Restaurant goers were surprised when they suddenly found themselves in the midst of an intelligence operation that resulted in the arrest of seven men. The men were in possession of a very special and priceless package – a live pangolin.

The pangolin had been captured somewhere in Tanzania, but the men decided that they’d have better chances of selling it across the border in Kenya, in Taveta town. Big Life’s intelligence network caught wind of the seller’s intent and posed as interested brokers. After convincing the traffickers to meet in a “safe” place (in a more populated urban setting, as opposed to a remote farm), the stage was set for the Kenya Wildlife Service to seal the deal and make the arrests.

The suspects will remain in Kenya, where they will go through the proper judicial process. The pangolin on the other hand is making a new life for itself in Tsavo, where KWS deemed it best to release the animal to ensure its future safety.

As our intelligence network continues to grow, so does our success stopping illegal crime and wildlife trafficking. Thank you to all of our supporters for ensuring this work continues.

Watching weeds grow can feel a bit like watching paint dry. But in this case, we’re more than happy to do it.

That’s because the National Environmental Tribunal (NET) of Kenya has ordered a stop-work order for the KiliAvo farm, currently at dispute in the Kimana Wildlife Corridor. Any plantings or construction are on hold until the court lifts the order, as is weeding and watering. The next hearing is not until the end of April. So while it’s not as good as watching the fence come down, of which the elephants have already strongly voiced their opinion, it’s still good news.

Additionally, the Kenya Wildlife Service has been enjoined as an intervening party in the case, to help NET reach a decision. KWS was not initially consulted on the Environmental Impact Assessment and would have objected if they had been. “We would not have approved it as we do not feel the farm is appropriately located,” said Patrick Omondi, acting director of Biodiversity, Research and Planning at KWS, to Al Jazeera back in December.

The owners of the 180-acre farm had previously been plowing ahead as if it was predetermined NET would rule in their favor, continuing to plant, fence, and dig boreholes for irrigation. While land can be bought and sold here without restriction, land-use plans from ALOCA (the Amboseli Land Owners Conservancy Association) and the Amboseli Ecosystem Management Plan zoned this area only for livestock grazing and wildlife tourism, not agriculture.

Large developments like this not only hurt the local economy by restricting grazing access, but also hurt the tourism economy which employs thousands of people and is dependent on healthy and freely moving wildlife populations into and out of Amboseli National Park and across the community conservancies. This is true particularly for elephants, of which the region is famous. Amboseli is one of Kenya’s most visited tourist destinations. When you consider the taxes, gate fees, and employment generated by eager safari goers, the long-term, irreversible damage that commercial farming in this area could bring far outweighs any perceived short-term benefits the farm itself claims it may generate.

So while avocados may be nutritious and delicious, they have no business being farmed in the midst of the Kimana Wildlife Corridor. There are many other much better locations for such developments.

For now, we wait for the next NET hearing. Please share this post with your networks and help spread the word about what is happening. And if you’re in a position to make a donation, we need all the help we can get to offset the mounting legal expenses associated with this effort.

After the news this week about the change in status for African elephants from vulnerable to endangered, every single elephant is critical to the survival of the species. But there are a handful that we have relationships with and have come to view as friends.

One Ton is one such elephant, an impressive tusker and frequent visitor to the swimming pool-turned-watering hole at Big Life co-founder and Director of Operations Richard Bonham’s home. He is a famously chill elephant and enjoyed and photographed by safari enthusiasts who come to see him from around the world.

Which is why we were deeply alarmed and concerned to see him with a nasty looking wound on his neck recently, clearly infected. Big Life put the call out immediately to coordinate veterinary care, and thankfully our partners at Sheldrick Wildlife Trust quickly responded. Given One Ton’s status, they sent a caravan to Nanyuki to collect a top vet and fly him down. Meanwhile, their helicopter from Tsavo joined to assist in ushering One Ton out of the dense bush around Richard’s home onto the airstrip, a wide-open area where he could be easily treated.

Once he was safely darted and down, it was clear his wound was severe and worse than initially thought, at least a foot deep. The vet was able to clean and treat the infection, and he was revived and on his way without further incident. We will of course keep a very close eye on him to monitor his recovery.

After inspecting the wound, we do not think it was inflicted by a spear or other human causes. Whatever caused it is a mystery, but it could have been the result of a fight with another bull elephant, which is not uncommon with these big guys.

Huge thanks to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and Kenya Wildlife Service for helping to make sure One Ton could live another day.

In an unprecedented decision, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species has just separated African elephants (which have historically been treated as one species) into two distinct species—forest and savannah—and elevated their respective statuses from “vulnerable” to “critically endangered” and “endangered.”

Previously, due to a lack of scientific data on elephant population genetics, the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) and the African savannah elephant (Loxodonta africana) were treated as a single species by the IUCN. However, new genetic research has made it possible to assess their individual populations, resulting in more accurate listings that will hopefully translate into more meaningful protection across the continent.

Based on recent assessments, the African forest elephant—whose population fell by more than 86% over a 31-year period—has been listed as “critically endangered.”

The African savannah elephant has been listed as “endangered,” in response to a population decline of at least 60% in the past 50 years.

Current estimates suggest that around 415,000 elephants remain in Africa, across both species.

These assessments and population trends are extremely worrisome, but the change in status may come with a silver lining, if it results in new resources and attention being directed to the poaching crisis and other pressures faced by elephants. As rangers across Africa put their lives on the line to protect elephants and stem the supply of ivory to Asia, we hope to also see increasingly stiffer penalties for convicted poachers and traffickers of ivory.

It is possible that the elevation in status could trigger increased poaching attempts, as rarer animal parts from species with greater potential to go extinct in the wild are often in higher demand on the black market and in places where ivory is still legally traded.

But it is important to recognize that some subpopulations of elephants are actually thriving due to successful conservation efforts, such as in the Greater Amboseli ecosystem we strive to protect. This includes not only tireless anti-poaching and anti-trafficking efforts, but also diligent human-wildlife conflict mitigation and appropriate land-use planning to allow space and resources for elephants and other migrating wildlife.

In Big Life’s area of operation, we are proud that zero elephants have been poached for the last 2+ consecutive years, and the local population is thriving.

With your help, we intend to keep it that way. Protecting these animals, and their habitat, is more important now than ever. Thank you, as always, for your support.

Photo: Jeremy Goss