MEP Celebrates World Environment Day by Deploying More Environment Guardians

On World Environment Day we celebrate the Earth’s greatest guardians.

Mara Elephant Project is thrilled to announce the deployment of the Mosiro community ranger team, new guardians dedicated to protecting the Earth’s wildlife and wild spaces.

Mosiro is an ecologically important area for elephants because it forms a linkage between key elephant habitats, yet elephants in this area are threatened and communities grow frustrated. A permanent ranger team was needed to protect not only the elephants, but communities as well. The new ranger team was recruited in February directly from people living in Mosiro and the final men and women were selected for the 10-week training at MEP’s headquarters in the Mara. Over the last decade, MEP has developed a regimen of standard operating procedures for ranger training and has an in-house training course that is all led by MEP staff and can be offered to not just new MEP recruits but other organizations as well. The Mosiro recruits were joined by recruits from other nearby conservancies supported by the Maasai Mara Wildlife Conservancies Association.

The training involves both classroom and field work learning organizational and helicopter standard operating procedures and best practices for radio communication, patrols and ambushes, navigation alongside training in first aid, wildlife laws, wildlife poisoning, fieldcraft and water rescue, just to name a few.

They also focused on their physical fitness with regular running and strength training exercises. All of the training was led by current MEP staff members from the operational, administrative and research departments.

The rangers sat for the exams throughout the training and this past weekend a passing out parade (graduation) was held in Mosiro to celebrate their deployment.

Six hundred people were in attendance and the MEP staff was honored to be joined by Hon. George Sunkuya (MP, Kajiado West), Hon. Jonathan Koroine (MCA, Mosiro Ward), Hon. Toris (MCA, Ewuaso Ward), Mr. Keshoko (Chief, Mosiro Ward), and the Assistant KWS Deputy Warden (Kajiado) alongside them, the community and supporters to officially recognize the hard work of these men and women to become the next champions for the environment.

MEP Manager Wilson Sairowua, the Assistant KWS Deputy Warden for Kajiado and Hon. George Sunkuya inspecting the graduates.

The new “Lima” ranger team, MEP’s ninth ranger team, was deployed today to start their environmental protection work in Mosiro.

As a key member of the MEP herd, you made this possible on World Environment Day.

Continue to support their efforts to protect and restore Earth’s most precious wildlife and wild spaces.

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Thank you to partners Mara River Lodge, Focused Conservation and Nature Kenya for participating in the ranger training.