A Journey Into the Rarely Seen World of Kenya's Wildlife Conservation Rangers

The grassroots Thin Green Line Foundation is the only global non-profit organization dedicated to ranger advocacy and to providing rangers with the training, equipment and critical care they need in the field. So it made perfect sense that this organization would co-host a travel experience designed to provide a look at the lives of rangers. Thin Green Line's founder, Sean Willmore, took part in our inaugural trip, opening doors for us to this world in a way that nobody else could have. And as we would witness during our week, Willmore is beloved by rangers and greeted like a cross between a hero and a rock star wherever he goes. For good reason, his dedication to the rangers is both moving and inspiring.

"There is a lack of respect from the world for rangers," said Willmore. "We want wildlife to be protected but many people do not look beyond that to see that this year alone 149 rangers gave their lives in the line of duty, and over 1000 rangers have died in the last 10 years. The time rangers have away from family, often only seeing them a few days a year, the injuries, the illness and the sacrifice they make needs to be understood and respected."

With Willmore leading the way during our visit, we came to truly grasp the sacrifices and the courage of wildlife conservation rangers.

Among those who have long been following conservation efforts in Africa, the Big Life Foundation is legendary for its good works. Founded in 2010 by photographer Nick Brandt, conservationist Richard Bonham, and entrepreneur Tom Hill, Big Life has dramatically reduced poaching in East Africa. It does so by working tirelessly to protect some 1.6 million acres of wilderness in the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro ecosystem.

As part of Intrepid's groundbreaking new trip, Big Life for the first time ever opened its doors to tourists. We were invited into the offices of the organization leaders and spent time with rangers in the field, providing a fascinating and eye-opening look at the realities of wildlife conservation.

Big Life's success over the years in reducing poaching is due in large part to its' partnership with the local Maasai and its unwavering support for the surrounding community. Since its inception, Big Life has expanded to employ hundreds of local Maasai rangers. It also supports the Maasai through scholarship programs, funding local teachers' salaries and compensating herders and farmers when livestock or crops are raided by the animals Big Life works to protect.

"For Big Life to secure the future of wildlife, we work very hard to deliver benefits to the local community including sponsoring academically bright students to go to school," Big Life's Samar Ntalamia tells us during our first afternoon at the foundation's headquarters, five hours outside of Nairobi. More than 260 students have been sponsored by Big Life Foundation, including for the first time this year a Ph.D. student. "All of these students talk to their friends and family and tell them that they were given a shot at life by Big Life Foundation and through wildlife conservation," says Ntalamia.

Just a few miles from Big Life Foundation, Kimana Sanctuary is a sweeping, 5,700-acre plot of land that's communally owned by 480 local Maasai. It is a vivid example of the community conservation approach to wildlife protection that Sambu spoke of and it has played a key role in the region.

Kimana provides a crucial corridor of land used by wildlife to travel between Amboseli National Park and nearby Chyulu Hills and Tsavo protected areas. It is one of many such corridors connecting a total of four national parks in the area. Because the national parks are not fenced, these wildlife corridors are essential to allowing animals to pass peacefully from one place to another with minimal human-wildlife conflict.

As a wildlife preserve, Kimana provides an idyllic backdrop for game drives. Unlike game drives in many of the popular national parks, our excursions in Kimana Sanctuary were lone adventures. There were no crowds of tourists to contend with and often there wasn't another human anywhere to be found. Instead, we were surrounded by giraffe, warthogs, zebra, ostriches and more. Our campsite in Kimana preserve sat beside a small stream amid a stand of trees, providing the perfect base for exploration and for immersing ourselves in nature and wildlife.

One morning, as I unzipped my tent in Kimana, my heart stopped. There before me, just on the other side of the tiny stream, was a large elephant standing quietly. Not only was this my first elephant siting of the trip, but it was also my first elephant siting in the wild. Ever. The lone bull stood there silently for several minutes looking in the direction of our camp as if studying it. And then finally, it raised its trunk high in the air, almost the same way you might wave your hand to say goodbye, and turned and walked away, disappearing into the bushes.

On many evenings while at Kimana, Maasai elders joined us around the campfire. During our first gathering, the elders greeted us with much formality, as if we were visiting dignitaries, presenting each of us with stunning and vibrantly beaded, handmade jewelry. After introductions, we sat long into the evening talking with the elders about the future of wildlife and the importance of protecting endangered animals.

As a young man, Naiganya Ole Samanya killed seven lions. And precisely because of that past, the Maasai elder acutely understands how little value there is in such killing. Samanya is among those now boldly leading the way to promote community conservation. "Killing lions brought no benefit to my family but protecting them has brought benefit," Samanya said.

Often as our group returned to camp for dinner at day's end we were joined by some of the Big Life Foundation rangers. On one evening, in particular, we were expecting Francis Legei, Big Life's commanding officer.

Legei arrived much later than expected and as we soon learned, his delay was due to a lion attack. A local herder's cow had been killed and the owner was understandably upset. Legei and his team were immediately dispatched to deescalate the situation. As part of Big Life's community outreach programs, the herder would be partially reimbursed by the organization for the livestock loss. As a result of this novel program, locals have ceased seeking revenge and killing the intruding wild animals, as has been the custom in past years. It was a vivid, real-time example of the critical role that both the rangers and Big Life Foundation plays, every day in protecting wildlife.

Partway through our week in Kenya, Willmore received a text message from none other than Jane Goodall (the two are close friends). At Willmore's request, Goodall had just recorded a video in honor of World Ranger Day, an annual celebration that would be taking place later that week. After finishing the video, Goodall texted it to Willmore and he, in turn, played it for the elders and the rangers one evening as we sat around the campfire.

Gathered in a tight circle of folding chairs, Willmore stood before the group displaying the video on his small phone screen. As Goodall's words began, each member of the group leaned closer, rapt by what she was saying. "This is Jane Goodall," Willmore told them. "When she speaks, the world listens" - hoping to convey a very important message to the Maasai rangers and elders as they pursue this bold and sometimes challenging path of conservation: the world appreciates what you're doing. Your effort and sacrifices are valued and very important people around the world are paying attention.

Our group joined the rhino unit on a foot patrol one afternoon to inspect camera traps, an opportunity that allowed us to observe the incredibly specialized skills required for this unique job first-hand.

From a barely visible pattern on a dirt pathway, rangers recognized rhino tracks and from something as simple as crushed and broken grass, rangers can tell a rhino left his mark. Every three days rangers also review images captured by camera traps scattered throughout the plains, looking for poacher activity. When a potential poacher is picked up on camera, the team works to track the individual down and engage law enforcement. During our patrol, camera footage didn't reveal any suspicious activity, but there were many pictures of wildlife. As we scroll through the images, we see elephants, baboons and then a partial rhino horn, and unit leader Joseph Kotoke says: "That's Dixon."

Kotoke can tell, just by looking at the animal's horn, which rhino it is.

July 31 is World Ranger Day, an annual recognition of rangers around the world and all they do to protect wildlife and nature. We celebrated the day at the ranger training academy. It was a joyful afternoon, one that brought together Maasai elders, Big Life Foundation leaders, and community members, all who came to fete the brave young men and women who serve as rangers. With tables set under Acacia trees at the edge of a dirt parade ground, dignitaries, including Willmore watched as groups of rangers walking in tight formation performed drills to kick off the festivities.

The highlight of the day, however, was the presentation of an award to a local ranger, Nderu Loormunyei, who had been named the top rhino ranger in all of Africa, no small honor indeed. When it came time for Loormunyei to accept the award he gave a speech to the young men and women gathered around him about not succumbing to bribes from poachers and taking pride in the work they have chosen.

It's hard to believe a place like Amboseli still exists amid the daily headlines surrounding poaching and extinction. Amboseli is rich with wildlife and diversity, vibrant and alive, made up of vast plains filled with animals of all types, as if straight from a turn-of-the-century movie about Africa. The southern Kenya park is thriving in many ways because of the efforts of Big Life Foundation and its rangers who patrol the park's borders. Our game drives here were nothing short of spectacular, with animals to be seen in every direction including numerous elephant herds living happily, in the wild, as they were meant to live. The horizons were also filled with zebra, hippos, warthogs and countless other animals. It was an inspiring and moving scene that almost restores one's hope and serves as a vivid reminder of the beauty that's worth fighting to preserve.

When it came time to say goodbye to the rangers and head back to Nairobi for our journey home, it was as if we were saying goodbye to long lost friends or family members. Every single ranger had welcomed us with such warmth and open spirits and had never ceased to impress us with their dedication, bravery, and passion.

As they loaded onto the back of a waiting truck and drove away on our final afternoon together, kicking up dust in their wake, their words conversations from the past week echoed in my mind. And perhaps none more so than those of Francis Legei, of Big Life Foundation: "My wish is to have a safe world for wildlife and for the rangers. And for the work and role of the rangers to be known worldwide. The beauty of the world is protected by rangers. If it weren't for them, we would no longer have elephants and lions."

Both The Thin Green Line Foundation and Big Life Foundation are non-profit organizations that rely heavily on donations to fund their programs. If supporting wildlife conservation or the rangers who dedicate their lives to this effort is important to you, these two organizations offer an opportunity to support smaller, grassroots efforts where your money goes directly to the cause.

The Thin Green Line Foundation offers various ways to donate including giving a single gift, ongoing contributions or a bequest. An ongoing donation of $30 per month can help equip a ranger with essentials such as boots, radios, and packs. The Big Life Foundation offers a Ranger Club monthly giving program through which supporters provide reliable ongoing funding that the organization can count on to help protect the wildlife of Kenya and Tanzania.

Finally, the Intrepid Foundation matches all donations made to The Thin Green Line Foundation dollar for dollar, meaning the impact of your contributions is immediately doubled.