Despite conservation efforts to protect endangered species like elephants and rhinos, poachers still present major threats to repopulation. One group, though, has a unique idea to help park rangers catch poachers. Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife (VETPAW) teaches rangers some of the skills that have helped U.S. veterans in their roles overseas – cover and concealment, night tactics, field medicine, marksmanship, and human terrain mapping (tracking poachers and learning to read them).
Ryan Tate, a U.S. marine who served in Iraq, founded the nonprofit in 2013 after watching a disturbing documentary about the effects of poaching in East Africa.
“At war, you see the human destruction and what we’re doing to each other,” Tate said in an interview with RNZ. “To see a helpless animal and an entire species being destroyed by human greed – it’s just – it has its own unique … effect to your brain, on it, to your emotions. At least it did on me.”
Gotcha! Give us more intel or go straight to jail. Choose wisely. #poacher #VETPAW @VETPAW pic.twitter.com/SPSaUdHSsV
— VETPAW (@VETPAW) December 3, 2017
Poachers challenge conservation efforts throughout Africa
What really disturbed Tate and moved him to action were two specific images in the documentary he watched – one of an elephant left on the ground with its face cut off by poachers, and the story of a rhino whose horn was removed while she was under the effects of a tranquilizer. When the rhino woke up, she was dying from loss of blood, and in extreme agony.
Sadly, those two gruesome stories aren’t uncommon. Over the last 10 years, the elephant population in eastern Africa decreased 50 percent. But until recently, rhino deaths by poaching were increasing, reaching a record high of 1,2015 in 2014. Now, that number is declining, but not quickly enough. Just last year, 1,054 were poached. Although rhino horns are not made of ivory, demand exists in many Asian nations where the horn is used medicinally or as an aphrodisiac. Just one kilogram of rhino horn can bring in $65,000.

Environmental journalist Tony Carnie posted this graph detailing the number of rhinos poached during each year.
“I started putting it together in my head that I have a skill here, and a set of skills, that park rangers could be using as well,” Tate said.
Soldiers can help park rangers defend animals and themselves
In 2013, he traveled to Tanzania to see if he could help. After speaking to park rangers, he found his suspicions confirmed.
“What we learned was that it’s very much an organized crime. The same people and bad guys that are trafficking arms, drugs, and humans, are also getting into poaching. All those crimes are tied together.” Tate says the park rangers told him “we don’t understand who our enemy is – we can’t see them, we don’t know who they are because they don’t wear a uniform.” It sounded so similar to counterinsurgency in Iraq that Tate knew his idea would work.
We need more Boots on the ground to protect more area. Can you help us? Every little bit helps. https://t.co/zd0hXea7My pic.twitter.com/MSFZ7KywMV
— VETPAW (@VETPAW) December 17, 2017
Troops may contribute to militarization
Right now, VETPAW has six veterans who come from all different backgrounds, including the infantry, medics and special forces, who work in various parks in South Africa. However, in the few short years since its founding, the organization has already came under fire. VETPAW member Kinessa Johnson, at a gun show in Las Vegas, said “We’re going there to do some anti-poaching. Kill some bad guys and do some good.” This, along with the idea of carrying arms has caused some people to worry the group encourages militarization between park rangers and poachers.
Tate says this is a misrepresentation and that Johnson misrepresented the organization when she spoke in Las Vegas.
“We don’t bring veterans in to go hunt down poachers – you know, let’s go kill bad guys and America’s here to save the day – that’s the wrong attitude to have,” Tate explained in his interview with RNZ. “We bring in veterans that have a passion and understanding of the sensitives and complexities of the mission and operation at hand.”
A group of US war vets have joined forces with African park rangers to take on poachers. @Ryan_C_Tate, founder of @VETPAW, talks about the battle. The war vets are part of a doco called #BloodIvory (audio 22 mins) https://t.co/XyBuGgDbkn #Ngorongoro #animals #ivory #elephants pic.twitter.com/JXlf18lC5f
— Sunday Morning (@RNZSunday) December 10, 2017
Training and weapons are tools to defend conservation and stop extinction
As for the concern over creating an arms race, Tate says it’s true that his organization works with local law enforcement.
“How else are we going to win this? We can’t sit down and sing a song with poachers and hope that everybody is going to get along and that the animals are going to live,” he reasons. “The bottom line here is that there’s bleeding going on on the ground, and that’s the animals. There are no second chances, extinction is forever, so if we lose these animals they’re not coming back.”
Soldiers offer valuable insight and training to park rangers
Tate’s nonprofit isn’t the only one to employ veterans in the fight against poaching. Lt. Col. Faye Cuevas was also attracted to the cause, joining the group International Fund for Animal Welfare. The data and tracking methods she uses to track poachers has resulted in a 43 percent decrease in poaching in Kenya’s Tsavo National Parks since 2015.
In fact, using troops in conservation efforts is becoming more common across Africa. This year, British troops deployed in Gabon, where extremist groups Boko Haram and Al Shabaab fund their groups by selling ivory. Tanzania, Ethiopia, and Rwanda also host British troops that support park rangers.
Right now, park rangers aren’t always prepared to deal with armed poachers
In many cases, poachers are armed and dangerous. About 100 rangers die every year in violent poacher encounters. Unfortunately, many park rangers are unarmed, which can leave them at the mercy of militarized poachers. This is why Tate believes his group can help poachers to protect themselves, and the wildlife.
“If you were a park ranger and you were going out on a patrol against militarized rebels wouldn’t you want to have a fair chance?” he asks.
“We’re making a big difference,” says Tate. “We’ve never had an animal poached under our watch.”
Bravo to all of you for your kindness and dedication to stop poaching, the poor animals need it. I could kiss every one of you!
DEATH TO EVERY POACHER !!!!!!!!!!! NO MERCY !!! INSTANT, PAINFUL DEATH !!! JUST LIKE THEY SHOWED TO EACH AND EVERY ANIMAL THEY KILLED…
Someone should train people how to do this. We need more people to defend the animals!
We finally have people that are going to fight against poachers and to save our wildlife. Thank goodness for all yo people who signed up for this. You are heroes in my book and need more like you’s. You go kick ass. Maybe now the elephants and rhinos can stand a chance. Thank you all.
The Chinese have a lot to answer for here. They are the ones who are creating the demand for the tusks of elphants and rhinos in the misguided belief that the ivory tusks of the elephants and the tusks of rhinos have medicinal and sexual value. They don’t.
Thank you Ryan Tate, Faye Cuevas and the British troops in Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Gabon and others like you who are tackling this problem head on and teaching the Park Rangers counterinsurgency operations to help combat the poaching problem. The Park Rangers need to armed not just to protect the animsls but also themselves.
Yay, heroes. Thank you.
Once again you’re punishing the wrong person. You’re going after the “tail” instead of the “head” of the snake! These people are poor trying to suppport their families,harassing and putting them in jail solves NOTHING. You need to be going after the people who are making money from the Ivory. The Africans are being taken advantage of to do their dirty work.
We Love You We Love You We Love You!
Leave it to a Marine! OORAH! RIP Daddy, Semper fi, Korea. L.Cpl., Expert Rifleman! God bless y’al and God speed your safety!
These people are such heroes. It must be so emotionally challenging for them. I applaud them!
YOU GUYS ROCK! Thank you for doing what you do.
Thank you for featuring this group. It would be great for more vets to be involved, using their skills and fighting a good war.
Thank you all from the bottom of my heart if only there were more people like u guys this really needs to be stopped theyve got a heart like us feel like us makes me sick so called humans hunting and being so evil,vile and pure scum
Great work guys, thank you so much. Please can we get you to go to the Asian dog meat eating countries and teach them a lesson or two. The pictures of poached animals are bad enough, the dog meat trade will make your blood boil
it’s a very good thing, continue on your way ! We need men like you for hunting the poachers !!
Jean
If we are going to save our elephants and rhinos we need people like them, I am overwhelmed by what they are doing. Maybe now the animals will have a fighting chance. The Chinese and Vietamese governments have to put a stop to all this poaching.