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On November 7, 2020, Joseph Ngeti, a ranger at the Kasigau Corridor in Taita Taveta County left their camp to conduct a routine patrol. But as fate would have it, he never returned.
He was attacked and killed by an elephant. A month later, his colleague, Jessica Njeri faced the same fate just a few kilometres away.
The memory remains implanted in the mind of Tabitha Ndombolo, the warden (head ranger) at Kasigau Conservancy, who was among the first to arrive at the scene of the incident in Joseph’s case.
“For over two months, I couldn’t get over the trauma. The scenes kept replaying in mind,” she says.
This week, as the world came together to honour fallen rangers like Joseph and Jessica on World Ranger Day on July 31, Tabitha and other rangers took off their berets for a moment, bowed their heads and shut their eyes. They were also internalising the reality that in the future, it could be them being remembered.
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Tabitha says the day is reminiscent of the life-threatening situations they find themselves in most days, but they still find the courage to put on their uniforms and tie their boot laces and head back to the bushes because “someone has to do it.”
“Growing up, I saw wildlife destroy crops and livestock in my community but the next season, people would just plant again and hope things turn out differently. I now work to ensure things turn out differently. That’s what keeps me going,” she said.
“Also, as a leader, my juniors look up to me. If I give up, won’t they also? I must be in the frontline to encourage them that despite the challenges, we have to do this because someone has to.”
Being one of the few female rangers at her camp, Tabitha says the difficulties of being a ranger are almost double for women.
She had to give up her marriage to take up the job and she spends most of her time away from her teenage daughter because of the nature of her work.
Ernest Rhiga, a ranger at Lumo Conservancy, just a few kilometres from Kasigau, says for the ten years he’s been on the job, the perils linked to carrying out his duties have never been lost on him, but he has soldiered on.
“I like conservation,” he says. “I am helping my community by working as a ranger and they respect me for I help keep the air we breathe fresh and that is priceless.”
Like Tabitha, Ernest has lost friends and colleagues to wildlife attacks. In 2019, his friend was attacked and killed by a buffalo. He has himself escaped by a hair’s breadth an attack by wildlife in the line of duty.
Wildlife is not the only threat. Tabitha’s worst experience in the 16 years she’s been a ranger is an attack by a poacher they tried to arrest, seriously injuring her. Occasionally, they are also confronted by wildfires.
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Every year, about 150 rangers are killed while protecting forests and wildlife, ranger protection charity Thin Green Line Foundation says.
Several others are injured on duty and some permanently maimed, yet their compensation barely reflects the dangerous reality of their work.
Despite the gruelling nature of the duties they have to execute every day, rangers generally earn, on average, less than half what police officers across the globe are paid, and in Africa, they’re much less appreciated or compensated.
According to conservation charity Tusk Trust, over 40 percent of rangers in Africa don’t have health insurance; over half have no life insurance and about 60 percent don’t have permanent disability insurance, in addition to getting low pay. Tabitha and Ernest said they have none of these.
The Game Rangers Association of Africa (Graa) CEO Andrew Campbell says these “essential workers” are under-appreciated because people are unaware of their significance, and the gruelling nature of their work.
“Rangers are the custodians of nature,” Campbell told The EastAfrican in an interview. “They are protectors of the planet; they look after the health of the planet, that’s why they are so important, today more than ever.
“There is need to elevate the position of rangers by getting the public to understand the role that they play in the world; that we need them, and the planet needs them and we need to better support them.”
The Wildlife Ranger Challenge, an annual event organised by Graa and the Tusk Trust on September 16, seeks to raise funds to boost the welfare of rangers. It is a game pitting over 100 teams across the continent against each other, culminating in a 21-km race across protected areas on the continent.
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But while the event, set to be held across the continent on September 16, serves to raise awareness about the significance of rangers and raise funds for their welfare, Campbell argues that there’s a need to find a sustainable business-sensible way of ensuring rangers are better appreciated.
Mr Campbell argues that as the world’s population explodes and competition for scarce resources becomes more intense, the work of rangers will become more important. But as it stands, it is an unattractive job for many which means soon they might be no one lining up to be a ranger.
Tabitha says that although the world remembers fallen rangers every year on July 31, it is appalling that little is done to improve the lives, welfare, and security of existing rangers who continue to risk their lives for the sake of biodiversity. They continue to go through the traumatising experiences and nearly all of them have never seen the face of a counsellor.
“As we remember our fallen brothers and sisters killed or maimed in the line of duty, we have to applaud the rangers who continue to protect nature as well, and that is by making their lives better,” she said.
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