The #WildlifeRangerChallenge is the world’s largest celebration of solidarity, support, and fundraising for wildlife rangers. This year more than 100 teams of rangers spanning the African continent are taking part in a series of challenges, culminating in a grueling 21km race, in uniform while carrying 22kg backpacks.

This global campaign #ForWildlifeRangers is organized by our longtime partners at the Tusk Trust. It brings together competitors, rangers, family members, wildlife supporters, and social media followers around three central goals:

• Raise vital funds for frontline conservation efforts
• Drive awareness of the importance of the role rangers play in conservation
• Communicate the challenges that these brave men and women must face to protect Africa’s wildlife.

Since its inception five years ago, the WRC has raised $18 million for hundreds of African conservation organizations, including Big Life.

This year, the Scheinberg Relief Fund has generously committed $1 million in matched funds in support of rangers most in need.

To support Big Life in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, please visit this link. To learn more about this fantastic initiative, follow @tusk_org and the hashtag #ForWildlifeRangers.  Image: Joshua Clay

Herding goats can be tedious, and Constable Jane Tayiana did a lot of it growing up in a remote corner of Big Life’s operating area. The highlight of her days was watching the wild animals grazing nearby, and elephants in particular took her breath away.

She aspired to become a safari guide, but her path eventually led her to Big Life, where she has worked as a community ranger for two years now and loves the fact that she spends her days protecting the animals that she fell in in love with as a child.

Constable Faith Ntooki grew up in the foothills of the Chyulu Hills and is remarkably following in her father’s footsteps. He also worked as a Big Life ranger and instilled in her a passion for wildlife. He sadly passed when she was young, and she was on the verge of dropping out of school when her family couldn’t afford the fees.

Faith’s fortunes changed when she earned a scholarship from Big Life, thanks to the Capricorn Foundation, allowing her to complete her secondary schooling. By becoming a ranger, she is continuing to honor her father’s legacy.  

Both rangers are demonstrating to their local community, and the world, that they are just as capable of protecting Amboseli’s wildlife as their male counterparts. From anti-poaching patrols to preventing human-wildlife conflict, Big Life’s 10 female rangers are working for a more equitable society in a field dominated by men.

Supporting our rangers, including Constables Tayiana and Ntooki, with stable funding is crucial for safeguarding East Africa's wildlife, habitats, and Maasai communities. Please join our Ranger Club with a monthly contribution to sustain their efforts. Every contribution makes a difference!

New members or those increasing their July donation receive a special gift.  You’ll also enjoy exclusive program updates, 20% off Big Life merchandise in our e-store, and the satisfaction of directly impacting conservation efforts in East Africa. Thank you for your support! Photo: Joshua Clay

African Sandalwood is a plant that is unremarkable in appearance but extraordinary in fragrance. Sandalwood oil is used in cosmetics, perfumes, and medicines the world over.

It’s a plant that’s in extremely high demand, making it incredibly valuable, but all attempts to cultivate and farm it have failed. Combined with slow growth, minimal protection, and a lack of understanding of its range and ecology, and you have all the ingredients for extinction.

The Chyulu Hills in Big Life’s operating area are an important stronghold for the species, which has made it a target for the illegal sandalwood trade.

Between 2021 and 2023, in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service, our rangers and intelligence network have arrested 105 sandalwood harvesters and traffickers and confiscated 21.5 tonnes of sandalwood. Just last week, we arrested a key player in a local smuggling ring.

We don’t know if these numbers tell the story of a growing threat, or if we’re simply making more busts thanks to our ever-growing intelligence network. What we do know is that our efforts are making a difference for the future of this tree. Supporting our rangers with stable funding is crucial for safeguarding East Africa's wildlife, habitats, and Maasai communities. Please join our Ranger Club with a monthly contribution to sustain their efforts. Every contribution makes a difference!

New members or those increasing their July donation receive a special gift.  You’ll also enjoy exclusive program updates, 20% off Big Life merchandise in our e-store, and the satisfaction of directly impacting conservation efforts in East Africa. Thank you for your support!

🎥 : Joshua Clay & Keith Allen

When we asked Sergeant Sinkoi Kanchori of our Chyulu Hills Ranger Unit what he liked most about being a Big Life ranger, he said, “I enjoy being a ranger because it provides me with a steady salary. This means I can look after my family and pay for my children’s school fees. I am also proud to protect the landscape I grew up in, and I would be very sad to see iconic animals like lions, giraffes, rhinos, and elephants disappear. My work as ranger ensures that the wild animals that were so plentiful when I was a boy can continue to prosper in this ecosystem.”

That’s the spirit with which we created the Ranger Club, our monthly giving program. For Sergeant Kanchori, a steady salary means the world of difference for his family and his ability to protect the ecosystem he grew up in.

Our rangers are the core of our operations, and the heart and soul of our conservation success in Greater Amboseli. Without them, the fabric of Amboseli would unravel.

And without you, none of it is possible. By becoming a monthly donor in Big Life’s Ranger Club program, you not only support the protection of threatened wildlife and habitats, you also help us conserve resources. Monthly giving maximizes the impact of your gift by providing reliable funding for our conservation programs.

Throughout the month of July in the lead up to World Ranger Day, new Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their monthly gift, will receive a special thank you from Big Life.

There are other perks to joining, including exclusive program updates, an annual impact report, and discounts on Big Life merchandise in our e-store.

Please join the Ranger Club today! 📸: Jeremy Goss