Wildlife Rangers

Thank you for donating to our Protecting Rangers project. It is so important for us to recognise and celebrate the vital work that rangers carry out every day, providing front-line protection for wildlife in some of the harshest environments.

If we have any hope of success, it is vital that we continue to support the brave men and women across Africa and Asia who are the first line of defence in the war against wildlife crime – our wildlife rangers.

Your donation will help rangers such as Lesley from Save the Rhino Trust in Namibia, who shared with us his story…

“My name is Lesley Karutjaiva and for the last 26 years I have worked with Save the Rhino Trust as a ranger and tracker in Namibia, and I am now the Director of Field Operations.

I grew up in the area I work in now, and all my life I have been pushed by an inner voice telling me that I must protect these creatures and protect their habitats. What inspires me to do this work tirelessly every day is the question: if I am not doing it, who else will do it on my behalf?

If I’m out in the field tracking a rhino, my day will start at first light, six in the morning. Over a bite to eat, myself and the field team will discuss the area we plan to cover, and which specific rhino we plan to find. We must check each rhino individually as there are so few left, and they require the utmost protection. Once we have our plan, we’ll set out, often trekking on foot until we find the spoor (the scent or tracks) and follow it until we find the rhino. Sometimes we’ll end up walking too far from camp; on those nights, we will simply stay overnight in the field.

When we locate the rhino, we take photographs, gather the data we need and take down the GPS co-ordinates. This allow us to understand more about the rhino population and where they choose to roam. This data is essential for us to continue to protect every single rhino.

We come across many challenges out in the field, from ensuring that the teams are equipped with everything they need for their camps including food, shelter and water to resolving family-related issues. The toughest experience is when we find a rhino senselessly killed for its horn, alongside an orphaned baby rhino. It is devasting and we do everything we can to protect the orphaned baby.

One of the things that makes our job so hard is the barren, desolate landscape that the rhinos live in, and which we must inhabit in order to support them. We face extreme heat in the day, plunging to below freezing at night. We trek across rough, rocky terrain that makes the journeys on foot exhausting.

I don’t let the challenges we face get in the way of protecting the rhino. I don’t have a choice; the environment and its rhinos belong to me as a Namibian. I have protected the rhinos for a very long time, and I will never allow these animals to be poached and become extinct.

Thank you for listening and for your support. You have already helped to make such a difference for the precious animals we are trying to protect.”

Links:

• Read Lesley's story on our website