Boots On The Ground And Its Effectiveness In Saving Elephants

Field based anti-poaching is the most direct way of protecting elephants in the wild. Rangers’ methods of ‘boots on the ground’ has proven effective during the 70-80s poaching pandemic and in today’s crisis. Projects who are diligently working in the field may not completely halt the poaching and certainly not alone, however there is no doubt that they are a major deterrent and an irreplaceable factor in the saving of this species. We must emphasize that though each component in the battle for elephants such as anti-poaching, activism and judicial action/implementation of stricter laws, are each powerful, this cannot compare to the clout all forces combined would have in forcing the illicit ivory trade to a stop.

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The Elephant Aware Rangers and the KWS/DSWT vet team work together to treat a badly injured elephant who was the victim of a poaching attempt in 2012. The rangers monitored him for days afterwards until he was strong enough to return to his natural activities.

The effectiveness of the ‘boots on the ground’ approach is highlighted through the dedication of the ranger’s themselves. Often operating both on foot and in a vehicle in large areas and covering huge distances, rangers must have a commitment of the highest level. Their work is often unrewarding in terms of acknowledgment and attention for the truly amazing work that they do. Elephant Aware founders Nick and Elizabeth Cowell, were aware of this sad fact and have continuously strived to change that. The twelve Maasai rangers who are employed by Elephant Aware all have a voice that reaches the outside world through Facebook. However, expanding their current audience and having the ability of reaching the farthest corners of the earth would be a fantastic tool for the project’s efforts in awareness raising, particularly in expanding our Chinese audience.
Elephant Aware functions from two main stances, the first is our field based anti-poaching work and the second is the spreading of awareness about the plight of elephants and very importantly, WHY this species needs to be saved and WHY they are a crucial inhabitant of this world. The latter is put into action locally through enhancing the Maasai-Wildlife relationship within the Eastern Mara community lands and providing livelihoods that revolve around the existence of elephants.

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A testimony to Elephant Aware’s impact in bettering wildlife security, as the sole wildlife conservation project working in Siana, was the ruthless attack on the project’s base camp by elephant poachers in October 2013. A petrol bomb was hurled at the camp office/mess tent destroying everything inside, which included important ranger equipment needed for their work.
Despite this brutal blow to our efforts, the Elephant Aware team have persevered with commendable determination for the sake of the elephants.

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www.facebook.com/ElephantAwareMasaiMara
www.elephantaware.org

4 Comments

  1. Gosh, you’ve certainly been through a lot and brtally insulted. So sorry this has happened. We depend on groups such as yours, to try in every way to preserve our wildlife and especially the wonderful Elephant. I am spreading the word wide and far and asking for donations for you and hope that soon you’ll be seeing an improvement in that sector. I continue to wish you and your wonderful team success with God’s Blessings.

  2. Thanks to the rangers and all of you at Elephant Aware for what you are doing to help elephants.

  3. Thank you so much, your support is very appreciated as always.

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