What are wildlife rangers

Starting in the early morning when animals are most active, these patrols may be about two to three hours, covering a smaller area. In places where there are more rangers and ranger stations, these short patrols might be done once or twice a day.

Some patrols last longer-a week or more-in areas that have fewer rangers and more space between ranger stations. This is often the case in larger parks. On these long-range patrols, rangers are out for the entire day and camp out at night. Rangers take turns at night staying awake to keep watch.

Combatting criminal activity

During patrols, rangers keep an eye out for criminal activity like poaching and illegal logging. They look for snares and traps set to catch animals and remove them-a time-consuming task. Part of the danger of their job is the fact that rangers may come into direct contact with poaching groups. In these cases, the risk of conflict is high.

Tracking wildlife populations

In addition to fighting wildlife crime, rangers look for and record signs of wildlife like paw prints and faecal matter. They use cameras and GPS recording equipment to collect data on populations and their movements.

For example, IFAW has equipped rangers with an app called EarthRanger that allows them to track the movement of elephant herds in real-time.

In Malawi's Kasungu National Park, 28 elephants (most of which were matriarchs) were fitted with GPS collars. When a collared elephant gets too close to human populations, the app sends an SMS alert. Rangers can then travel to the herd and use non-lethal deterrents-like firecrackers and chili blasters-to encourage elephants to change their course. This is helping prevent human-elephant conflict.

The EarthRanger app also provides rangers with the data they need to understand wildlife movements, conflict types, and mitigation effectiveness. This helps them better track elephants and identify seasonal elephant corridors, while providing information that can be used to guide land-use plans and national environmental strategies.

Engaging with local communities

Rangers also engage with local communities living in and around protected areas. Not only is this important for preventing and responding to incidents of human-wildlife conflict, but it also provides them with another source of intelligence on wildlife crime.

Community members may have directly witnessed criminal activity and have information they can share. Rangers who are in direct communication with local communities can then respond quickly to reports of wildlife crime and human-wildlife conflict.

Engaging communities in conservation also helps raise awareness about endangered species and the threats they face. It can help prevent poaching in the future by educating the youth about why it's illegal and why protecting biodiversity is important.

Fighting fires

In addition to all this work, rangers spend much of their time in dry seasons fighting fires. While some natural fires are important for the health of ecosystems, in the age of climate change, wild fires in some areas are increasingly severe and unpredictable. Some natural and manmade fires can be very harmful to the landscape and animals.

Assisting with wildlife tourism

As wildlife tourism is a driving force in the economy of many places where rangers work, they also often assist with tourism.