Wildlife Crime / Anti-Trafficking

Wildlife Crime / Anti-Trafficking

Big Life employs Maasai rangers from local communities who work collaboratively with a vast informer network to combat illegal wildlife crime and trafficking. 

Since 2016, our network has spread well beyond our area of operation and now helps the Kenya Wildlife Service to make arrests as far north as Samburu and as far east as the Kenyan coast. It has also led to the confiscation of 5,000+ kg of ivory, permanently removing it from the illegal wildlife trade.

Our Prosecution Officer also monitors all major wildlife court cases to ensure that maximum penalties are pursued, while ensuring that all Big Life witnesses and arresting officers attend the necessary hearings. We also work with local prosecutors to improve the handling of wildlife cases.

 

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The illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest illegal activity worldwide behind arms, drugs, and human trafficking. The Kenyan port of Mombasa is the fifth busiest in Africa, handling over 1.5 million shipping… Read More
February 14, 2025

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April 28, 2021

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An informant received a tip that someone was trying to sell ivory. The trafficker had 12 pieces weighing just over 35 kg. Posing as an interested buyer, the informant laid the trap, and KWS made the arrest. These 12… Read More
March 13, 2025

SWIFT JUSTICE FOR SLOW CREATURES

The illegal wildlife trade is the fourth largest illegal activity worldwide behind arms, drugs, and human trafficking. The Kenyan port of Mombasa is the fifth busiest in Africa, handling over 1.5 million shipping… Read More
February 14, 2025

PROTECTING PANGOLINS

It was a heartbreaking sight. A neat, ball of chainmail - no larger than a bicycle helmet - was unfurled, and presented to the policemen at Taveta Police Sation. At first glance, it looked like it might be sleeping, but… Read More
March 25, 2024

A CONCERNING TREND

Isinya is a hot, dusty town situated along the Namanga Highway, a key artery connecting Nairobi to Tanzania. It’s a key refueling station for the hundreds of trucks that pass through it every day. And for those who… Read More
February 15, 2024

TIPPING THE SCALES

The humble, bumbling pangolin holds two very different records in the mammalian kingdom: it is the only mammal to grow scales, but it is also the most trafficked animal in the world. While they have held the first title… Read More
August 26, 2023

RUFF JUSTICE

Some dogs spend their lives in lofty apartments barking at pigeons, others exist perpetually in pursuit of tennis balls, or waiting semi-patiently for their next meal. But here at Big Life, our tracker dogs do things a… Read More
April 14, 2023

IVORY INTEL

Recently, Big Life informers sent along information about two suspects trafficking ivory. The intel led to a successful KWS operation that saw the arrest of two suspects in possession of 37 pieces of elephant tusks… Read More
January 10, 2022

IVORY DEALERS CAUGHT ON THE RUN

Think of them as international salesmen of the worst kind. The four men had been crisscrossing the boundary between Kenya and Tanzania looking to peddle their contraband, which was in this case extremely unusual -… Read More
October 08, 2021

A SUITCASE OF SKINS

At a glance, there was nothing unusual about the two men, other than a small suitcase that suggested they were going on a short trip. But we knew what was in the bag, and it wasn’t clothes for a weekend away. Inside… Read More
210608 sandalwood from arrest
June 08, 2021

SAVING SANDALWOOD

What endangered natural substance is as sought after and illegally trafficked as ivory or rhino horn? HINT: It’s not from an animal. The answer is sandalwood, a word you are likely familiar with from using candles,… Read More
210420 ivory intel lead to bust
April 28, 2021

IVORY INTEL

An informant received a tip that someone was trying to sell ivory. The trafficker had 12 pieces weighing just over 35 kg. Posing as an interested buyer, the informant laid the trap, and KWS made the arrest. These 12… Read More

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