Community lands, Northeastern Kenya
Only 5% of the endangered reticulated giraffe’s range is found inside government National Parks. Therefore, the vast majority of these giraffe share their home landscape across the northern Kenyan savanna with people and livestock. SGN funds elite Mobile Anti-Poaching Teams who are operating in an area of these giraffe’s range that is facing severe political insecurity and poaching pressure. These small mobile teams’ rangers are specially trained and fully mobile in uniquely equipped 4x4s. The teams are constantly on the move, working with communities and surprising insurgents and poachers through carefully planned and effective tactical missions, increasing peace and security for the people, and protecting reticulated giraffe.
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Save Giraffes Now (SGN) supports the crucial work of one of the Northern Rangelands Trust’s (NRT) elite Mobile Anti-poaching teams, that is operating in a very important area of the endangered reticulated giraffe’s range in remote northeastern Kenya.
About 95% of the endangered reticulated giraffe’s range is outside of formal, government protected areas. As such, the vast majority of reticulated giraffe exist on pastoralist community lands, overlapping and sharing space with people and livestock.
We at SGN know how important it is to work with local communities on locally led initiatives that promote sustainable conservation and co-existence. However, in certain areas human conflicts arise and poachers enter community lands from the outside to target giraffe and other wildlife. This is the case where the mobile anti-poaching teams that SGN helps support works, to prevent poaching and limit unrest, protecting people, giraffe and other wildlife.
The mobile anti-poaching team is drawn from select NRT-Coast conservancies and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers. The teams’ efforts address escalating cases of poaching, illegal logging and general insecurity in the northeastern Kenya conservancy landscape. These mobile teams of 8-10 rangers are specially trained and fully mobile in highly equipped 4x4s. The teams are constantly on the move, working with communities and surprising insurgents and poachers through carefully planned and effective tactical missions.
The mobile anti-poaching team is drawn from select NRT-Coast conservancies and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers. The teams’ efforts address escalating cases of poaching, illegal logging and general insecurity in the northeastern Kenya conservancy landscape. These mobile teams of 8-10 rangers are specially trained and fully mobile in highly equipped 4x4s. The teams are constantly on the move, working with communities and surprising insurgents and poachers through carefully planned and effective tactical missions.
The mobile anti-poaching team’s great strength is that they represent the ethnic diversity of the communities they serve – with a community policing model – in collaboration with the authorities. As such the mobile team in partnership with conservancy scouts lead an innovative, local community security initiative, which is improving safety for both wildlife and people.
In 2019 the mobile team conducted over 35 anti-poaching and related operations, arresting 29 people. In early 2020 they were a key part of a multi-agency operation that broke up a commercialized giraffe bush-meat trade network. This innovative approach to anti-poaching and security is proving very effective in helping protect endangered reticulated giraffe and bringing peace to a very insecure area.