Last week we were delighted to celebrate the opening of a brand-new 96-bed girls’ dormitory at Ol Donyo Oibor primary school near Kimana, made possible through our partnership with the charity Big Girls Foundation.

The school borders the ALOCA conservancies, which protect a vital wildlife corridor connecting Amboseli National Park and Kimana Sanctuary, and this dormitory is a brilliant example of how conservation can offer significant benefits to those living in wildlife areas.

Girls and young women in Amboseli face particular challenges. It is unfortunately still common for families to send sons to school instead of daughters, particularly when finances are limited. The setbacks do not stop there - domestic responsibilities, menstruation, teen pregnancy, and early marriage all play a role in preventing girls from completing their schooling.

Under these circumstances boarding schools become something of a refuge, providing a safe space for girls to focus on their education.

We are grateful to the Big Girls Foundation, who donated $65,000 to fund the construction of this dormitory and have had an enormous impact on Big Life’s education program. Of the 679 students sponsored this year, 180 are supported by Big Girls Foundation, including 17 at tertiary level.

Together with our donors and partner organizations we are laying the groundwork for positive transformation throughout the Greater Amboseli ecosystem, and a future that is bright for both humans and wildlife. Photo: Joshua Clay

First, we worked with landowners to secure the land. Nairrabala - a critical 37,500-acre wildlife corridor that connects Amboseli National Park to the north of the ecosystem - will now be protected by 20-year conservation land leases.

Then, we recruited. The area and it’s wildlife need protection, and ten new rangers were selected from the Olgulului ranch where Nairrabala is located. No one knows their home better than they do.

Next, we trained. The ten ranger recruits went through an intensive 1-month training course  at the Amboseli Conservation Academy, honing the skills needed to protect the wildlife and habitats entrusted to their care.

The Nairrabala unit is already in the field, operating as a newly minted mobile ranger team. Next, they’ll assess the best location for a permanent ranger outpost.

But for now, we celebrate. In April, we formally launched the Nairrabala Conservancy with a celebration led by the Olgulului Ranch Chairman, Daniel Leturesh, and Big Life’s Executive Chairman, Richard Bonham.

To commemorate the occasion, the newest addition to Big Life’s vehicle fleet was ceremonially handed over to the Nairrabala ranger unit with an exchange of keys and handshakes.

It was a joyous occasion, possible because of a community partnership, and you, our supporters around the world. As the Amboseli ecosystem subdivides and wild habitats are increasingly at risk of disappearing to human development, successes like Nairrabala are an accomplishment we all share.

Heartfelt thanks to the D.N. Batten Foundation for funding the vehicle and future outpost, Lenny’s Pennies Fund for sponsoring the ranger unit, and the Chantecaille Conservation Foundation and all our supporters the world over who responded to our call for funding to secure the leases for this first year.

Photos: Joshua Clay

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.