Things tend to go quiet after our rangers are successful arresting poachers. Our recent fundraising appeal tells the story of the surge in giraffe poaching here in the Amboseli ecosystem, and how Big Life rangers recently caught some of the poachers responsible. It was a strong warning to others, and there has been little killing in the weeks since.

But we knew the quiet would not last. Poachers have struck again, this time in the far north of the ecosystem. They used the same horrible method of killing the giraffe: blinding it and cutting its tendons so that it could not run away.

Big Life rangers were able to respond quickly. Following a tip-off, rangers from our Eselengei unit and the Kenya Wildlife Service surprised the poachers in a night-time ambush at the scene of the crime. One poacher was arrested, and the killing tools and 400 kg of giraffe meat were confiscated, including the giraffe’s head, which was collected for evidence.

We are heading into the dry season here in southern Kenya. It’s always a difficult time of the year for people, which is going to be made much, much worse as a result of COVID impacts on the economy. People will be looking for cheaper sources of protein, and bushmeat costs less at market. Poachers will be gearing up to meet that demand.

But we are gearing up to meet the poachers. Our intelligence network is on high alert, and nights will find Big Life rangers awake on patrol somewhere in the ecosystem. Our high arrest rates are a huge deterrent for would-be poachers in the ecosystem, and we intend to keep it that way.

Big Life’s strength and effectiveness is only possible because of our donors and partners worldwide. We hope you consider supporting our appeal for funds to keep our rangers in the field, and ready to tackle this increased threat of bushmeat poaching. Your help couldn’t come at a more critical time.

Photo: Jeremy Goss

There are few ways through a snare line. Poachers will string up dozens of these simple killing devices across commonly-used wildlife corridors, and like fishing nets spanning a river, one of them will usually catch something.

It’s as cheap and easy a way to poach wild animals for bushmeat, as it is ruthless and indiscriminate. If your head fits through the hole, you’re in trouble, as this camel recently discovered.

Snares are usually set to catch victims by the neck as they walk through. Wild animals will struggle to break free, pulling the snare tighter and tighter and often strangling themselves in the process. This camel, obviously used to being tied up, adopted a far calmer approach to the problem and simply lay down to wait for a human.

Luckily some came along, in the form of rangers conducting a de-snaring sweep of the area. This was part of a bigger operation over the last couple of weeks, where Big Life rangers partnered with the Kenya Wildlife Service to patrol a large area in the far reaches of Big Life’s operating area, along the western edge of Tsavo West National Park.

Community informers had reported an increase in snares in the area, and rangers have now pulled out and destroyed 45 (and counting). We are receiving more and more of these reports, particularly on the borders of our operating area, which suggests that bushmeat poaching is on the increase.

It is as we’ve feared. The economic impacts of COVID-19 are being felt in Kenya as they are across the world, and it seems that many are turning to poaching. We hope that this COVID-19 storm will pass quickly. Until it does, our entire ranger network is on high alert.

At the water hole, a herd of elephants gathered for a drink. A tiny baby elephant attempted to join them, but was repeatedly pushed away. Eventually, the herd started to move on, and when the calf attempted to follow, he was rejected again, pushed back and abandoned, all alone. 

At this point, the owners of the Amboseli Bush Camp, who had been observing the interaction, realized that something was very wrong and called Big Life for help. Nearby rangers were dispatched immediately on a motorbike to survey the area, and they confirmed that the baby elephant was lost, and that his family was nowhere to be found.

He was very thin and looked less than a couple of months old, still pink behind the ears. The Kenya Wildlife Service was alerted, and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust was called in for assistance. Big Life’s rangers and Head of Security Craig Millar stayed with the calf until their support helicopter arrived, keeping him calm and safe.

He was feisty and strong throughout the rescue process, refusing any of the water offered. But once in the care of the highly experienced keepers at the Sheldrick’s Kaluku Field Headquarters, he took four bottles of milk. He’s been named Sabuk, meaning big/large in Maa, as they believe that he’s only 4-6 weeks old and quite big for his age.

Big Life rangers have since done a thorough search of the area and found a female elephant carcass not too far from where the baby was discovered, but it’s impossible to say for sure if this was his mother. We’re just glad he was discovered before lions found him, and hopefully he’ll recover and eventually be rehabilitated back into the wild.

This year has not gone according to anyone’s plans. We have never experienced a situation quite like Covid-19 has handed us, but our rangers, our staff, and our programs are resilient and very well prepared to handle the challenges we’re currently experiencing.

In the wake of the pandemic, tourism has evaporated across Africa. We feel it acutely in Kenya, as the economy of the ecosystem where Big Life operates is so heavily reliant upon it. Those now out-of-work are looking for other ways to make ends meet, which is why our wildlife security programs are more important than ever. We will not tolerate poaching activity in our area of operation, and the poachers know it. To minimize their exposure, our rangers are staying with their outposts and receiving fresh provisions remotely.

Our headquarters is quiet these days but not closed. Only limited, senior personnel are based out of the office, and those who can are working remotely.

Our community programs have been impacted the hardest. Schools of course are closed. Unfortunately, our corner of the world is not set up yet for remote learning. Our mobile health clinics are also on hold, due to the fact that hundreds gather on such days. There’s simply not enough PPE to hold the clinics safely. But our community health volunteers are out in force, disseminating information about how to prevent the spread of the virus, and are provisioned with soap and facemasks.

We’re disappointed as well to have to postpone the Maasai Olympics until 2021. The games add positive energy to our community, something we could all use more of right now. But it’s the only safe thing to do, and as always, the safety of our community comes first.

I’ve been running conservation initiatives in the Chyulu Hills area for 30 years, 10 of those under the mantle of Big Life. I have seen unspeakable tragedies committed against our wildlife but today, there are real, measurable successes across the ecosystem, beyond what I could have ever imagined when we got started. We will not lose momentum in the face of this virus. We will not slack in our commitment to protect the wildlife and wild lands for the benefit of us all.

Thank you, as always, for your support.

Richard Bonham
Director of Operations, Big Life Kenya

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Photo: Jeremy Goss