THE EDGE OF HUMANITY

THE EDGE OF HUMANITY

**Excerpts of the Big Life Foundation‘s Fundraising Appeal**

“Each evening, as the sun sets, Big Life ranger Jackson Kikon rises, and steps with his unit into the darkness. Their mission is straightforward:

To patrol the edge of humanity. The places where human lands invade wild lands, and man clashes with animal.

Poaching is still a threat, and will be for as long as the price of ivory, rhino horn and other animal parts remains high. But unfortunately, the end of poaching will not be the end of the task.

In the Kenyan area where Big Life operates, the first four months of 2015 have left a terrible body count. Three humans and six elephants. All dead as a result of a fast-growing conflict that pits modern man against the natural order around him.

At the current rate, 24 elephants will die as a result of human-wildlife conflict in our Kenyan area of operation in 2015, compared to only two poached in 2014.

Jackson’s Big Life patrol unit spends the night on the move, searching for shapes in the darkness, trying to pre-empt the conflict, or waiting for calls of distress from the community. Armed only with torches and thunderflashes (noisy pyrotechnics) to scare away the elephants, these men take on a dangerous job that few would, standing up to elephants in order to protect them.

In doing so, Kikon and his fellow Big Life rangers are changing hearts and minds. In communities that have had no prior support, a little help goes a long way. This community support is at the heart of what we do. Development will come, and with it change, but only with community support will conservation be a vital integral part of this development.

Africa is special because it has retained what the rest of the world has lost. A fast-changing Africa is putting all of that at risk, and to stand by will be to watch the wilderness disappear. Coexistence is possible, but takes effort.

Big Life is here for the long run, and prepared to provide that effort, but for some parts of the Amboseli ecosystem, it’s now or never.”

TAKE ACTION. Please make a contribution at www.biglife.org/donations

**Images and Text excerpts of Big Life’s Fundraising Appeal**