BIG LIFE BRINGS DOWN LEADER OF AMBOSELI'S WORST POACHING GANG, ELEPHANT KILLER FOR TWO DECADES

From Nick Brandt, January 21, 2011

For twenty years, one 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:

Seven weeks ago, I reported a continued escalation in poaching, another eight elephants killed in the Amboseli area alone in just 16 days. This included the old bull called Magna, whose broken tusks were so small, it showed that no elephant was safe from the poachers' bullets and poison.

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 had 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 my books. But the authorities were never able to pin anything on him. Within three months of being established, Big Life has succeeded in breaking up the worst of the three main poaching gangs operating along the Amboseli region Kenya/Tanzania border.

This great success 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.

Things are also going well with the capture of other poachers: In both Kenya and Tanzania in recent separate incidents, several poachers with newly-killed giraffe meat were arrested by Big Life rangers on night patrols.

As a result of Big Life's efforts, there have been ZERO reports of any elephants being killed on either the Kenyan or Tanzanian sides of the border in the last six weeks. We have quickly sent out a strong, effective message to poachers that killing wildlife now carries a much greater risk of being arrested.

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 and scouts in 18 camps across the ecosystem. We are about halfway to that goal, and can get there with your help.

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. While the demand for ivory and all the other animal parts remain, there will be many who cannot resist the fast, easy profits to be made out of killing these irreplaceable creatures. With your help, we will be there to stop them, and allow the animals to flourish in peace once again.

Please donate generously to help continue our success:

www.biglifeafrica.org/donate

Thanks again for your support.

Nick Brandt

PHOTO : Big Life Rangers and Newly-Purchased Vehicles, December 2010See More
By: Big Life Foundation

Poster's note: If you log on to Facebook and Search for Big Life Foundation you can find additional information there.

Defintely not the end of poaching but nevertheless: good news!!!

Good news but a long way to go. This covers a small area; unfortunately poachers move onto other areas when one place gets too covered. Very good going to all involved and goes to show that it is possible when help is done together. I hope the door gewts slammed shut on these poachers for a long time! Will be good to read which idiots are the buyers... ?

Great news but I worry!

Elsewhere poachers have been aprehended only to be released on bail never to be seen again or released through some so called legal technicality.

There was a newspaper story (Kenya's Daily Nation) recently about 3 poachers caught with 81 Elephant Tusks in their possession in Kenya. That sounded great - until - I read the last line of the story:

"The maximum sentence one can be given for killing endangered animals is a Ksh40,000 fine (this translates to US$500), or, 4 years in jail."

Obviously for a poaching syndicate to pay a US$500 fine is just pocket-change. And, the poachers walk free if they pay this insignificant fine.

Kenya and all other African countries must increase the penalties for these crimes - if they really intend to put the breaks on the rampant poaching!

That said - Kudos to KWS and all the other rangers who put their own lives at risk to catch these culprits!
Asante sana!

Like all of you, I feel this is wonderful start to a new organization. Apparently they can cross the borders with no problems whereas a government run wildlife group would have to stay in their own country.

Like Kipper and Kat though, I too worry that the penalties are not nearly strong enough. With the poacher himself, it should be an automatic long-term jail sentence with no possibility of parole or bribes being paid, if not being shot on the spot, but I know I'm dreaming. The African courts don't seem to understand that their wildlife is quickly disappearing and therefore don't dispense proper penalties.

It would also behoove the African countries to come to an agreement on wildlife products. You can legally buy ivory in some countries and then while in transit through another get arrested for having the product you purchased legally. If Kenya is serious about protecting its wildlife, then it shouldn't allow ivory carvers to sell their products anywhere in the country.

Several years ago a prominent MP's vehicle was caught filled with ivory tusks. To this day no-one has come out and named the MP. Shame on the Kenyan government and KWS for not divulging that information to the people so they can judge whether or not they want to re-elect someone like that. Protection of anyone whether they be a MP, judge, President, etc is just worsening the poaching cycle.

With all the bad news posted about wildlife, it is so great to hear a story such as this with people who seem to be making a difference. Congratulations to all involved in Big Life Foundation. Stay safe!