The dangers they face.

Armed poachers, dangerous animals, life threatening situations.

In the line of duty, protecting parks potentially comes at mortal cost, especially for rangers involved in anti-poaching.

Has that ever, truly sunk in though?

Its not until you watch a friend grab his rifle and backpack and run out the door as the radio reports shots fired, that it really hits you. When you look into the eyes of his wife, vibrant just moments ago, and see a mix of fear, concern and helplessness. Then you realise she goes through this most nights, especially around full moon, wondering if her husband will come home alive.

With great love comes great pain, and for those in the trenches (and for those who love them) never have truer words been spoken. But when you can’t change the reality, all that’s left to do is mitigate the risks. That he ran out with a specialized trauma pack in his backpack, and that he knows how to use it, could mean the difference between life and death. Its small solace, but its something, and one only realizes the real significance when a call comes in to say “a ranger was shot in a contact with poachers today, and his team saved his life thanks to your kit and training.”

Since 2016, with generous support of our donors and project partners, SRP has been able to play an important role in ensuring that rangers and managers within the “high risk” reserves we support have been able to have access to the best training and equipment we could provide.

In partnership with ER24, and with medical equipment supplied by MedDev, SRP’s various donors have ensured that hundreds of rangers have undergone this professional and lifesaving training.