A giraffe carries no ivory, nor a horn to be ground into some entirely ineffectual traditional medicine. This most gentle of animals is simply big, and that is sadly a life-threatening trait.

Each pound of wild animal flesh has value in the commercial bushmeat market and it’s a straightforward equation; the bigger the animal the more money for the poacher. Last week, Big Life rangers responded to two separate incidents involving giraffes (or twiga, in Swahili).

The first was a snare around the neck of an adult male. The giraffe had broken free of the snare, but it was tightly wound around his neck and required veterinary assistance to dart him and remove it. Thanks to the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) vet from Amboseli, this happened quickly and efficiently.

The second giraffe was found with a spear hanging from his side, a more dire medical situation. KWS rangers called in the Sheldrick-supported vet from Voi in Tsavo, who quickly made it over to our side of the ecosystem to treat the giraffe. 

So far, both giraffes are looking good. The incidents occurred on Rombo ranch, and Big Life’s rangers there will continue to monitor them to make sure they make a full recovery.  Giraffe numbers in Kenya have declined from 73,000 to 27,000 over the past three decades. However, the giraffe population in Big Life’s area of operation has doubled over the past 10 years, now reaching nearly 7,000. This makes Amboseli not just a giraffe stronghold for Kenya, but a home for a significant proportion of Africa’s estimated 117,000 giraffes (of all species).

This relative safety is thanks to the tireless work of Big Life’s rangers, as well as our partners in the ecosystem. As we head into the worst stretch of the dry season bushmeat poaching tends to increase, and giraffes will be a primary target. Thank you for supporting our rangers, so that they can stand in the way.

Vultures occupy one of the least glamorous niches in many people’s estimations. But regardless of whether you may find them ugly or revolting, they are highly intelligent creatures who fulfill the crucial role of being the natural world’s clean-up crew. In the wake of the recent drought that devastated Amboseli, their role was doubly important.

Yet for these nomads of the endless horizon, fate hangs in the balance.

Since the 1980s, the trajectory of almost all vulture populations in Africa has been a near nosedive. With the rise in cheap and readily available poisons and pesticides, pastoralists found an effective means of retaliating against lions, hyenas, and other predators that kill their livestock. It’s a simple and deadly formula: lace a carcass with poison and wait as all the predators that return to it die a slow death, doing so alongside the countless vultures who got there first. As a result, six out of the seven vulture species in Kenya are listed as threatened, with four being critically endangered.

It was partly in response to the high frequency of lion poisoning events in Mbirikani that our Predator Protection Program was implemented in 2003, including our Predator Compensation Fund. In the two decades since, poisoning events have been reduced to almost zero across our area of operation. While lions and other predators are the primary focus of those programs, it’s not an accident that vultures are also benefiting.

It will take a shift in human behavior at a global scale to reverse these birds’ fortunes as their ranges exceed mere regional and national boundaries. But as we have shown, change is possible, and we are proud to do what we can to ensure these regal raptors still soar over Amboseli’s skies.

Photo: Josh Clay

Some dogs spend their lives in lofty apartments barking at pigeons, others exist perpetually in pursuit of tennis balls, or waiting semi-patiently for their next meal. But here at Big Life, our tracker dogs do things a little differently. Throughout their illustrious careers, Bonnie and Clyde have hunted down poachers, discovered hidden caches of ivory, and helped solve multiple thefts and petty crimes. 

In the past few months, they have patrolled over 750 km, assisted in two cases of theft where they led our rangers straight to the stolen items, and helped find two people who had become lost in dense bush. One was a young girl who had strayed a little too far, and the other couldn’t find her way home after being chased by an elephant. Both were found and returned to their families.  It’s all in a day’s work for our remarkable canine duo!  Photo: James Suter

RICHARD BONHAM ON BIG LIFE'S WILDLIFE HABITAT PROTECTION EFFORTS 

The impressive numbers in this report reflect the hard work of our 381 rangers. From arresting bushmeat poachers to chasing lions away from human settlements, to helping confiscate illegal ivory and sandalwood, their efforts are measurable, and the numbers tell the story. 

But an increasing amount of Big Life's work is much harder to portray, and that is our effort to protect wildlife habitats. As previously communally-owned Maasai ranches continue to subdivide and privatize, we have invested heavily in supporting our partner communities in their land-use planning and legal processes for gazetting those plans and issuing land titles correctly.

Although your eyes would glaze over at the sheer number of hours spent in meetings discussing all the finer details, the efforts are yielding results. The number of conservation land leases is steadily ticking up and we have signed agreements with over 2,100 landowners (and counting), who own some 70,000 acres of land that is now protected for wildlife.

The threat to Amboseli comes largely from outside developers, who are buying land and converting it to farming and other uses that are not sustainable in a semi-arid environment, nor compatible with the local livestock-keeping culture and economy. There is space for all types of economic activity in appropriate areas in Amboseli, farming included, but conflicting activities can only co-exist if plans are followed.

Political support for these plans is thus extremely important, and we were very encouraged by the recent Presidential Directive from Kenya’s President Ruto to halt issuance of licenses for development in key wildlife areas until appropriate planning is done. The local Kajiado County Government has expressed support for the President's sentiments, and the local county office of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) is already acting on it.

In Amboseli, the planning is done. Now those plans need to be enforced. Conservation and livestock farming make a huge economic contribution in the drylands of Kenya and will be the most adaptable use of land as we deal with climate change. Natural habitats are important for wildlife AND for people. We’re extremely grateful that the county and national Kenyan government sees this bigger picture and are taking the issue seriously. Big Life certainly is.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

Richard Bonham
Executive Chairman & Founder – Big Life Foundation Kenya

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