The South Rift is a biodiversity hotspot. It is home to 704 species of birds, 133 species of mammals, 80 species of reptiles and 42 species of amphibians. To allow communities to respond and manage encounters with wildlife, we have ensured that our rangers receive specialised training ranging from snakebite recognition and response, a key threat that requires continuous surveillance to survival skills customised for bush environments.
Given that encounters with wildlife can turn fatal if not handled well, we have invested in targeted refresher courses for our ranger instructors. For three weeks during the month of July, ten instructors attended a refresher course facilitated by LEAD Ranger in Rukinga in the Tsavo landscape. It went beyond training. It served as a test of everything they already know and have worked toward. For days, they underwent grueling, real-life scenarios tailored for the toughest bush conditions, each designed to sharpen the very skills they have taught fellow rangers and community members.
Their final days at bootcamp was a mix of endurance, precision, and teamwork. Then reality kicked in. Just as the course came to an end, news broke that wildfires were sweeping through the Wildlife Works ecosystem in the Tsavo landscape. Without thinking twice the freshly trained instructors and rangers sprang into action. As a team, they courageously and successfully fought the flames well into the night, turning training into instinct and drills into courage. What began as practice ended as proof of resilience and unwavering commitment to protecting both people and wild spaces.
