If you’ll be holiday shopping this year, consider choosing gifts that make a difference. Every purchase opportunity below directly funds our programs, helping to protect wildlife, support local communities, and sustain the wild lands of East Africa. 

TEMPLE ST. CLAIR

A longtime Big Life partner and Board member, Temple St. Clair donates 20% of proceeds from her Arcadia Collection to protect Amboseli’s wildlife. Her jewelry is both exquisite and meaningful.

SHOP TEMPLE ST. CLAIR »

This holiday season, you can help protect 2 million acres of wilderness—simply by choosing gifts that matter. Thank you for standing with us, and with the rangers on the ground who make this work possible, every day.

First, the good news: Craig is fine. But last week, we were not so sure.

A worried message came from one of Angama Amboseli’s guides in Kimana Sanctuary, and our hearts sank. Craig, one of Africa’s last tuskers, was down.

His breathing was sporadic and he was in severe discomfort. All the symptoms suggested ‘twisted gut’, something we’ve seen before. In 2020, one of Amboseli’s other well-known tuskers named Tim died at the age of 51 from the same condition.

The cause is suspected to be intestinal obstruction or an abrupt change in diet, which happens as pasture greens up with the onset of the rains. In severe cases, survival is slim, and there is nothing that can be done about it.

Big Life rangers took shifts through the night with him and come morning he appeared slightly better. With a vet on standby, our teams continued to monitor his bowel movements. An elephant-sized dose of buscopan has been shown to be effective, but administering it requires tranquilization, a risky procedure on an already suffering animal.

For a period, he moved into a swamp inaccessible on foot, so our drone unit was put to use photographing elephant dung. 24 hours later, the worst had passed, and we’re happy to report that he seems to have recovered completely without intervention.

According to the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Craig was born in 1972 (~53 years old). He is a symbol of conservation success, having spent a long life carrying enormous tusks that make him as famous as they put him at risk. His peaceful demeanor has endeared him to local communities and visitors from around the world.

Craig is certainly into his twilight years but we’re happy to report that for now, the rumors of his death are nothing more than that… rumors.

Our rangers will continue to monitor Craig, but we depend on you to keep them in the field. Thanks to you, tuskers like Craig and all of Amboseli’s wildlife stays safe.

This is Eunice Simantoi Lemujini, pictured here with her parents. She recently graduated from Laikipia University thanks to a Big Life scholarship, and she hopes to pursue a career in conservation.

Eunice grew up in Orbili, a settlement near the Chyulu Hills. It’s a remote area that has not historically given much importance to education, especially for girls. She is the first woman in her family and in her village to receive a university degree.

Eunice has always had a passion for the natural world. While her friends at school wanted become medics, teachers, and engineers, it was conservation that inspired her, citing her love for the environment and biodiversity as well as the work being done by Big Life rangers to protect wildlife.

An excellent student, Big Life stepped in when her family was unable to pay for the high university fees.

Thanks to our partnership with a German charity called Big Girls Foundation, we were able to cover the costs of Eunice’s degree.

Eunice says, “I want to become an example for women and girls who grew up like me to know that they can pursue their passions and become who they want to be. If they work hard and focus on their studies, then anything is possible.”

Eunice is a shining example of how conservation benefits those living in wildlife areas, and how those people may in turn go on to dedicate their lives to supporting conservation.

Congratulations, Eunice!

 Photos: Joshua Clay

Possession of this plant can get you locked up for life in Hong Kong and the UAE, but it’s legally grown and traded across East Africa and into the Middle East: Catha edulis, better known as Khat, miraa, or as the wild version that grows in the Chyulu Hills is called, simply ‘Chyulu’.