The Greater Amboseli ecosystem where Big Life operates is a diverse ecosystem, and the challenges vary with the seasons. Noosidan Preschool is located in a particularly arid part of the ecosystem that is not conducive to farming, so the residents in that area are primarily pastoralists, depending on their livestock for most of their food needs.

During the dry season, like the one happening now, livestock moves to areas where there is grazing available. The children that remain behind with their mothers to attend school are suddenly without their staple foods – milk and meat. Food becomes scarce, and kids are lucky if there is black tea or a cup of maize or flour porridge for breakfast.

These kids also walk long distances to attend school, and hunger is a real issue for many of them.

Thanks to emergency funding from our partners at LUSH, Big Life was able to procure a year’s worth of nutritional supplement to pass out for school lunches at Noosidan Preschool. As one teacher commented, the meals have been a game changer. The students are able to focus better in class and they are having fun learning again.

This critical investment in these kid’s future is a necessary one that we are so happy to provide.

Amboseli will never be the same. Events these last few months have fundamentally changed the course of this precious ecosystem.

Land subdivision plans have been completed for most of the large community ranches in the ecosystem. The maps are scary - four large ranches covering a total of 1 million acres, soon to be divided into tens of thousands of privately-owned plots ranging in size from 2 to 45 acres.

Whether this is for better, or for worse, will depend on how we all act next. We see it as an opportunity, and Big Life has invested significant time and resources into helping communities develop land-use plans that take into account the needs of both humans and wildlife. Hopefully, it sets the foundation for a win-win scenario where individuals get the private titles they want for some areas, and large spaces are kept open for wildlife conservation and livestock grazing in others.

Those who have followed the case of the commercial avocado farm in the Kimana Wildlife Corridor will understand the implications when land subdivision goes wrong. For now, the company has been told to cease operations, but the legal appeals continue, with the next round of hearings in September. This is proving to be a very expensive battle, but it’s one we can’t stop fighting. We know that there are other developers watching and waiting to see how this pans out.

We believe that there is space for both humans and wildlife in this ecosystem, and that the conflict between the two can be managed. The 100 km of crop-protection fencing that we have constructed continues to be effective at keeping (most) elephants out of farmlands, saving farmers money and saving elephants’ lives. This fence needs continual maintenance, but the expense is worth it.

Sadly, we cannot completely eliminate conflict everywhere. One person and two elephants tragically died this past quarter. Six elephants were also treated for spear wounds. Things will get harder as we head deeper into the dry season, and we are grateful for the hard work that our rangers do to handle this complex issue.

On the subject of rangers, we have just celebrated World Ranger Day, and we want to take a moment to personally thank each and every ranger that makes the stats in these reports a reality. Without our rangers and their dedication, there is no question that Amboseli would be a very different place.

Thank you too to all of our supporters who make it possible.

Richard Bonham and Craig Millar

Executive Chairman and COO - Big Life Kenya

SEE THE FULL 2nd QUARTERLY REPORT

I lead more than 300 rangers for Big Life, and I know the voice of each one of those men when they call me on the phone. 
 
We are the human protectors of wildlife and have dedicated our lives to it. I’m proud that the safety of these animals is in our hands. I believe that we are doing something good. There is a benefit for us too, because without my job, my kids might not have gone to school.
 
I have seen the change, been part of the change, as Big Life has expanded to protect wildlife here.  When I started eleven years ago, there was a lot of poaching. One by one, we arrested the poachers. Today, the elephant poachers have now either been arrested or gone to find work elsewhere.
 
We know what is happening in all areas of the ecosystem, but we cannot be everywhere across the 1.6 million acres where we work. The community provides us with that information. This takes trust, which requires action. Big Life doesn’t make empty promises. If we say something, we do it. It doesn’t matter whether it's transporting a woman in labor to a hospital or moving elephants that are blocking kids from going to school, we are always there on time.
 
Our rangers are the strongest link between Big Life and the community. It is one community member talking to another, Maasai to Maasai. I always tell people, ‘I am also a Maasai like you, and I have a cow like you, and I am farming like you, I am facing the same challenges.’ And the love that rangers have for protecting wildlife out there in the field, they take that home. The life of a ranger is sometimes in danger and their morale depends on the support they receive. We need to pay salaries, provide equipment, keep training. If Big Life went away, the poachers would go back to their old ways.
 
But the other day a poacher called me. He had been in jail for two years after I had arrested him for ivory. Now out, he asked me if I wanted to buy his honey. That is the change that we have achieved.
 
Thank you to everyone for your support this World Ranger Day.
 
Francis Legei
Big Life Commanding Officer P.S. And if you haven't yet seen our NEW 2-minute ranger video, click here to watch now. We are Big Life because of you.  

Photo: James Suter / Black Bean Productions

Big Life rangers are responsible for a number of vital conservation gains for the Greater Amboseli ecosystem. But those gains are only possible because of the dedication of each individual. One such individual is Senior Sergeant Ole Mpumpu.

Born and raised in the town of Kimana, in the shadow of Kilimanjaro, Mpumpu received no formal education, but was determined to find his place in the world. Working his way from the bottom up, he now has over 27 years dedicated to his personal and professional mission of protecting wildlife and wild lands.

Mpumpu is currently in charge of four outposts in Kenya near the Tanzania border. These outposts are critically situated in zones with the highest rates of human-wildlife conflict and instances of poaching. Along with his fellow rangers, Mpumpu conducts extensive daily patrols on foot and by vehicle to gather intelligence, detect and intercept illegal activity, and monitor activity via hidden field cameras to thwart poachers and prevent habitat destruction.

Importantly, Mpumpu also coordinates and leads community rangers to help reduce human-elephant conflict. His team responds quickly to community calls for help, preventing elephants from entering farmland when possible, and pushing them out when not. On rare occasions, Mpumpu has even gone alone to take on the incredibly dangerous task of chasing elephants from farms. His dedication and courage are constantly on display, and he is an incredible role model for new recruits and his fellow rangers.

Senior Sergeant Ole Mpumpu is an exceptional person for many reasons, but his resolute life-long commitment to the flourishing of wildlife, wilds lands, and his community, despite the inherent danger and reality of working as a ranger in the East African bush, is an inspiration to us all.

We are grateful to Sergeant Mpumpu and his incredible dedication to the wildlife, wild lands, and communities of East Africa.

If you are also inspired by his dedication, you can support him and his fellow rangers with sustainable, reliable funding by joining our Ranger Club as a monthly donor. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win a bundle of Big Life merchandise. Sign up at biglife.org/monthly-giving.

Photo: Bruce Reynolds