We are exceptionally proud to announce that Big Life Foundation’s Daniel Popote is one of twelve winners of the IUCN International Ranger Award, presented at a ceremony held in Rwanda yesterday. Popote was selected from over 100 global nominations, and is one of the first Kenyans to receive the award.

Popote has spent 19 years patrolling and protecting the Kimana Sanctuary, leading teams through difficult missions and putting his own life at risk by ambushing poachers and responding to human-wildlife conflict scenarios.

As a teenager Popote tended to his father’s cows near Amboseli National Park and he would talk to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers about the animals there. He admired them for the work they did to protect wildlife but was unsure whether he could ever get a job at KWS because he didn’t have a formal education.

In 2003, tourism company African Safari Club (ASC) was hiring rangers from Popote’s community and he put an application in. His obvious enthusiasm, understanding of bushcraft and animal behavior, and desire to help his community got him the job, and he was stationed in the Kimana Sanctuary.

When the ASC later fell on hard times, Popote found himself without a salary. But he was so passionate about protecting the land and wildlife that he spent over a year without an income, selling his livestock to sustain himself. During that time he led a small group of rangers on foot patrols to ensure Kimana Sanctuary was not overrun by poaching and overgrazing.

When Big Life took over management of Kimana Sanctuary in 2018, Big Life’s co-founder, Richard Bonham, saw in Popote the Sanctuary’s most capable guardian and hired him to spearhead the ranger units working there. Today, Popote leads a team of 37 rangers and has rightly earned the respect of his community and colleagues. He has also inspired many young people by demonstrating that a lack of formal education should not hinder those who have a passion for wildlife.

Photo: Josh Clay

There is a Big Life ranger with an unusual distinction. His name is Sergeant Sinkoi Kanchori, and he has caught the same poacher three different times.

The first time, Sinkoi and his team had discovered a snare in the Chyulu Hills. They decided to wait for the poacher to come back to check it, and so set up an ambush. Eventually a man appeared, moving toward them clutching a bow and arrows. He walked right into the rangers, and was arrested and taken to the police station, where he was then jailed.

A year later, Sinkoi and his men were on patrol in a similar area when they heard two men talking ahead. He ordered his men to hide as they waited to see who was coming. As the men approached, carrying two pangas and a bow; he was shocked to recognize the poacher they had arrested the year before. When they got close, Sinkoi made the call to chase them. In the scramble one poacher was caught, but the previous offender narrowly escaped.

On the third occasion, Sinkoi and his team had once again found snares, and were setting up an ambush with rangers from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). While doing so a herd of eland came cantering towards them, visibly startled. Sinkoi knew instinctively what was chasing them and told his men to lie flat. After the eland passed, they saw two men approaching at a jog, backs hunched, arrows drawn, ready to strike. On Sinkoi’s call, the six rangers gave chase. Despite being 52-years-old and carrying a heavy shotgun, Sinkoi sprinted ahead and managed to catch his rival, but not without suffering a minor wrist fracture in the scuffle.

Upon further interrogation by Big Life and KWS, the poacher commented that if their roles were switched and he were to become a ranger, he would wish to arrest “that mzee (old man),” pointing at Sinkoi.

Asked why, he said, “Because we have had three encounters: he has arrested me twice and I only narrowly escaped on the other. This man is too good at his job! If he was a poacher, he would be the best, so I would be sure to arrest him first!”

Support rangers like Sinkoi by becoming a monthly donor and joining our Ranger Club. All members receive special perks, including 20% off merchandise. New members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly. Two winners have been chosen, and two to go!

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Name: Sinkoi Kanchori
Position: Sergeant
Age: 55
Location: Chyulu Hills Unit

How did Sinkoi Kanchori begin at Big Life?
Before joining Big Life, Sinkoi was a pastoralist, keeping livestock and doing a little farming on the side. But in 2008 the ecosystem suffered what went on to become a severe two-year drought. Sinkoi lost much of his livestock and was without an income, but he heard that the Maasailand Preservation Trust (which later became Big Life Foundation in 2010) was hiring. So at age 41, he applied and got the job.

What do you like most about being a ranger?
“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.”

What is your proudest moment?
“When I was promoted to sergeant and took charge of a team of rangers.”

What are your hopes for the future?
“I believe Big Life is one of the best wildlife organizations around for many reasons, but in particular because it is so comprehensive in the different ways in which it helps the community. Not only does Big Life protect wildlife, but it also provides healthcare for the local community, as well as scholarships for kids in school. Having close ties with the community at grassroots level is the most important factor in ensuring the success of any NGO, and I think Big Life is excellent at addressing the needs of the local people.”

What is your favorite animal?
“I really enjoy being able to see animals as they roam around in their natural habitat. Where I am currently based in the Chyulu Hills, I see many exciting animals like elephants, giraffes, and sometimes lions. I would say that lions, elephants, giraffes, and rhinos are my favorites. I have been lucky enough to see the black rhinos of the Chyulus - although during a year of patrolling, I only saw them on three occasions. All of these animals are important for the ecosystem, and it would be a great shame if our children were to grow up without seeing them.” 

Support rangers like Sinkoi by becoming a monthly donor and joining our Ranger Club. All Ranger Club members receive special perks, including 20% off Big-Life-branded merchandise in Big Life’s e-store. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly throughout July.

Sign up today.

Big Life currently has 10 female rangers and one of them is Constable Susan Manyanga Lemomo. Like most of Big Life’s rangers, Susan is Maasai. She is also a mother of three and was part of Big Life’s first cohort of female rangers three years ago.

Susan grew up near Amboseli National Park and as a child she frequently encountered wildlife while playing in the bush or while helping her brothers tend to their parent’s livestock. Becoming a ranger has given her the chance to protect the wildlife she has come to love. Like many of us, Susan has a soft spot for elephants because of the way elephant family members look after each other.

In a typical day, Susan will patrol 18 or more miles on foot while looking for snares, injured wildlife, charcoal burning and illegal deforestation. Her team rests during the afternoon when the sun is hottest, and then in the evenings she’ll find the tallest hill in the area to continue looking out for any signs of poaching or illegal activity.

At night, when elephants raid community farms, Susan and her team will respond to drive the elephants back towards conservancies or protected areas.

Susan is also a skillful interlocutor when conflict situations arise. She recently went with two other rangers to investigate a report of a cow being killed by a lion. The herder was furious and accused Susan and the other rangers of sending the lion to kill his cows, waving at her violently with his spear. But Susan remained calm. She assured the man that Big Life would compensate him for his lost cow, underlining how it was impossible that anyone had sent the lion, and reminded him that if he attacked her, he would go to prison. Her calmness and diplomacy helped to diffuse the situation.

Asante Sana to Susan and all of our rangers for staying calm under pressure and getting the job done.

Support rangers like Susan by becoming a monthly donor and joining our Ranger Club. All Ranger Club members receive special perks, including 20% off Big-Life-branded merchandise in Big Life’s e-store. New Ranger Club members, or existing members who increase their giving amount, will be entered to win select items from our e-store weekly throughout July.

Sign up today.