Elephant Drinking, Amboseli, 2007. Killed by Poachers, 2009.
Over the past eight years, Nick Brandt has spent many months photographing most of the elephants that live in Amboseli National Park in Kenya. As a result, he has been fortunate to know these elephants and their habits intimately. He wrote about what he saw in July 2010:
July 3 2010, 7am : Amboseli Lake Bed, Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
A herd of 50 elephants are crossing the lake bed from outside the park near the Tanzanian border, making their daily journey to the swamp. Normally, these are the most relaxed of herds, quietly moving right past our vehicle without a care in the world.
But this morning, as soon as we get within half a mile of them, they start running in terrified panic. They're still running from us a full mile away to make it to the safety of the swamp. We've never seen anything like it.
Later, we discover that the night before, gunshots were heard from the direction the elephants came, near the Tanzanian border. The elephants’ terrified behavior continues throughout the few weeks I remain in Amboseli.
Two weeks earlier, the carcass of a beautiful bull called Buster (as named by Cynthia Moss' Elephant Research Project) had been found outside the park with his tusks sawn off and taken. When I was last in Amboseli, two months before that, Buster had been one of three bulls I saw with infected spear wounds in their trunks.
Jump forward to the the last week of August : yet another three big bull elephants have been killed. One died from what seems to be a poisoned spike trap in his foot.
And Winston, photographed below in July, has been shot by poachers just over the border in Tanzania. Wounded, he made it back over to Kenya, but then died, and also had his tusks sawn off with a power saw by the poachers. At the present rate of deaths, there will soon be no mature bulls left in Amboseli.
In fact, most of the large-tusked elephants that are featured in my books are now dead, killed by poachers for their ivory. This includes Igor, the 51 year old elephant drinking on the first page. Another beautiful female elephant, Marianna, also killed by poachers, can be seen below.
Elephant with Half-Ear, Amboseli, July 2010. Killed by Poachers August 2010.
ESCALATION OF POACHING ACROSS AFRICA AND IN THE AMBOSELI ECOSYSTEM
Since 2008, the poaching of animals, most of all elephants, has dramatically escalated across much of Africa. There has been a massively increased demand from China and the Far East again, ivory prices have soared from $200 a pound in 2004 to more than $2000 a pound today. Some experts estimate that as much as 35,000 elephants a year are being slaughtered, 10% of Africa's elephant population each year alone.
Some of the methods being used are frighteningly simple - from concealed poisoned spikes that pierce the elephants’ feet, to poisoned melons and pineapples, all of which kill the elephants in unimaginable pain.
But the killing is not limited to elephants. Lions are being poisoned at an incredible rate too. Most of this is due to conflict with the fast growing population. But increasingly, it is for body parts, again for the Asian market, now that tigers are too hard to procure. It has become so bad that there are next to no lions left outside the parks and reserves.
The plains animals are getting slaughtered as well: Giraffes here in the region are being killed at a faster rate for bush meat. There are even contracts out on zebras, as their skins are the latest fad in Asia.
Although the threat is widespread, the Amboseli ecosystem is especially vulnerable. New tarmac roads in the vicinity make for an ever easier escape for the poachers. Most significantly, the Amboseli ecosystem borders Tanzania, from which most of the poachers come. And as the elephants, and other animals, cross the border into Tanzania, the same fate befalls them. If things were to stay as they were, it’s no longer if a big-tusked elephant will be killed, but when.
On the Kenyan side, Kenya Wildlife Service tries its best, but is very underfunded. With just one vehicle for a Wildlife Protection Unit team, this lone armed unit has been expected to cover over 1000 square miles. Additionally, rangers employed by the few underfunded NGO’s to patrol the much larger Amboseli ecosystem have been few and far between.
On the Tanzanian side lies a huge area of unprotected hunting block and a critical wildlife corridor around Mount Kilimanjaro. Right now, this is where most of the poachers come from, and if the animals venture over the border into Tanzania, this is where they're likely to get killed. Per Cynthia Moss of Amboseli Elephant Research, most of the beautiful big bull elephants have been killed here.
But there has been almost no-one to stop the poachers having free rein. When poachers have come over from Tanzania to kill elephants before escaping back over the border, they have simply gotten away, because there was no cross-border anti-poaching team with which to communicate or co-ordinate.
With all this in mind, we could no longer watch the destruction of this extraordinary ecosystem and its animals. So in October 2010, Big Life Foundation was established.
The Amboseli ecosystem became Big Life’s pilot initiative project.
Elephants Walking Through Grass, Amboseli 2008. Leading Matriarch Killed By Poachers, 2009
DARK DAYS FOR THE ELEPHANT BULLS OF AMBOSELI
These are just a few of the ones killed that we know about. There are currently about an estimated 1500 elephants left in the Amboseli ecosystem. Of those, there are still approximately 30 bulls left over the age of 35. These are the key breeding bulls, vital to the ongoing survival of one of the most extraordinary populations of elephants in Africa.
Magna
Above is a photo of an elephant named Magna. He was born in 1965. As you can see, his tusks are barely more than broken stumps. So you would think that he would be safe from poachers. Unfortunately, you would be wrong.
In November, just outside Amboseli National Park, he was killed by poachers. His meagre tusks hacked out of his skull as bounty. If Magna was killed for tusks this size, then really, no elephant is safe any more.
Over the course of just three weeks in November, eight elephants were found in the area, killed for their ivory. In such a vast area, we don't know how many more may remain undiscovered. But if this rate of killing were to continue, there will be none left within just a couple of years.
(Above color photos courtesy of Amboseli Elephant Research)
BIG LIFE’S AMBOSELI ECOSYSTEM ANTI-POACHING INITIATIVE
1) ON THE GROUND CO-ORDINATION :
Our belief is that to be truly effective, you need someone in charge right there on the ground, with the ability to direct and co-ordinate operations first hand, to work in close partnership with the Parks, the local communities, and with the other NGO’s, to marshal everyone’s resources for maximum efficiency for everyones’ benefit. Unfortunately, there was no-one in the Amboseli ecosystem doing this. But with Richard Bonham taking the job of Big Life’s full-time Director of Operations in Africa, there now is.
Founder of the Maasailand Preservation Trust, Richard has lived in the Amboseli area for decades, knows all of the key players there, and has a better understanding than anyone of how to address the multiple problems.
Meanwhile, on the Tanzanian side, Damian Bell took the job of Big Life’s Operations Manager in Tanzania. As founder of Honeyguide Foundation, he has an outstanding relationship with the local communities and wildlife departments, perhaps more so than anyone else in Northern Tanzania.
Big Life’s vision: Richard and Damian, with the support of their respective teams, local communities, partner NGO’s, national parks and government agencies, will help bring an end to the rampant poaching in the Amboseli ecosystem.
2) ANTI-POACHING OUTPOSTS WITH MOBILE PATROL TEAMS :
As of March 2011, more than eighty BIG LIFE-salaried rangers, and ten outposts (see maps on next page), have been situated in the Amboseli ecosystem on both on the Kenyan and Tanzanian sides.
Since on the Kenyan side, these rangers can call in KWS' armed Wildlife Protection Unit as soon as they see something suspicious, even their presence has been a deterrent for poachers who previously thought they had a very good chance of making it out with their bounty.
Our intention is that BIG LIFE’s rangers are the most efficient, well-organized, well- equipped, and knowledgeable in the area, creating a sense of morale, purpose, and attracting the best candidates. We have hired a full-time training Instructor, who constantly moves from team to team, on both Kenyan and Tanzanian sides, to try and ensure everyone across the region is operating to the same standard.
Operating in teams of 2-3, each group has a GPS so that they can send in the co-ordinates of poachers to increase the chances of their capture, and a simple camera to photograph evidence and poachers. Sets of Infra-red Night Vision goggles are also being purchased to enable the rangers to pursue poachers at night.
A small fleet of Land Cruisers, Land Rovers and Suzuki 4x4’s has been purchased so far - nine vehicles in total as of March 2011 - to provide essential, efficient coverage for the patrol teams.
Additionally, we have contributed where necessary to help upgrade a number of underfunded NGO rangers operating in other areas, in terms of training, equipment and recruitment. The protection of the animals can only be as strong as the weakest link. The poachers will quickly find that weakest link and use it.
With our teams of rangers, we are becoming well-situated to combat poaching on both sides of the border. Working in tandem, the teams in Kenya can radio those on the Tanzanian side, to track and pick up any poachers crossing back over into Tanzania. This has already garnered major breakthroughs in capturing long-term major elephant poachers (see p.10).
3) KWS WILDLIFE PROTECTION UNIT :
Currently, the Kenya Wildlife Service's Wildlife Protection Unit are the only people in the entire Amboseli area on the Kenyan side who can be armed. So having a sufficiently strong presence there is essential.
To aid them in their operations, we have so far donated a new Land Cruiser to provide an essential second Wildlife Protection Unit.
Big Life has also requested Kenya Police Reserve status, so our rangers can also be armed in Kenya (they will shortly be armed in Tanzania).
Big Life Camps in Kenya, May 2011
Big Life Supported Camps in Tanzania, May 2011
4) HUMAN/WILDLIFE CONFLICT :
More and more of the land in and around the Amboseli ecosystem is being converted to farmland. As this happens, the animals are coming into ever-greater conflict with a growing population. Many more animals, elephants included, are being killed as a result. Because of this, our teams monitor the areas that abut farmland, to prevent crop raiding that often results in the spearing of elephants.
5) LOCAL COMMUNITIES / INFORMERS :
Working with the local communities is critical. It's the key to establishing more trust and thus vital exchange of information. More eyes means better protection. Educating local people about the importance of preserving their wildlife, how it works for them, is integral to our success. Again, having someone there on the ground co-ordinating and meeting, and a local office with an open door, will make so much difference.
A comprehensive network of informers is possibly the single best use of donor money, dollar for dollar, to help prevent the killing of all species. The rewards we have set for information leading to the arrest of poachers with ivory or bushmeat now far exceed as incentive what has been offered in the past, already with excellent results.
6) TRACKER DOGS :
Tracker dogs have been proven time and again to be an essential and incredibly effective component of anti-poaching efforts, enabling the poachers to be caught in case after case where they would have otherwise escaped.
As of March 2011, two sets have been bought and are undergoing six months of training, one set for each side of the border. They will be ready to go on the ground, pursuing poachers, in September 2011.
EVERYTHING PUT TOGETHER :
Once this level of infrastructure is in place - 160 rangers in eighteen camps, with aerial support above, canine(!) and informer network support on the ground - we feel that we will then radically reduce the poaching of ALL animals in this extraordinary ecosystem.
MARCH 2011 : BIG LIFE’S ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE
Big Life Rangers & Newly-Purchased Vehicles, Kenya, December 2010
With camps having to be built, rangers hired and trained, and cars bought and modified, Big Life was only up and running in a meaningful way on both sides of the border at the start of December 2010.
But in the space of just a few months, on the following pages is some of what we have achieved. It shows that by operating with no bureaucratic red tape to slow things down in the decision-making, by having team leaders in situ on the ground with a strong understanding of everything that is going on, we have made a big difference in a very short space of time.
BIG LIFE ACQUISITIONS/MANPOWER NOV. 2010 - JUNE 2011
CAMPS :
Kenya : 6 anti-poaching camps constructed, each manned by 8 rangers.
Tanzania : 8 anti-poaching outposts (6 built by US Aid and AWF) expanded/supported, including full vehicle field workshop
VEHICLES :
Kenya: 6 new Landcruiser patrol vehicles (one for KWS); 2 Suzuki Jeeps.
Tanzania : 5 Land Rover patrol vehicles
MANPOWER :
Kenya : 48 rangers; Operations Leader; Operations Commander, Training Instructor, 2 Sergeants, Prosecutions Officer
Tanzania : 50 rangers; Project Director; Project Manager; Community Advisor; Platoon Commander
AERIAL MONITORING
Kenya : Super Cub plane - shared running costs
Tanzania : Microlight co-purchase
INFORMERS
Kenya & Tanzania : Massively expanded network of informers on both sides of the border. Rewards increased up to $1500 for information leading to arrest of poachers with ivory.
TRACKER DOGS :
Kenya & Tanzania : Two sets of tracker dog puppies, one set for each side of the border, were purchased in February, with six months of training to follow, to be ready out in the field for September.
BIG LIFE BRINGS DOWN LEADER OF AMBOSELI’S WORST POACHING GANG, ELEPHANT KILLER FOR TWO DECADES
January 22 2011
For over twenty years, one infamous poacher and his gang in Tanzania have been systematically poaching many of the Amboseli region's elephants. The authorities have never been able to catch him. But thanks to Big Life & KWS, his poaching days are now over:
In December, based on a tip-off from one of Big Life's informers, Kenya Wildlife Service successfully intercepted the poaching gang responsible for the killing of Magna and many other elephants in the Amboseli ecosystem and Tanzania over the last twenty years. A firefight ensued, during which two of the poachers were killed, but the leader of the poaching gang escaped with wounds over the border back into Tanzania.
The Kenyan authorities were not able to communicate as quickly as necessary with the authorities in Tanzania. At this point, Big Life's strategy - of coordinated teamwork between our teams in Kenya and Tanzania - came into play. The Big Life team in Tanzania WAS able to respond, and immediately:
Critical information from one of Big Life's informers in Kenya was passed on to the team in Tanzania from Honeyguide Foundation, our partner there. They were able to track down the gang leader, and with the help our network of informers there, followed him for a number of days. At the appropriate safe moment, the Big Life/Honeyguide team brought in the Tanzanian police, who made the arrest. The gang leader now awaits extradition to Kenya, where he should receive a long prison sentence.
This poacher and his gang have been organizing and killing elephants for twenty years, including what must be many of the elephants photographed in the books. But the authorities were never able to pin anything on him. Within three months of being established, Big Life has succeeded in the major coup of breaking up the worst of the three main poaching gangs operating along the Amboseli region Kenya/Tanzania border.
THE POACHER WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (& How He Helped Catch An Infamous Killer of Elephants)
Musambaa, Giraffe Poacher turned Big Life Ranger
March 14 2011
For close to three months, there had at last been zero reports of any elephants killed or injured in the areas now under the protection of Big Life's anti-poaching teams.
Unfortunately, this came to an end a few weeks ago. During this time, three more female elephants were killed by poachers.
However....
A month ago, Llewellyn Dyer, Big Life's Field Coordinator in Kenya, met with a prolific long- time giraffe poacher called Musambaa. Over the years, Musambaa had been notoriously difficult to catch. When asked why he poached, Musambaa said, “I did not want to steal from other people, so I decided to steal from the government.” Llewellyn asked Musambaa if he gave him a job protecting animals, would that stop him from killing them? He said YES.
Musambaa came to ranger selection the following weekend. One of the exercises was to track a few rangers for three miles through the thickest bush possible. It was Musambaa who found the rangers first, tracking them right up to the rock where they were hiding. Llewellyn was impressed, but still very cautious : After all, Musambaa was a longtime poacher. So he placed him in the care of a trusted sergeant to continue his integration.
A week later, a report came in of one of the poached female elephants. The rangers found the carcass, covered by bushes. The elephant had been speared, its tusks cut out with an axe, its body skinned to expedite the scavenger clean-up process.
With the help of one of Big Life’s informers, Llewellyn was able to find out that three infamous elephant poachers were responsible for the killing. The tusks had already been sold to a well-known ivory dealer in Tanzania, where the poachers were also suspected to be hiding out.
Finding out from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) that the worst of the three poachers had warrants for his arrest, Llewellyn dispatched Musambaa in civilian clothing to go track down the poacher.
The next afternoon, Musambaa called in. He had found the poacher and followed him to a village over the border in Tanzania, and was watching him. As the afternoon progressed, Musambaa ended up sitting and talking to the poacher in order to stall him. A few hours later, rangers from Big Life’s Tanzanian team arrived on the scene and made the arrest. The poacher was then handed over to KWS Intelligence Officers, and extradited back to Kenya that same evening.
The poacher has now been imprisoned, with length of sentence to be determined in the coming weeks, as further longstanding charges are brought against him by KWS.
So as Big Life continues to be seen to successfully and consistently capture a series of poachers, other poachers will now see all the more clearly the huge risks of being arrested for their crimes.
But in the meantime, we continue to urgently need donations. As expected, the poachers are now moving into the areas with the least or no protection. On March 8, we had a report that one of the last big old bulls in the Amboseli ecosystem has been killed in one of the exact areas that we know we need a camp and establish a patrolling presence. We need to act fast to fix the weak links in the chain. And with your help, we can.
LONE BIG LIFE RANGER SHOWS GRIT & SAVES LION FROM REVENGE KILLING
Nkapapa Kombe, Big Life Ranger
On February 17, a report came in to the new Big Life base at Osiwan that a lion had killed a donkey not far from the base, and that Morans (young Maasai warriors) had gathered in order to kill it.
There was just one ranger at the base, Nkapapa Kombe, as the main team was out on patrol. When Nkapapa got the report, he donned his uniform, called in the incident over the radio, and proceeded into the bush to see what he could do to stop the killing.
After a while, Nkapapa came face to face with the group of the Morans. They were now in a standoff : one small unarmed ranger (Nkapapa is just 5'3"), facing a group of Morans with spears. Nkapapa told the Morans that if they wanted to kill the lion, then they would have to kill him first.
After a moment, the Morans backed down. The hunt was stopped completely when Nkapapa enlisted the help of the Elder from the village nearest the base, who was also the owner of the donkey that had been killed. The Elder told the Morans that the donkey was his, that his son had just been employed as a Big Life Ranger, that he had no desire for the lion to be killed, and that they should disperse and return home. They did, and another lion killing was averted.
POACHERS ARRESTED & JAILED AFTER KILLING GIRAFFES & MORE IN BOTH KENYA & TANZANIA
In Kenya, four poachers with newly-killed giraffe meat were recently arrested by Big Life rangers on a night patrol. (Giraffes are frighteningly easy to kill at night: the poachers shine bright lights into their eyes, blinding them, and then go right up and kill them). The four poachers have been jailed for one year.
In Tanzania, the first night-time bust of a group of poachers was also made. One poacher was arrested but the rest got away. However, our rangers in Tanzania will soon have the guns we bought for them, which will make arresting people far, far more effective. And in 6-8 months we will have newly-trained tracker dogs for both sides of the border. With those, we would definitely have been able to catch the other poachers that escaped.
OTHER DECEMBER-FEBRUARY ARRESTS AND INCIDENTS :
- An ivory dealer was arrested and charged in a sting with Kenya Wildlife Service. Poachers were arrested after being caught with killed hartebeests.
- Over 200 snares have been found along the border with Tanzania and removed by rangers. Sweeps in the areas covered since then have been clean of snares.
- Five lions were poisoned and killed, and their claws and other body parts removed, in one incident alone in January on the Kenya/Tanzania border. The person responsible has been identified by Big Life is on the run and being pursued.
- Charcoal burners around Kimana sanctuary were found and removed as the removal of trees for charcoal was destroying important wildlife habitat.
- Daily operations are keeping elephants from raiding crops using Thunder Flashes (harmless pyrotechnics). Since then, there have been no elephants speared by angry farmers. Before this, there was approximately one a month.
- Big Life relocated a radio repeater so communication coverage is now across the entire ecosystem.
LOOKING AHEAD :
EXPANSION OF ANTI-POACHING PROJECTS IN THE AMBOSELI ECOSYSTEM
Once we hopefully raise enough money for the initial emergency anti-poaching funding, there is much more that needs to be done in the Amboseli ecosystem to further protect the animals long-term - projects that will cost quite large sums. Many elephants are speared and killed during crop raiding. Ultimately, the best solution for this is to start fencing off the farmed areas. Land leasing for especially critical areas and wildlife corridors is another long- term project.
LOOKING AHEAD ELSEWHERE
Unfortunately, there are many other areas across Africa that need urgent attention. Once we have stabilized the situation in the Amboseli ecosystem, and have sustainable funding to maintain that into the future, we want to start allocating funds to other areas in East Africa urgently in need of dealing with this growing poaching crisis. It is not going to go away any time soon.
But we will only address each new area with a complete comprehensive and thorough plan to fix the problem. Our philosophy will remain the same - that you can only use donor money well and be truly effective when you have an overseeing supervisor there on the ground, and work closely with the other players that may be there.
Currently targeted areas we urgently want to protect are :
The unprotected regions around Tarangire and Lake Manyara Parks in northern Tanzania. All they have there right now is a few scouts on bicycles. Suffice to say, the poaching is out of control, especially when it is so easily accessible from the city of Arusha.
The Selous in southern Tanzania, where thousands of elephants are being killed every year.
OUR PARTNERS IN SUPPORT
We could not have achieved what we have, as fast as we have, without the support of the following :
Tusk Trust
Maasailand Preservation Trust
Honeyguide Foundation
Kenya Wildlife
Service Other partners on the ground include :
in Kenya : Amboseli Trust for Elephants; Kenya Wildlife Trust; Olgulului Group Ranch; Mbirikani Group Ranch
in Tanzania : Enduimet Wildlife Management Area; Kilimanjaro Conservancy; African Wildlife Foundation; Friedkin Conservation Fund; Kilimanjaro National Parks
YOUR SUPPORT : URGENTLY NEEDED
The success we have had so far obviously could not have been possible without the generosity of our donors who helped us purchase critical vehicles and equipment, hire anti- poaching teams, and develop our network of informers and associates.
Of course, Big Life has invested a large amount of money establishing its teams in order to make a difference fast. We have achieved that goal, and we know our work is having an impact. However, there are still over two million acres to protect in the Amboseli ecosystem, and we have a long way to go financially to achieve SUSTAINABLE operations in both countries across this area.
To achieve our mission, Big Life must build and man a significant number of additional anti- poaching camps, with accompanying patrol vehicles and equipment. Our goal is a total of 160 rangers in 18 camps across the ecosystem. We are making good progress towards that goal, and can get there with your help.
This may be Africa, where wages for the men on the ground are not expensive compared to the West, but vehicles, equipment, fuel and upkeep of this small army of people, protecting such a large area, requires a significant amount of money. Our budget for the first two years, although constantly evolving, shows that we need approximately $3 million to establish the necessary infrastructure and subsequent sustainability.
It is important emphasize that Big Life is trying to protect a massive wilderness area over two million acres in size. And while we are making fast progress, animals are still being killed at an alarming rate, as witnessed by the poisoning of five lions in one incident in January, and elephants and other animals in the areas where we still have no presence and urgently need to.
We're not just attempting to protect the elephants, but also the diminishing populations of lions, giraffes, zebra and other plains animals also being hunted by the poachers. We may have brought down the most active of the three gangs operating along the Kenya-Tanzanian border of Amboseli, but there are the other two known gangs there, and all the other poachers operating in the other areas of this vast region.
As the illegal demand for wildlife parts continues to grow - from ivory to lion parts to giraffe meat and zebra skin - there will be many who cannot resist the fast, easy profits to be made out of killing these irreplaceable creatures.
We urgently need the funds to help reverse this terrible recent trend, a trend that will otherwise see some of Africa's most magnificent wild animals all but wiped out in the near future.
With your help, Big Life will be there, to allow the animals to flourish in peace once again.
Please donate generously to help continue our success:
http://www.biglifeafrica.org/donate
Big Life Rangers, Tanzania, April 2011