Ending Wildlife Crime: British Army in Africa
Home to the big five, Africa attracts thousands of tourists a year hoping to catch a glimpse of an Elephant or a Rhino in it’s natural habitat. They intend to catch these magnificent animals with nothing but their cameras, but there are others amongst the brush with more sinister ideas.
Today the Illegal Wildlife Trade is estimated to be worth up to £17bn worldwide, with poachers hunting Rhinos and Elephants for horns and ivory, the UK Armed Forces are intervening.
On average, more than 20,000 elephants are poached every year in Africa, resulting in the population being cut in half since the 1970s, all due to ivory poaching.
“The illegal wildlife trade is a serious crime and by partnering with park rangers, and wildlife associations, we are protecting these magnificent animals and bringing the poachers to justice for their abhorrent crimes.”
Captain Luke Kemp speaks of how important it is for the UK Armed Forces to help tackle the unspeakable crimes committed by poachers against the African wildlife.
In Murcheson Falls Uganda, Luke and his team from the British Army are working closely with the Ugandans, passing on their hard won knowledge and skills from previous operations to help tackle the illegal wildlife trade at it’s source.
During the course the UgandanWildlife Association personnel will learn medical drills, as well as learning about patrolling/tracking skills from the British to help them while in the field.
The UK Armed Forces are also patrolling the bush with their Malawian counterparts in Southern Africa, protecting the wildlife from poachers and remain committed to ending wildlife crime.
Find out where else the UK Armed Forces are deployed here:
