There is a war going on in Africa. It is not a war that always reaches the headlines, but it is a brutal and bloody one nevertheless. It is a struggle that is being fought across numerous African countries, from Gabon to Kenya, Tanzania to Botswana. The battle is on to save the continent’s rapidly diminishing elephant population from extinction in the wild.
The men and women on the front line of this conflict are the wildlife rangers who risk their lives to confront the well-armed and well-organised poachers hunting for Africa’s white gold. Already more rangers have been killed in the recent poaching crisis than British servicemen in both the Iraq and Afghan conflicts in the past decade.
That is why we are delighted that countries are signing up to the Elephant Protection Initiative and the recently formed Giants Club. Aside from critical political engagement, a key commitment is the support offered to those manning Africa’s “thin green line”. Training will be provided, equipment sourced, intelligence shared. This will help save the lives of elephants, but, importantly, rangers too.
Africa’s park rangers are of particular concern to us at Tusk, and last November our patron, Prince William, announced the introduction of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award to ensure these too often unrecognised and uncelebrated heroes gain the credit due for their remarkable bravery.
This year’s inaugural winner is a case in point. Edward Ndiritu leads the anti-poaching unit at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. He heads a team which protects the elephants in one of East Africa’s most important wildlife reserves, and also one of its most significant rhino populations.
Last week, on World Ranger Day, he received a personal note from Prince William in recognition of his outstanding leadership and dedication to the protection of Kenya’s wildlife. It will be a poignant moment when he comes to London in November to be presented with the award at our annual Tusk Conservation Awards.
The decimation of Africa’s elephants is all too sadly illustrated by a string of shocking statistics: 100,000 elephants slaughtered in the past three years, resulting in a population today of as few as 400,000 (down from 1.3 million in 1979). The political will to tackle the crisis is growing. Prince William has continued his campaign, taking the debate to the White House, the World Bank and Chinese President Xi Jingping in the space of a few months.
Across Africa, the likes of Edward Ndiritu and his team of dedicated rangers, night after night, continue to thwart those intent on the spoils of the illegal wildlife trade. That is why Tusk, the Giants Club and, I hope, everyone reading this will keep doing all they can to support them in the weeks, months and years to come. We would surely have to hang our heads in shame if we became the generation that allowed these magnificent creatures to disappear from the planet.
- For more about the Giants Club: independent.co.uk/voices/campaigns/giantsclub
- To donate to Space for Giants: spaceforgiants.org
- Corporate donors looking to partner the Giants Club should contact: giantsclub@spaceforgiants.org
