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’.
The 3rd quarter marks the peak of the dry season, when our rangers work tirelessly under some of the toughest conditions of the year. When water becomes scarce, both people and wildlife are pushed to their limits, and the risk of conflict rises sharply. Day and night, Big Life’s community rangers are out on patrol—keeping watch over farms and water sources, responding to crop raids, and ensuring that both wildlife and people can make it through this challenging season safely. Their work, grounded in trust and collaboration with local communities, continues to prove that coexistence is possible, even under pressure.
This past quarter has also brought new challenges with a rise in wildfires across the ecosystem—fires that can devastate grazing areas, destroy habitats, and threaten both lives and livelihoods. Our rangers stepped up once again, working alongside community members and partners to fight these fires, often with limited resources and in extreme conditions. Their dedication and bravery in the face of these growing threats remind us of the immense commitment required to safeguard this landscape.
Amid these challenges, our partnerships remain a beacon of hope and strength. Through joint efforts with our conservation partners, we recently fitted eight elephants with GPS tracking collars—part of an ongoing initiative to monitor movements, strengthen protection, and better understand how wildlife navigates this changing environment. These collaborations, combined with your continued support, are helping secure a future where wildlife and communities can thrive together.
As we head into the final stretch of the year, we are deeply grateful for all those who stand with us—thank you for helping make this work possible.
Craig Millar
Chief Operating Officer
Big Life Foundation Kenya
Across Amboseli, threats lurk around every corner.
Poachers set snares to kill animals. Fences strangle the landscape into tiny pieces. Illegal farms gobble up once-wild land. But you can help protect Amboseli’s wildlife and wild spaces. Some of our most remarkable rangers stand on four legs — our tracker dogs — whose keen senses help find threats and track down suspects no human nose ever could.
In addition to their daily care, our dogs urgently need new kennels and a partner for our rookie tracker dog, Watson. That’s why I’m writing to you today.
And right now, your gift will go twice as far — every donation is matched through December 31.
Here’s what your year-end donation can do:
Right now, the decade-old kennels are not good enough for our hard-working dogs.
Big Life’s former tracker dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, were a great team, but Bonnie is now retired, and we lost Clyde suddenly to cancer.
Last year, you helped us welcome and name two young pups, Holmes and Watson.
Unfortunately, Holmes is not up to the rigors of being a tracker dog. He lacks the discipline to stay on task and is easily distracted. Holmes does a great job of keeping Watson company, but with only one tracker dog ready to deploy at a moment’s notice, elephants may lose timely protection when threats arise. You can help solve this problem.
Watson is steady and disciplined. He excelled at school and is eager to join our rangers in the field. With your help, he will continue to sharpen his skills under the expert guidance of Sergeant Mutinda Ndivo — former poacher, turned protector — and save elephants’ lives.
Watson is still a young tracker dog who has a lot to learn. His skills must grow step by step, so he performs reliably without losing heart. Overworking him could cause burnout and make him lose interest, which is why a second trained dog is needed right away to help pick up the slack.
Having just one dog is also risky. If Watson gets sick or hurt, all tracking stops. A second dog means rotation, rest, and resilience — so protection never stops.
You can help secure a fully-trained and qualified tracker dog to patrol with Watson, so there is always a reliable nose on the trail.
Amboseli is vast: 2 million acres of grass, bush, and lava flows. With their incredible senses of smell and hearing, tracker dogs make it more manageable.
They can find lost children in the bush. Track bushmeat poachers. Sniff out hidden illegal ivory. They can even deter crime before it happens, because news of their skills travels fast.
Your gift will keep the tracker dogs at work doing all that.
Tracker dogs are a critical tool in a ranger’s toolbox to protect elephants, including the last iconic tuskers.
Every day, these heroic dogs fight for wildlife, habitat, and people. They need friends like you to stand with them.
Without rangers and tracker dogs, Amboseli’s wildlife and the harmony between people and nature could be lost forever. But I know you care about protecting Amboseli just as much as I do, and you won’t let this happen.
If you stand with us:
You will help herds of elephants migrate safely across the savannah.
You will help giraffes journey amongst zebras and wildebeests.
You will help lions continue to coexist with the local Maasai.
You will prevent poachers from killing wildlife.
And so much more…
Thank you for entrusting and empowering our team — including those with four paws — to get the job done. I know resources are tight for many. Please don’t feel pressured to give. But if you can give, know that here in Amboseli, your support delivers results: a world where wildlife and people can thrive side by side.
On behalf of all of us at Big Life, THANK YOU.
Craig Millar
Big Life Foundation Kenya, Chief Operating Officer
We are thrilled to announce that our rangers have recorded a rhino calf born in the Chyulu Hills, the second in less than two years.
This brings the small Chyulu population of Eastern black rhinos up to 9 individuals, which Big Life protects in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
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