When it rains, it pours. And sometimes, literally. We had more rain the first half of 2018 than we’ve seen in the last two years combined. The impact has been dramatic across the entire ecosystem. Initially, it was devastating – taking out roads, separating families, and drowning humans and wildlife alike. However, the abundance of water and associated strong recovery of pasture has created an ecosystem of plenty. In a place where so many battles are fought over natural resources, this has led to a degree of peace and quiet, particularly on the human-elephant conflict front.

In the second quarter, we had zero confirmed elephant deaths from either poaching or human-elephant conflict. There were also zero cases of elephants injured by humans, because there were no cases in which elephants were hunted in retaliation for damages. And despite regular patrolling, no snares were found.

We would have preferred some zeroes in our statistics on wildlife crime. However, we arrested 26 suspects for possession of illegal wildlife trophies, and in doing so confiscated 237 kg of ivory in different areas of Kenya. That ivory will never see the black market, and we’re grateful for the help of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other partners and informers in accomplishing this.

Frequent training is critical to keep rangers’ skills fresh and relevant in a dynamic conservation environment. Our rangers will be even more skilled moving forward, as we worked with partners to launch the Amboseli Conservation Academy during the second quarter. The Academy will provide advanced and refresher courses to supplement the training received by rangers at the KWS Manyani training school, and in the future, we hope to see the number and scope of courses grow to include a wide range of topics and audiences.

The Big Life rangers have a lot of animals to protect, but there is one in particular that stands out: a new baby Eastern black rhino. This is a huge milestone in our rhino protection work, all done in close partnership with KWS. At such a low number, the population is still highly vulnerable, and Big Life rangers are working to keep every single individual safe from harm.

As always, the community remains top of mind in all that we do. For one thing, we’ve taken on the implementation of mobile health clinics in one part of the ecosystem, and would love to expand this further with time. It’s hard to be positive about wildlife conservation when you’re battling to meet the basic needs of your family, and we hope that these clinics will contribute to a happier, healthier community. The response has been positive. Two of these clinics in the second quarter reached 527 patients, providing medical and family planning services, and administering deworming medication to over 1,100 children.

All of these results are thanks to our supporters – both our local partners in the field and our donors around the globe. THANK YOU.

Richard Bonham
Director of Operations, Big Life Kenya

READ THE FULL 2ND QUARTERLY REPORT

One shouldn’t be happy about the suffering of others, but in this case we can’t help it.  Today, 50 runners from around the world embarked on a grueling 5-day, 230 km ultra-marathon across 5 conservancies in northern Kenya. You might rightly ask why someone would put themselves through that (and why we would be happy about it). Because it’s all to raise money and awareness for rhino conservation and the well-being of rangers.

In partnership with Beyond the Ultimate Race Series, Big Life supporters For Rangers and Save the Rhino International created the race: "For Rangers Ultra". The run takes athletes on a journey through some of the wilderness areas that they are racing to protect, and eventually over a finish line on the equator. 

This event, and others by For Rangers, have raised much-needed funds and this year alone the efforts have brought in more than $65,000 for all beneficiaries. Big Life is grateful for the support received since the start of the For Rangers fundraising campaign in 2015, which over the years has allowed us to purchase ranger uniforms and equipment, conduct repairs and maintenance on ranger outposts, and to provide life insurance coverage for all Big Life rangers.

So today, we wish all of the participants good luck and minimal suffering, and we thank you for supporting Big Life rangers! 

Images: Clifford Pickett

Today for World Ranger Day, we honor all rangers who stand between illegal wildlife crime and the world’s natural heritage, and who risk their lives to protect those places and animals that cannot protect themselves. As endangered species continue to fall victim to diminishing habitat, increasing competition for resources, and the ongoing onslaught of illegal poaching activity, their work has become more important than ever.

It’s also become more dangerous than ever. The stakes are increasing, both for wildlife as numbers dwindle, but also for poachers, where the penalties for getting caught continue to increase. Rangers are caught in the middle of an increasingly militarized and confrontational battle for wildlife and wild lands.

According to the International Ranger Foundation, 63 rangers were killed in Africa in the last 12 months. 107 were killed globally. And that number may actually be two to three times higher, as many incidents go unreported. The Game Rangers’ Association of Africa states that 269 rangers have been killed since 2012. This includes Big Life ranger Kior Kulwa who was killed by an elephant late last year.

So today we stand with our rangers. To Big Life’s rangers, as well as the global ranger community, we say: THANK YOU. Thank you for your dedicated efforts protecting the natural world. You help to keep this planet beautiful and habitable for us all.

And thanks, as always, to our donors and partners for ensuring community rangers have the resources they need to protect the Greater Amboseli ecosystem, including For Rangers and The Thin Green Line Foundation, our monthly Ranger Club donors, and our supporters the world over. 

A ranger’s contact with the outside world can be tenuous. Cell phone reception is poor or non-existent, and often the only connection is a small black box: the radio. If things go wrong, it’s a lifeline.

On the other side of the connection sits Ann Taraiya, one of four Big Life radio operators. Ann is a new and very welcome addition to Big Life, having joined earlier this year. She is from Eselengei, an area in the far north of the Amboseli ecosystem where Big Life has recently established a permanent presence thanks to funding from USAID Kenya and East Africa.

After completing a degree in hospitality, Ann worked as a receptionist elsewhere in Kenya, but her father worked in conservation and Ann had always wanted to do the same. She also wanted to return home, and this job presented the perfect opportunity to accomplish both of those things.

But her work won’t be easy; being a focal point for 36 Big Life ranger units is at times a bit like being an air traffic controller. There is someone at the radio 24 hours a day, and two people at times when the rangers are on patrol. Digital radio technology allows Ann and the other operators to track the ranger teams on a screen in real-time, and direct them when emergencies happen.

Big Life’s successes are all thanks to having an excellent team, and we’re very happy to have a woman like Ann on ours. You too can play a critical role by joining the Big Life ranger club, our monthly giving program. Because without the support necessary to keep the rangers in the field, our radio room would be a very quiet place.