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Ami Vitale

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It takes a village

24 images Created 6 Jun 2016

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  • In December of 2009, the Lewa Conservancy in Kenya airlifted the last four breeding age Northern White Rhinos from Prague’s Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic 4000 miles away to live “freely” at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. The Northern White Rhino is considered by scientists to be nearly extinct. As of 2009, there are only 8 Northern White Rhinos living in the world. Scientists hope that in Africa, the temperance in climate and the room to roam will entice them to breed and establish a nucleus for potential re-population. (Photo by Ami Vitale)
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  • An anti-poaching team permanently guards a Northern White Rhino named Fatu on Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is the largest sanctuary for black rhinos in East Africa and the home of the world's three remaining Northern White Rhino, the worlds most endangered animal.
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  • A child wakes up before the sun comes up to take their family's goats out for grazing in the Melako Conservancy in Northern Kenya. Melako is a vast expanse of arid bushland that stretches towards the Ethiopian and Somali border. Rainfall is rare, as are permanent settlements and solid infrastructure, yet the community have been grazing this rangeland for decades. <br />
One of the most important parts of Melako becoming part of the Northern Rangelands Trust   is the security it brings to the communities. Today, community rangers are on daily patrol in Melako and these community conservancies have transformed people’s lives, secured peace and help them to conserve natural resources.
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  • A donkey sleeps under a dark sky in Melako, an arid landscape that stretches towards the Ethiopian and Somali border. Rainfall is rare, as are permanent settlements and solid infrastructure. It is no wonder that there is ethnic conflict and cattle rustling here considering the tough conditions. <br />
Warriors from Melako are part of the Northern Rangelands Trust. They are learning how conservation and grazing management can lead to healthier cattle, better grass and more wildlife.
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  • Samburu warriors encounter a rhino for the first time in their lives at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. Only their grandfathers saw rhinos in the wild and these young men had never even seen a photo of one. Based on stories and their own imaginations, they expected the young rhinos to be as big as elephants, as dangerous as lions and for their horns to be flexible, like an elephant's trunk. Much-needed attention has been focused on the plight of wildlife, but very little has been said about the indigenous communities on the frontlines of the poaching wars.
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  • A group of Samburu warriors touch an orphaned rhino for the first time in their lives at Lew wildlife conservancy in Kenya. It's surprising to think that most people on the planet never get the opportunity to see the wildlife that exists literally in their own backyard.  With only about 5,500 black rhinos left in the world, every rhino life is so precious that conservationists such as Lewa have to work hard to ensure the survival of each individual.
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  • Yusuf, a keeper at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya sleeps among three baby rhinos. The calf he rested his head on was orphaned when poachers killed his mother 50 miles away. Much needed attention has been focused on the plight of wildlife and the conflict between heavily armed poachers and increasingly militarized wildlife rangers. But very little has been said about the indigenous communities on the front lines of the poaching wars and the incredible work they do to protect these animals. They hold the key to saving Africa’s great animals.
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  • Adnan, a keeper feeds 3 orphaned baby rhinos at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. The young rhino on the right is the newest addition and was orphaned when poachers killed his mother on Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The calf was immediately moved to Lewa and is being hand-raised.
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  • A black rhino falls after it was darted so it can be translocated from Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to its new home at Sera Community Conservancy.  Rhino have not existed on Sera in over 30 years since the last one was killed by poachers. Now, a brave initiative by has made it possible for the rhino to be reintroduced to this native homeland that it has long been absent.  The people of Sera are ecstatic - this is the first time in East Africa a community will be responsible  for the management and protection of this highly threatened species, signalling a new era in Kenya's conservation efforts.
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  • A black rhino from Lewa Wildlife is translocated and moved in a crate to its new home at Sera Community Conservancy.  Rhino have not existed on Sera in over 30 years since the last one was killed by poachers. Now, a brave initiative by has made it possible for the rhino to be reintroduced to this native homeland that it has long been absent.  The people of Sera are ecstatic - this is the first time in East Africa a community will be responsible  for the management and protection of this highly threatened species, signalling a new era in Kenya's conservation efforts.
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  • A black rhino is seen inside a crate as it waits to be translocated from Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to its new home at Sera Community Conservancy.  Rhino have not existed on Sera in over 30 years since the last one was killed by poachers. Now, a brave initiative by has made it possible for the rhino to be reintroduced to this native homeland that it has long been absent.  The people of Sera are ecstatic - this is the first time in East Africa a community will be responsible  for the management and protection of this highly threatened species, signalling a new era in Kenya's conservation efforts.
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  • A black rhino from Lewa Wildlife is translocated and moved in a crate to its new home at Sera Community Conservancy.  Rhino have not existed on Sera in over 30 years since the last one was killed by poachers. Now, a brave initiative by has made it possible for the rhino to be reintroduced to this native homeland that it has long been absent.  The people of Sera are ecstatic - this is the first time in East Africa a community will be responsible  for the management and protection of this highly threatened species, signalling a new era in Kenya's conservation efforts.
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  • A black rhino from Lewa Wildlife is translocated and moved in a crate to its new home at Sera Community Conservancy.  Rhino have not existed on Sera in over 30 years since the last one was killed by poachers. Now, a brave initiative by has made it possible for the rhino to be reintroduced to this native homeland that it has long been absent.  The people of Sera are ecstatic - this is the first time in East Africa a community will be responsible  for the management and protection of this highly threatened species, signalling a new era in Kenya's conservation efforts.
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  • An elephant named "Monk" has its tusks trimmed at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Northern Kenya, in an effort to reduce human-elephant conflict. Trimming of the tusks is a painless procedure carried out when the elephant is tranquillized. The elephant had developed a penchant for using his tusks to break fences and raid farms, destroying crops and putting himself and the people involved in danger. While trimming the elephants' tusks is an activity that conservationists do not enjoy doing and always use it as a last resort, it is a conflict mitigation effort used to try and save the elephants' lives.
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  • A female elephant, aged about 18 years, was badly wounded after being shot by a farmer who found her raiding crops in his farm. He confessed and said she tried to attack him and he shot her in self defense. We arrived there but it was too late for us to do anything to help the elephant, as seen above. We were told that her herd was seen running away from the danger and moved along with her very young calf, who has since been left orphaned.<br />
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Though the case is still under investigation, this picture is an example of what mostly happens when human - elephant conflict is not checked. Often, all it takes one elephant is a few hours to completely wipe out a farmer's seasonal harvest, which they depend on for survival. After the shooting, an autopsy was performed to locate the bullets, which is why the corpse is in the state it is in. Trimming the elephant's tusks, often used as a last resort after all else has failed, has helped save many elephants
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  • An elephant at the Namunyak Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. This place used to be dangerous with warring tribes and the landscape looked very different but today it is thriving. From a count of none, there are now more than 4,000 elephants in the area. It's incredible to see how resilient nature is if we give it a chance.
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  • Villagers wake up before the sun comes up to take goats out for grazing in the Melako Conservancy in Northern Kenya. Melako is a vast expanse of arid bushland that stretches towards the Ethiopian and Somali border. Rainfall is rare, as are permanent settlements and solid infrastructure, yet the community have been grazing this rangeland for decades.
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  • Samuel Brown looks for lions that have been collared  Loisabawilderness in Laikipia, Northern Kenya. Loisaba is an important area for protection  because it provides habitat for more than 260 bird and 57 mammal species, and is an important elephant corridor.
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  • A Borana girl hides behind her mother's abaya in  Isiolo, Kenya during a funeral for a slain ranger. Northern Kenya has a history riddled with violence, primarily between livestock herders of warring tribes. Competition for pasture and water, especially during times of drought, force different tribes to migrate to the same area and often leads to conflict. Cattle raiding has a long history in this area too and AK-47s imported from Somalia are easily acquired on the black market in towns like Isiolo. These years of fighting have taken their toll on the communities, wildlife and habitats of Northern Kenya, which is why the Northern Rangelands Trust is working with these communities to improve security and build relationships between the communities.
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  • Ntipiyon Nonguta and her son Bernard, 1, relax with their neighbors as they make  beaded belts for Loisaba Community Trust in Ewaso village in Laikipia in Northern Kenya.   These women are in a community surrounding Loisaba Conservancy and are being supported and given access to international markets. Revenue from ecotourism is reinvested into neighboring communities like Ewaso.
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  • Naitemu Letur pushes a jug of water back to her manyatta. "Before, we would walk for hours every day just to get water. Sometimes it was not safe but now we have plenty of water near our homes and this has made our lives more secure. " The Northern Rangelands Trust in Northern Kenya  is a group of conservanices that make conservation a self-sustaining proposition—financially and socially—by providing water, health care, education and jobs for the local community through responsible tourism and complementary agro-pastoralism. Ths makes the community deeply invested in the effort’s success. In earlier conservation efforts, threatened forests and endangered species were protected by uniformed guards. In the NRT, they are protected by women and school children, who have a vested interest in a healthy environment because they benefit directly. Rather than something that has to be guarded from local communities, the environment becomes a source of sustainable economic activity for those communities.
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  • Tamara walks with three orphaned black rhinos  that he is hand-raising  at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. Kamara spends 12 hours every day watching over the vulnerable baby rhinos. He loves these animals like his own children and is part of the reason Kenya’s black rhinos, whose population had plummeted to near extinction, are doing so well here.
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