Hidden away in the Chyulu Hills, a small miracle has been growing stronger every day. 

In November of 2023, a tiny eastern black rhino calf was born into one of the world’s most endangered populations. Their arrival took the Chyulu rhino population to a total of 8. 

We were hesitant to share the news as these rhino calves are especially vulnerable, but nearly two years later, that calf has defied the odds.

There were months of tracking tiny footprints and seeing shadowy glimpses on camera traps. Then weeks, even months would go by without a single sighting. But every time we feared the worst, it would show up again: bigger, healthier, and very much still alive.

We were gifted with another such moment just a few weeks ago, when it was photographed alongside its mother (Nontoyie), healthy and thriving. Given his age and size, and the presence in these photos of the dominant male (Dickson), it’s safe to say this calf will be venturing out on his own soon and will face a whole new host of dangers.

With fewer than 1,000 eastern black rhinos left in the wild, every year of survival is a remarkable victory for the species. It is a testament to the dedication of rangers on the ground, the resilience of local communities, and the collective commitment of people around the world who refuse to let these ancient animals disappear.

This World Rhino Day, we celebrate this calf’s journey as a symbol of hope, and we renew our promise: to protect, to persevere, and to ensure that rhinos will continue to roam these hills for generations to come.

Our rhino protection efforts would not be possible without the Kenya Wildlife Service in the field, as well as our supporters around the world, including: USFWS, Chester Zoo, and Royal African Safaris.

📽️: Joshua Clay 

Here in Amboseli, it’s the peak of the dry season and literal fires are a very real and potentially lethal concern.

This week, more than 40 of our rangers worked around the clock to put out an enormous blaze that ripped across the conservancy areas between Kimana Sanctuary and Amboseli National Park.

Approximately 8,000 acres of 35,000 have been consumed by the blaze. Luckily, our rangers were able to act before the situation got worse, but it’s still a significant blow, as this area is a known dispersal area for Amboseli’s wildlife and livestock. Rain likely won’t arrive for another month, and this damage will put considerable strain both the domestic and wild animals who rely on this region for grazing.

Fires can be beneficial if done in a controlled manner, but careless actions can have drastic consequences. This fire was started by accident by farmers burning vegetation in preparation for the growing season. Two of our ranger bases, our radio repeater and national telecommunications mast, and several nearby lodges narrowly escaped total destruction.

We are fiercely proud of the work of our rangers in putting out this fire and we are grateful to the Kenya Wildlife Service and community members for working with us to make it happen.

 Video: Joshua Clay

One of the most precious commodities in any walk of life is trust.

As the saying goes, it takes decades to build and seconds to destroy.

The Greater Amboseli ecosystem is vast. Despite the fact we coordinate almost 400 rangers, 15 vehicles, and 2 aircraft, it’s impossible to cover every blade of grass every day. However, we have something just as valuable as our vehicles, planes, and uniforms: trust.

We have earned this after decades of presence here in this ecosystem, from providing employment for hundreds of local people to helping thousands more. We do what we say we will, and that means something.

This quality helped us recently when our rangers were alerted to two separate poaching incidents on the same day. Both incidents shared grisly similarities: two giraffes had become entangled in snares set by poachers. Once immobilized, they were butchered.

Yet they also shared the fact that both poachers were seen by community members who quickly called Big Life, and in both cases our rangers arrived at the scene quickly to arrest the poachers, literally red-handed.

The photo of one of the crime scenes is hard to look at, but we believe it is important to share it. Because sadly, across much of Kenya, wildlife is still being targeted. We see an uptick in bushmeat pushing during dry seasons such as this, as resources become scarce. Giraffes are targeted due to their immense size. 

Keeping wildlife safe from poaching, and other threats to habitat, is an ongoing battle. These poachers will be held accountable for their crimes.

We have earned the trust of the people we work with, but now we need to help show the value of wildlife. Please consider donating to Big Life today to help keep Amboseli’s wildlife safe.

Giraffe 📸: Jeremy Goss

We are thrilled to welcome Holmes and Watson back from their training at the impressive Kuru ‘The Conservation Dog’ School in Arusha, Tanzania. They’re now actively integrating with our dog handlers based at Big Life’s Headquarters in Kenya.

They have spent 11 months under the watchful and expert eyes of Will Powell and his excellent team of trainers and handlers.

As far as Holmes and Watson are concerned, we stink. Human smells are everywhere: in the air, on the ground, and bobbing on stalks of grass. Our dogs have been trained to decipher these smells, cutting through the noise, allowing them to hone in on anything their handlers ask them to.

This means that Kuru-trained dogs have an enormous impact wherever they are stationed. They can sniff out ivory and other illegal wildlife items in shipping containers, detect snares that have been set in the densest bush, and find any human target with ease. The importance of tracker dogs to a conservation organization cannot be understated.

The best part for our rangers is that Holmes and Watson will do all of this with a smile and several wags of their tails. For them, chasing down poachers is a game, and we’re happy to have them on our side.

📽️: Joshua Clay