For millions of years, gnus (commonly known as wildebeest) have navigated rivers, predators, and droughts, their movements driven by the rains and their search for grazing. But fences, roads, and towns now block these historic migrations, slowly strangling wildebeest populations across Africa.

Fortunately, word of the wildebeest’s deadly predicament quickly reached Big Life’s rangers in the area, who responded with their SORALO-supported colleagues and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust-funded KWS Amboseli vet tranquilized the animal to make its rescue safer, and then it was successfully released into a local conservancy to recover.

Human development is necessary. Roads, fences, and farmlands are an inevitable part of this, but nature needs space too, and we are working with local landowners across Amboseli to lease areas that can be kept free of obstructions and keep wildlife safe.

When wildlife strays out of protected areas, as they inevitably do, our rangers will be there to help.

Please support Big Life and be a part of our effort to protect Amboseli’s wildlife and wild lands.

Big Life champions innovative conservation strategies, working together with local communities, NGOs, parks, and governments. Together, we strive to protect East Africa's wildlife heritage, including its magnificent population of tusker elephants.

Elephants are smart, and their motivation for raiding crops is clear: survival. In a changing landscape due to everything from development to climate change, every bite is crucial. And some of the biggest elephants have learned that not even a fence will keep them from tasty crops ripe for harvesting.

Our impressive 100 km crop-protection fence has reduced crop-raiding by 90%, but some elephants have learned unique strategies for breaking through and have even begun teaching other elephants their methods. This poses a long-term challenge for peaceful coexistence.

In February, our partners at the Amboseli Trust for Elephants (ATE) deployed camera traps along our fence to analyze fence-breaking behavior. The first phase will identify the elephants involved, their tactics, and how these tactics are potentially being shared.

These insights will guide phase 2, starting later this year, which aims to minimize fence breaches through early warning systems and other mitigation measures.

Beyond their fence-breaking study, ATE is also surveying over 2,500 community members to better understand their attitudes towards elephants and identify areas of high conflict, because long-term coexistence with elephants and other wildlife is vital for everyone in the Greater Amboseli ecosystem.

By collaborating with ATE, we can support both the local community and the local elephants. After all, when conservation empowers people, people become conservation's greatest allies.

The killing of three elephants by trophy hunters in Tanzania in the last 6 months has made global news.

Trophy hunting of elephants is legal in Tanzania, but this is different. These elephants have been hunted just across the international border, in the Tanzanian part of the Greater Amboseli Ecosystem.

One of these elephants has been identified by our partners at Amboseli Trust for Elephants; he was an Amboseli Supertusker named Gilgil, aged 35 and just entering his prime breeding years.

Very few bulls make it to this age; only 3.8% of all males in the Amboseli population are above 35 and this is one of the best protected elephant populations in the world. To shoot them at this time, particularly free-roaming elephants that are extremely habituated to humans, is certainly not a ‘conservation strategy’ as many like to call it.

We do disagree with one piece of this news coverage - this is not Kenya vs Tanzania. There has been global outrage against these killings, including from within the hunting industry itself.

We appreciate the Kenyan leaders who are standing up, including the governor of Kajiado County, and our partners at ElephantVoices, WildlifeDirect, and Amboseli Trust for Elephants, among others.

There are permits available to hunt further elephants from this cross-border Amboseli population, and we join the rest of the world in continuing to call on Tanzania and Kenya to formalize the historic moratorium of hunting of bulls from this unique population.

Click to read or watch the story, which includes a statement from Big Life’s Richard Bonham.

In remote areas like those where Maasai communities live, access to healthcare is a constant struggle. Limited clinics and a shortage of qualified professionals leave these communities vulnerable, jeopardizing their health and well-being.

Big Life's Community Health Program is working to dismantle barriers to healthcare. In partnering with CHASE Africa and the Kajiado South Department of Health, we are able to bring vital services directly to remote communities through outreach clinics and backpack nurses.  Both offer a range of services, including consultations with clinical officers and nurses, HIV testing and counseling, nutritional assessments and supplementation, immunizations, basic pharmacy access, and family planning options.

Beyond these clinics, we also manage a dedicated team of Community Health Workers (CHWs). These trusted neighbors, who share the cultural background of the communities they serve, provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights education. Imagine having a familiar face, someone you know and trust, to guide you through complex decisions about your family's health. This is the invaluable role our CHWs fulfill. In 2022, over 108,000 people were reached with family planning information. In 2023, we reached over 140,000 people, increasing our reach by 30%.

We believe that conservation thrives when communities thrive. We advocate for a world where healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege. Together, we can build a healthier future for all. Photo: Nikki Best