining our Ranger Club as a monthly donor, you’ll receive special perks, including 20% off Big-Life-branded merchandise in Big Life’s e-store. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly throughout July.

Sign up today.

Photo: Clifford Pickett

It feels like we’ve been here before.

In 2009, the rains failed, following three years of poor rainfall. The resulting drought was one of the most severe in living memory. At its worst, as many as 100 animals a day were dying of starvation. By the time the rains arrived, 83% of the wildebeest, 71% of the zebra, and more than 300 elephants (about 20% of the population at that time) in the Amboseli ecosystem had died.

Tens of thousands of animals succumbed, including the livestock that are the lifeblood of Maasai pastoralists. 75% of cattle died, as did 66% of sheep and goats. Many lost everything, and the trauma is still fresh in people’s minds.

Fast forward to today, and the long rains have just failed. Although we have just had three years of good rains, this has resulted in record high numbers of livestock and wildlife, which in turn has pushed grazing resources to the limit.

We needed rain, and it didn’t come. Nor will it until October at the very earliest. This is a runaway train that can’t be stopped.

Big Life’s rangers are already finding animals too weak to keep up with their herds. Some have started dying and we are bracing for a large die-off of herbivores as things get worse.

While daunting, we CAN help.

Human-wildlife conflict is escalating. For example, in January there were 8 incidents of elephants breaking through the electric crop-protection fence, in May there were 45. Elephants are already damaging pipes, water tanks, and other infrastructure. Big Life’s rangers will be running from one call for help to the next. Our vehicles and aircraft will be constantly on the move, at a time when fuel costs are skyrocketing.

As livestock become weak, they will get left behind, making them easy prey for predators. In desperate times like these, Big Life’s Predator Compensation Fund is a critical way of protecting predators like lions.

Bushmeat poaching is also likely to escalate, putting additional pressure on our rangers.

Humans will suffer terribly too. Combined with livestock losses, incomes are going to be squeezed, and hunger is already becoming a reality for many. We’re pulling a variety of programs together to support our communities, including a school lunch program, and a temporary work program to put money in pockets for food.

There is no doubt we are facing a difficult time, but we will do whatever we can to help wildlife and people through it and appreciate our ecosystem partners who will be doing the same.

If there was ever a time for everyone to step up, now is it.