Those of you who follow our Instagram, and other social media accounts, will have seen the amazing efforts put in by our very own ranger team competing in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge.
If you don’t follow our Instagram, then give us a follow when you can. We post gorgeous aerial shots of all the wildlife Tsavo has to offer as well as regular updates on our work and how you can help. Every follower helps raise the profile of the Tsavo Trust and all our work in conservation. Your online support can help us gain more funding and therefore protect more wildlife so please follow, like, and comment!
We know our guys on the ground would appreciate the social media support. They certainly appreciated the backing they got when completing the Wildlife Ranger Challenge, now almost a month ago.
What is the Wildlife Ranger Challenge?
For those of you who don’t know, the Wildlife Ranger Challenge is an event coordinated by Tusk Trust and Natural State to respond to the devastating effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. Due to the economic fallout of the virus, rangers all over Africa have experienced salary cuts that not only leave their families at risk and their livelihoods on the line but also leave our animals without protection.
It is a situation that has some scary consequences. We at Tsavo Trust will support our rangers throughout this; life can be very difficult when your livelihood is at risk. We also want to continue to protect the wildlife as best we can. The fight to save our ‘Big Tusker’ elephants was already a difficult uphill battle. It would be made impossible without our fantastic rangers.
There are three main components to the challenge. Each component was designed to highlight the skills required and challenges associated with the protection of Africa’s most under-threat wildlife. The Wildlife Ranger Challenge is a great showcase of what is expected of these incredible men and women.
PART 1: The main part of the challenge required challengers to run a half marathon (21km) with 22kg packs on their back. Along with the grueling 21km run, there were other tasks where rangers could test their tracking abilities, identification skills, and wildlife knowledge in the form of a quiz.
PART 2: The Ranger Fund. Special thanks to the Scheinberg Relief Fund who have committed a $5 million matching fund, meaning that every donation you make will be doubled by Scheinberg. This will go to the rangers who need it the most. A further target of $10 million has been set and this will go towards ranger livelihoods so that they can continue to protect our cherished wildlife.
PART 3: Online Photography Auction. The final component of the Wildlife Ranger Challenge is the selling of high-quality, rare wildlife photos on auction where all proceeds go towards the Ranger Fund.
How our rangers did in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge
Representing Tsavo Trust for this challenge were 5 of our finest rangers: Joshua Kitavi, Johnson Purkusaa, George Otieno (KWS), Morris Muthoka, Stephen Sila.
When we spoke to our rangers about why they were taking part in the challenge, they all emphasised the incredible biodiversity of the Tsavo Conservation Area, and the rest of Africa in general and reaffirmed their commitment to protecting this biodiversity. None of them want to see Africa’s beautiful wildlife suffer because rangers can’t do their jobs.
Our rangers amaze us every day with their selflessness and genuine passion for what they do. Their relationship with the land, and with the animals is something that runs much deeper than many people are capable of understanding.
The 21-kilometer run was a grueling accomplishment that took place in the dry plains of Tsavo. Our boys, who worked as a team and stuck together as all good rangers should, completed the challenge in just over THREE hours. Out of the 70 different Ranger teams that competed, this time put the Tsavo Trust team in an impressive 18th position.
In addition to the half marathon, the guys also competed in a push-up challenge and a burpee challenge in which we finished 5th and 4th respectively.
We are so proud of our rangers for completing this challenge and we hope it raises awareness about the vital role they serve in protecting wildlife for everyone to enjoy.
As we mentioned earlier, we at Tsavo Trust take some gorgeous photos, whether they are on the ground or from the air. Give our Instagram a follow to see more. @tsavotrust
Although the Ranger Challenge has been completed, you can still donate and help our boys protect the wildlife we know and love. Just follow the link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Tsavo-Conservation-Area