For more than twenty years now, ATE has run training programmes to share our knowledge on wild elephants to those interested in working in the field of conservation.  Our training is very flexible, ranging from short simple courses for those with little or no academic background, to in-depth programmes designed for conservation professionals and postgraduate students embarking on their own research.  Some of Kenya's leading conservationists were trained by ATE early in their careers, and we aim to continue inspiring and teaching young professionals in order to help generate ambitious and well informed conservation managers who will take strong action to protect elephants worldwide. Run by ATE's Training Coordinator, Norah Njiraini, these courses give students a firm grounding in working safely around elephants and collecting reliable data. 

Norah showing the trainees data collection techniques

As we have written many times in this newsletter, local partnerships are crucial for promoting balanced and peaceful relationships between elephants and the people living with them in Amboseli. ATE is therefore partnering once again with the Big Life Foundation, by training their network of community anti-poaching scouts. Big Life ensures security for wildlife and people in Amboseli; our training strengthens that skill set by teaching those fighting poachers how to understand elephants and their behaviour, and collect useful data on the elephants they encounter.

The first round of training began on June 10th. Each four-day course trains five Big Life personnel, and we will continue to run these courses in the coming months. The courses cover topics such as correctly ageing and sexing elephants, reliably counting elephants (harder than you might think!) and of course understanding elephant behaviour. Although these men have seen elephants for their entire lives, they knew very little about how elephants live, how long they live or how to age them. As well as reporting on illegal activities in their area, all scouts must report on the elephants they see. The skills the scouts learn during the training will greatly improve the accuracy and power of their reports, and ensure they are collecting consistent population data across the ecosystem. All our trainees really enjoyed Norah's knowledge, and were amazed and interested by what they learned.

The eldest of our first batch of trainees is Bukoki Sumare, who is 45.

Bukoki Sumare

Sumare lived a traditional nomadic life before Amboseli National Park was officially gazetted in 1974. He recalls seeing a lot of change in his homeland, as land has been subdivided, Parks formed and the traditional way of life slowly abandoned. He too now resides in a permanent homestead and works as a wildlife scout in the Satao Elerai area, supervising four other scouts. When asked what part of the training surprised him the most, Sumare enthusiastically explained that he never imagined the females protect and control the family life. He also had no idea that male elephants play no role in an elephant family. His appreciation and fondness of elephants was heightened during the training, and he intends to share this knowledge with his community. He describes elephants as 'mama yetu', which means 'our mother' because elephants are an important source of income for Maasai communities around the Park; money generated from tourism and conservation benefits the community, giving them incentives to protect elephants.