Big Life Foundation recently commemorated World Wildlife Day. The day ignited both celebration and reflection, illustrated both successes and challenges. The day connected people from across the world who are working to find solutions to conservation threats. The day provided an opportunity for communities and leaders to reaffirm their commitment to protecting wildlife and wild lands.

This fleeting day of unity for wildlife came and went, and in its place surfaced two news stories that illustrate the imperative need to accelerate the fight:

The U.S. Administration announced that it will allow the import of elephant trophies from African nations on a “case-by-case” basis. In a formal memorandum issued on Thursday, the U.S. said it will withdraw its 2017 Endangered Species Act (ESA) findings for trophies of African elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia, “effective immediately.” A number of other important decisions made previously under the ESA are also at risk of being overturned.

This comes on the heels of a ground-breaking new study that highlights the devastating scale of the African-Asia wildlife trade. Among other findings, the study notes that more than 1.3-million live animals and plants, 1.5-million skins, and 2,000 tons of meat from protected species have been exported from 41 African countries to East and Southeast Asia since 2006. The second most common mammal skin to be exported was of the African elephant, with a high number exported from Zimbabwe.

While the situation looks dire, we remain inspired by the local and global efforts to preserve species and protect ecosystems. Thank you for supporting us in these efforts by voicing your support of programs that protect wildlife and wild lands. Thank you for doing your part to turn the tide against extinction.

We have some tragic news to share. Simultaneously a life to celebrate.

Rangers put their lives on the line every day that they step into the field, and we have always dreaded the moment when things might go terribly wrong. Sadly, that day came recently when one of Big Life’s long-serving rangers, Kior Kulwa, was killed by an elephant while returning to work from home.

It was a completely chance accident, in a remote area, and the fact that it happened to a man as experienced in the bush as Kior suggests that it was probably unavoidable. It feels especially tragic that he was killed by one of the animals he had worked so hard to protect.

Kior was previously a poacher, and after being arrested a number of times in the 1990s decided to take a different path by joining Big Life and rising to the rank of corporal in Big Life’s rhino protection platoon. He was well known for his enthusiasm and hard work, and had earned the respect of his peers by twice winning the monthly award for best performing ranger. Always cheerful and ready with a joke even in the most stressful circumstances, Kior was a backbone of Big Life’s wildlife protection program.

Kior leaves behind a wife and two children, one of whom has been hired as a ranger to continue in the footsteps of his father. Kior is one of the many unsung heroes of wildlife conservation and joins the growing number who have paid the ultimate price for the work that they do. He will be sorely missed and forever remembered. Thank you Kior.

We have created the Fallen Ranger Fund in Kior's memory to help support the families of Big Life rangers who have been injured or killed in the line of duty. To contribute, please click here. 

It’s a great pity that we can’t translate the news headlines for elephants, because they would surely be doing an even more ecstatic dance than we.

The Hong Kong Legislative Council today voted to pass a bill that will end the ivory trade in the city-state, which has long been one of the global hubs of the bloody business. The decision was overwhelming, 49 votes to 4, and a strong finish for the bill that started its journey through parliament in June 2016.

We don’t have much sympathy for traders demanding compensation, as investigations have revealed that ivory traders have been using loopholes to peddle illegal ivory under their ‘legal’ licenses. Only this last July, Hong Kong customs seized seven tons of illegal ivory in the biggest bust the city had seen in 30 years.

The ban will take effect in three phases, with an immediate ban on trade in elephant trophies, followed by a ban on ivory imports and exports after three months, and full closure of all commercial ivory trading by the end of 2021, by which time all possession licenses will have expired.

This of course leaves some wiggle room for traders to continue to exploit over the next few years, and we hope that this ban is followed up with strong enforcement. But more than anything, we are grateful to the decision makers in Hong Kong, and the efforts of all of those who have pushed for this to happen.

Following the implementation of China’s ivory trade ban at the end of last year, we couldn’t have a better start to this one. There is more than light at the end of the tunnel, we can just about feel the warmth on our faces.

(Image: Big Life's Daniel Sambu on an outreach visit to Hong Kong a couple of year's ago)

Sadly, elephants can’t own property. But they need a home too, and there are some places that they can’t afford to lose. 

The Kimana Sanctuary is one of the these. It is small but critical; 5,700 acres of land at the heart of the Amboseli ecosystem. It is home to majestic elephant bulls, big elephant families and countless animals of all kinds.

As swamps have converted to agriculture, and development has closed off wildlife migratory routes, Kimana Sanctuary offers these animals access to water, and a safe corridor to travel between different areas of the ecosystem.

There is no plan B. This land needs to be protected, and Big Life is excited to start the year with the announcement that we will be taking over this responsibility, and adding existing rangers to the Big Life team. This is possible thanks to support from our incredible partners the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, who will be covering the cost of the land lease (paid to the local community) for the coming year, and funding from the D.N. Batten Foundation who provided key support for the establishment of Big Life operations in the sanctuary. The funding for the rehabilitation of existing tourist infrastructure, critical for revenue generation, will be provided by UNDP/GEF.

The land is safe, and we need to make sure that the animals within it are safe too. This past weekend the Kenya Wildlife Service/DSWT vet team worked with Big Life rangers to treat an elephant that was seen walking around the sanctuary with a spear stuck in his back.  This would likely have happened to him while raiding neighbouring farms, but Big Life’s next phase of crop-protection fencing will separate the sanctuary from the town, keeping both humans and elephants safe.

With elephant poaching under control in Amboseli, these complex issues of space and human-wildlife conflict are Big Life’s biggest challenge. Thanks to all of you who have made our successes possible, and for those who might be interested in joining Big Life to support our current work, please donate HERE.