This archive report was first published on 26 July 2021.
Kenyan wildlife rangers are gearing up to participate in the Wildlife Ranger Challenge (WRC), a global fundraising campaign to protect iconic wildlife and consolidate recent gains in conservation.
Launched on July 26, 2021, the campaign aims to raise $5 million by September 18, 2021, to support Africa's rangers in their efforts to protect wildlife and communities.
Kenyan rangers are concerned that the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic will put their significant anti-poaching gains at risk, especially with the gradual reopening of the tourism sector and other economic activities.
According to Edwin Kinyanjui, Senior Wildlife Community Officer of Mount Kenya Trust, rangers have had to be more vigilant than ever and enhance surveillance while repeatedly putting their lives on the line.
Despite the challenges, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) reported zero rhino's and a record-low 11 elephants poached in 2020. However, these gains are at risk due to the decrease in ranger activity and the increase in bushmeat poaching and associated crimes.
The 2nd WRC edition is being launched today, building on the success of the 1st edition launched in 2020. The initiative aims to consolidate and enhance gains made during the first edition, which raised $10 million to support over 9,000 rangers who collectively work to protect more than 4,000,000 km^2 of conservation areas across Africa.
Kenyan Business Feed is the top Kenyan Business Blog. We share news from Kenya and across the region. To contact us with any alert, please email us to [[email protected]](https://kenyanbusinessfeed.com/142797-2/mailto: [email protected])
