2020 IMPACT REPORT

s p e c i a l anniversary e d i t i o n Co-Founder’s Note His name was Igor. Action had to be taken, and urgently, to fill the gaping Back in the US, I visited a collector of my photos and talked hole. I had a series of plans, among which were: her through my plans. She immediately committed $500,000 b y n i c k b r a n d t a year for the first 3 years. We will be forever grateful to For 49 years, he wandered the plains and woodlands • A local leader on the ground to direct and coordinate that donor (who prefers to remain anonymous). In that operations firsthand, to have an open door and one moment, with that money, things became possible. of the Amboseli ecosystem, so relaxed that in 2007, an open ear to the local community. If you don’t he allowed me to come within a few meters of him have the local community on your side, you’re I had a name: Big Life Foundation. Now I screwed. For exchange of information, the bush needed that leader on the ground. to take the portrait you see on the cover. network beats the social network any day. There was one renowned conservationist with a • Teams of rangers that were locally hired and great reputation who lived in the . Two years later, in October 2009, he was fully mobile, with vehicles, radios, and tracker killed by poachers for his ivory. dogs on stand-by. All obvious stuff. His name was, of course, Richard Bonham.

• Cross-border anti-poaching patrols. Most of the For 20 years, Richard had been building an effective At that time, on an almost weekly basis, many of Igor’s poachers were coming over the border from Tanzania, conservation force in the Chyulu Hills with his Maasailand making their kills, and then escaping back with no-one Preservation Trust. Richard had the same holistic vision brethren were being killed in the same way. The Amboseli to arrest them on the other side. Teams of rangers on of conservation - community rangers, support of the local ecosystem, with one of the most important populations both sides of the border were needed, working in close community, a livestock compensation fund, and more. communication, to track and pick up any poachers I wrote to Richard about my plans and asked him if he of elephants left in East Africa, was suffering badly escaping back over into Tanzania. No organization knew of anyone to run Big Life. He wrote back that my had yet done this, but animals don’t pay attention to plans were what he had been shouting from the treetops due to insufficient funding of both government and borders, nor do poachers, so neither should we. for years, but had never had the funds to implement. the very few nonprofit organizations in the area. continued…

1 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS To my surprise and delight, he suggested that he could run Big Life. elephants were killed in one year in this way. To solve this latest This was the perfect solution - someone with his reputation and problem, Big Life built over 100 km of electrified fence. As a 20 years of experience, running the organization on the ground. result, in 2020, just two elephants were killed. And now, because 05 Year in Review of this, both elephants and farmers live happier, safer lives. In late 2010, Big Life fired up and went into action with Richard as its co-founder. Igor became Big Life’s unfortunate poster But now, we face the biggest, most complex threat of all. 07 Where We Work child, and his home, the Greater Amboseli ecosystem, is the place where Big Life todays protects 1.6 million acres. And it all comes down to land. What We Do

With that first precious funding and subsequent donations, Back in 2010, to combat the poaching, to staunch the flow of blood, 09 WILDLIFE within a year, Big Life was able to hire 85 fully-equipped we were engaged in a form of triage. By triage, I mean that we had 19 HABITAT well-trained rangers plus platoon commanders, construct to make brutally hard decisions about which were the most critical 12 anti-poaching outposts, purchase 9 anti-poaching patrol areas to set up outposts, knowing that we were leaving many 23 COMMUNITY vehicles and a Microlight plane for aerial monitoring, and elephants in other areas unprotected until we got more funding. grow an informer network on both sides of the border. Today, we find ourselves dealing with another utterly necessary How We Do It A series of quick dramatic arrests was made of several major poaching form of triage: to save the most important land for wildlife through 29 FINANCIALS gangs, who had been poaching the Amboseli region’s elephants for leasing wildlife habitat before it is swallowed up to development. 30 SUPPORTERS many years. They were tracked down by Big Life’s teams in exactly The ecosystem is being rapidly transformed from community-owned the way we had planned, through coordination between rangers in land into private ownership that will shatter the landscape into both countries, our network of informers, and local community help. thousands of 20-60 acre parcels. As the parcels are converted to Cut forward to the present day. other uses, wildlife will run out of space. It will be difficult to preserve the ecosystem in its current state. However, there are key wildlife 28 Timeline of Accomplishments: Under the stellar, rock-solid leadership of Richard and now also his corridors and dispersal areas that we can still protect, which would Special Anniversary Insert second-in-command of operations, Craig Millar, Big Life has become allow the ecosystem to support wildlife numbers similar to those now. one of the biggest employers in the region, with 500+ local staff. Today, this is Big Life’s most urgent task. There is no time to And so it is that 10 years on… waste. Land preservation can be a win-win for all, not just for the animals, but also for the local communities. The number of elephants killed by poachers last year in the areas patrolled by Big Life rangers was ZERO. The number of Thank you to all of you from me, Richard and everyone at rhinos killed by poachers last year was ZERO. The populations Big Life for being with us on our journey up until now. of elephants, lions, giraffes, cheetahs and most other species in the ecosystem have all markedly increased since 2010. We hope that you will stay with us for the next, most vital stage of our journey. However, a new threat to elephants was growing in the ecosystem. More elephants were now being killed by farmers whose crops n i c k b r a n d t had been destroyed than by poachers. Only a few years ago, 14

3 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 Elephants Poached Rhinos Poached Year in Review 5 6 9 K G 3 3 8 Ivory Confiscated Suspects Arrested in 165 Incidents $ 8 7 , 3 9 5 Compensation Paid 1 1 4 to Livestock Owners Rangers Trained in 9 Specialty 3 4 Ranger Trainings 450+ Total Field Staff 343 Trained Rangers 7 Mobile Units 16 Patrol Vehicles Lion Hunts Prevented 7 5 , 5 9 3 People Reached with 3 2 4 Health Information Scholarships Awarded & Services

44 Ranger Units 30 Permanent 2 Tracker Dogs 2 Airplanes Outposts

t o t a l k i l o m e t e r s p a t r o l l e d

On Foot: 142,310 By Vehicle: 414,387 By Plane: 41,620

5 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT *Totals are for Big Life operations in both and Tanzania 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 6 Where We Work

There is one place left on earth where the Pleistocene herds of large mammals which once roamed every continent still linger. That place is East Africa. …The African Savannas evoke an inexplicable sense of déjà vu, as if some subliminal memory is tweaked by the birthplace of our hominid lineage. No place on earth strikes such a resonance, Big Life’s Area of Operation (AOO) covers 1.6 million acres of the Core AOO: Chyulu Hills Non-Core AOO: Merrueshi and few places in Africa can rival Amboseli for the sheer Greater Amboseli ecosystem. Our AOO is divided into a core area with National Park, Enduimet Wildlife Ranch, Taveta Area a permanent Big Life security presence, a non-core area that is actively Management Area (Tanzania), Adjacent Areas: Kuku vibrancy of its fever trees and the grandeur of its backdrop. patrolled by mobile units in response to need, and adjacent areas where Eselengei Group Ranch, Kimana Group Ranch, Mailua Ranch, we provide support when requested. Area, Mbirikani Group Ranch, Olgulului Group Ranch, and Rombo Group Ranch —David Western, “In the Dust of Kilimanjaro” BLF-Supported Ranger Outposts National Parks Mobile Ranger Units Agricultural Areas Wildlife Migration Routes Crop Protection Fence 7 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 8 w i l d l i f e

w i l d l i f e Most animals have a price. Some are killed for their meat, others for their body parts - to be carved into p r o t e c t i o n trinkets or used in bogus medical cures. Very few species are safe.

Big Life’s community rangers are expertly trained, well- Elephants 0 1 equipped, and backed-up by a fleet of vehicles and aircraft, as Elephants across Africa are in crisis, facing Elephants Poached Elephant Rescue well as sophisticated intelligence gathering and operational threats that include ivory poaching and management technologies. With local communities on our side, human-elephant conflict. The number of 8 10 there is no stronger force in a battle against poaching. African elephants once reached upwards of Elephant Mortalities Elephant Injuries 30 million; today, only an estimated 400,000 remain. In Big Life’s AOO, there are more than Within Big Life’s Core AOO: 6 Treated: 3 2,000 elephants, including some of the largest Causes Not Treated: 7* remaining tuskers in all of Africa. Natural: 2 * Some elephants did not require Unknown: 2 treatment (5) or were not found (2) Human-Elephant Conflict: 2 Rescues and treatments are done in collaboration Within Big Life’s Non-Core AOO: 2 with our partners at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Causes and Kenya Wildlife Service. Unknown: 2

100% Ivory Recovery Rate

9 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT (tusk removal from carcasses) 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 10 w i l d l i f e

Rhinos improve infrastructure in the rhino area, the All anti-poaching and monitoring efforts are goal of which is to maintain Intensive Protection conducted in close collaboration with Kenya There are eight known critically endangered Zone (IPZ) status, which will allow for the future Wildlife Service. Specially trained Big Life rangers Eastern black rhinoceros in Big Life’s AOO. inbound translocation of rhinos from other use traditional tracking methods, camera traps, They spend most of their time in the territories. IPZ status is awarded by the Kenyan and live sightings to maintain an accurate densely-forested Chyulu Hills National Park, government for demonstrating that the area record of all living rhinos in the rhino area protected by dedicated Big Life rangers and the rhino population can be effectively and raise red flags if a certain period of time and Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS). protected. The infrastructure involved includes elapses between recording specific individuals. In addition to monitoring and protecting the roads, fencing, and consistent water supply. resident rhinos, Big Life has been working to

0 Rhinos Poached

Rhino Statistics

Rhino Protection Rangers: 57 Dedicated Rhino Outposts: 7 Dedicated Rhino Units: 10 Water Points: 3 Direct Sightings: 6 Indirect Sightings: 100 (via 33 camera traps) Bushmeat Prosecutions Spoor Sightings: 166 People poach animals for bushmeat for two reasons: killing for Following arrest, suspects are formally charged by the Kenya Police subsistence, as a source of protein, or killing for profit, to sell meat in the Service. Big Life tracks the progress of wildlife and habitat-related cases in commercial game meat trade. In Big Life’s AOO, bushmeat poaching often the local justice system to ensure that laws are properly enforced and to spikes in the dry season, when resources are scarce and farm laborers are encourage maximum penalties upon sentencing. out of work. Rangers anticipated an additional spike in bushmeat poaching in 2020 due to so many people out of work in the wake of COVID-19, so we Even under normal circumstances, the judicial process can be anywhere proactively increased our efforts to mitigate the expected uptick. Species from immediate to spanning months or years. The process has become targeted for bushmeat in 2020 included: dik-dik, eland, gazelle, giraffe, significantly more complicated because of COVID-19. All suspects that hare, hartebeest, impala, porcupine, and zebra. were being held were released when the virus began to spread, and any hearings are being conducted remotely. As a result, there remains a huge backlog of cases with the courts, and Big Life’s rangers are often in the 86 41 position of rearresting suspects, who had been let out, for new offenses. Animals Injured or Killed Suspects Arrested in 21 in Bushmeat Poaching Incidents Incidents 253 494 5 5 Ongoing Suspects Concluded Suspects Cases Cases Sentenced 11 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 12 t a n z a n i a

Female Rangers In the fight against wildlife poaching, there is no weapon as effective as a human being, and Big Life’s female rangers have proven that they can do the job just as well as their male counterparts.

Each ranger has their own intelligence network including families, friends, and neighbors, all of whom are eyes and ears on the look-out for threats to wildlife. Women’s social networks are different than men’s, so as more women come into the fold, Big Life’s reach broadens.

But the job, and the training required to do it, is the same for both men and women, whether it involves 30+ km walking patrols, preventing human-wildlife conflict both day and night, or tracking and arresting poachers and other criminals in the bush.

In Maasai culture, girls are groomed to be wives and mothers, so conservation and t a n z a n i a During the course of the year, about one-third of the important. In fact, Big Life was the first organization in anti-poaching work has traditionally been Greater Amboseli ecosystem’s elephants, and many East Africa to conduct cross-border operations. dominated by men. But these women, other species including lions, cross the border from alongside the many others working as rangers Big Life has partnered with the Enduimet Wildlife Kenya into Tanzania, just a few kilometers south. We in Africa, are showing their own communities Management Area (EWMA) to undertake wildlife can’t expect the animals to conveniently stay within (and the world) that protecting wildlife is protection operations across 350,000 acres of habitat the man-made boundaries inside which they are everyone’s business, regardless of gender. protected, which is why cross-border collaboration is so in northeastern Tanzania.

20 Rangers 88 Suspects Arrested in 45 Incidents 65 Crop Raids Prevented 2 Mobile Units 1 Cross-Border Operation 98 Crop-Raiding Incidents (76 by elephants) 1 Data Officer 82+ Acres of Crops Damaged 28 Intelligence-Driven Incident Responses Total Kilometers Patrolled 183 Items Confiscated(including: 17 snares, 24 bags 1 Elephant Mortality (cause: unknown) On Foot: 27,743 of bushmeat, 105 charcoal bags, 1 ostrich egg) 3 Elephant Treatments By Vehicle: 51,175 1 Lion Killed (cause: human-wildlife conflict) 7 Lion Hunts Prevented 13 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 14 w i l d l i f e

h u m a n - w i l d l i f e c o n f l i c t

Human-Wildlife Conflict (HWC) takes move elephants away from farms and building three primary forms across Big Life’s crop-protection fences to create a hard boundary area of operation: crops raided by between elephant habitat and agricultural areas. wildlife, particularly elephants; livestock Big Life also implements predator protection killed by predators, such as lions; and initiatives to offset the impact of humans living humans injured or killed due to living with apex predators, like lions. These programs in close proximity with wildlife. have been instrumental in the turnaround of the Big Life works strategically to mitigate HWC, such ecosystem’s lion population, which is now one of as by deploying rapid response ranger teams to the few in Africa that is successfully rebounding.

Crop-Raiding Crop-Protection Fence Poaching continues to pose a significant threat, but many elephants face Since 2016, Big Life has been working with local communities and an even bigger challenge: conflict with humans. As the human population partners on an ambitious solution to crop-raiding: an electric fence increases, so do competing land uses, such as farming and development. that establishes a hard boundary between farmers’ crops and hungry As humans and wildlife compete for limited resources like water, land, elephants. 100 km of fence has been constructed and is maintained by 31 and grazing, we further reduce what were once wild lands. With less space fence attendants. to share, people and animals now come into direct contact at an alarming rate and often with deadly results. Attitudes toward both wildlife and elephants have improved in the area where the fence has been constructed. In 2015, 51% of those surveyed Crop-Raiding Incidents: 71 were positive about wildlife in general, and only 25% were positive *all involving elephants about elephants. But in 2019, those numbers jumped to 84% and 72%, respectively. The number of respondents who said they felt fearful of Acres Damaged: 46 elephants fell from 96% in 2015 to only 24% in 2019. This is a direct result Crop Raids Prevented: 75 of improved ranger response to crop raiding and fewer human-elephant Crop-Protection Rangers: 24 encounters in farming areas that have been fenced. The number of crop raids in the fenced area has also dropped by an estimated 90%.

15 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 16 w i l d l i f e

Predator Compensation Fund in retaliation. Verification Officers are dispatched to the scene to confirm incidents, and penalties are applied for poor animal Big Life protects vulnerable predators in the ecosystem in collaboration husbandry practices. The community provides 30% of the total with partners and local communities. The core component of Big Life’s compensation paid. Fines are assessed and payments are withheld if Predator Protection Program is livestock compensation, which reduces any predators are killed by members of participating communities. the motivation for retaliatory killing in response to livestock depredation. Big Life currently manages PCF on Mbirikani and Eselengei Group The Predator Compensation Fund (PCF), started in 2003, pays Ranches, and in the Kimana Conservancies. The lion population in Maasai livestock owners a portion of the value of their livestock Big Life’s AOO is one of the few lion populations in all of Africa that is lost to predators, on the condition that no predators are killed growing, not declining, and is now estimated at over 200 individuals.

Compensation Issued for Predation Livestock Killed By Lion Statistics

Cows: 189 Lion Mortalities in Big Life’s AOO: 9

Sheep/Goats: 2,076 Causes h y e n a j a c k a l l i o n Natural: 2 Donkeys: 19 Total: 1,361 Total: 333 Total: 264 Human-Wildlife Conflict: 3 Every two years, participating villages select teams through a series of 60% 15% 12% The Hunt for Medals, Not Lions total livestock killed: Vehicle Strikes: 1 tournaments leading up to the finals across six categories: rungu and The second part of Big Life’s predator protection program is the Maasai 2,284 Snares: 3 javelin throwing, high jump, and 200m, 800m, and 5,000m races. Olympics, which represent a history-changing shift from killing to Lions Killed in Violation of the PCF: 3 The inaugural games were held in 2012 and have been a biennial event total compensation value: conservation. The idea was first hatched in 2008 by the Menye Layiok, or $87,395 c h e e t a h l e o p a r d c a r a c a l Retaliatory Lion Hunts Prevented: 27 Maasai “cultural fathers,” to create an organized sports event based on ever since, until 2020. Because of COVID-19, the 5th Maasai Olympics, due Total: 226 Total: 86 Total: 14 traditional Maasai warrior skills to replace the long-held tradition of hunting to occur in 2020, have been postponed until people can safely gather again. 10% 4% <1% *Hunts prevented in coordination with Lion lions as a mark of manhood, bravery, and prestige. We hope to resume the games in the second half of 2021. Guardians and Kenya Wildlife Service. Lion

17 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT population figures courtesy of Lion Guardians. 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 18 h a b i t a t

h a b i t a t Big Life has taken on poachers, long fences to reduce Africa—one of only five UNESCO Kimana Sanctuary poaching and been conflict between elephants and Biosphere Reserves in Kenya. While p r o t e c t i o n In the easternmost part of the Kimana Corridor, the Kimana successful. We have taken farmers, or anything else Big wildlife numbers across Kenya are Sanctuary is an area frequented by the ecosystem’s biggest bull on human-wildlife conflict Life does if there is no wild land declining steeply, the Amboseli elephants. Thanks to support from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and been successful. Now left for the animals of this still- ecosystem is one of the last places and the D.N. Batten Foundation, Big Life rangers have been we get to the very crux wonderful ecosystem to inhabit. in the country with healthy elephant working to secure this special place since 2018. Entrance fees to of the matter: space. populations, including some of the the sanctuary and lease payments provide critical revenue for 844 The Greater Amboseli ecosystem few remaining large tuskers and community members. There is no point in having is generally regarded as one of growing populations of species Despite devastating losses to Kenya’s overall tourism economy hundreds of rangers patrolling for the richest wildlife areas left in like lion, giraffe, and cheetah. due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, Kimana Sanctuary’s numbers were relatively stable. This is because the primary visitor demographic is local residents of Kenya, rather than international tourists.

As the pressures on land in the surrounding ecosystem increase, the Kimana Sanctuary is more important than ever. It provides the promise of wildlife-related income to its community members, as well as water and freedom of movement for wildlife moving to and from .

5,700 2,444 Acres Total Visitor Entrance Days

39 $25,309 Rangers Tourism Revenue Payments to Community 5 Members Outposts $79,061 1 Land Lease Payments to Mobile Unit Community Members

19 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 20 h a b i t a t

REDD+ Carbon Project Habitat Destruction & Encroachment Three years ago, Big Life joined with community, Fire is a particularly devastating force in the Big Life rangers enforce laws to prevent and government, and NGO partners to implement Chyulu Hills, where high winds in the dry deter habitat-related crimes, such as illegal a carbon credit program. The Chyulu Hills seasons fan flames that are often started by charcoal production, arson, sand harvesting, Kimana Conservancies (ALOCA) REDD+ Project is part of a global network of poachers or honey-hunters. Fighting these water extraction, and logging (including high- interventions aimed at helping communities to blazes is extremely dangerous and thanks to value protected species like sandalwood). Big Life has been actively working to secure conserve forests and other important carbon REDD funding, Big Life was able to provide Rangers also enforce protected area rules natural habitat in the Kimana Corridor, where a stores, and in doing so keeps carbon out of the fire-fighting training and equipment to selected in conservancies and national parks, where number of landowners came together to form atmosphere. This benefits not only the people ranger units. encroachment activities like trespassing, six conservancies, governed by an umbrella living around the Chyulu Hills, but the entire settlement, and grazing are illegal and harmful body called the Amboseli Land Owners planet, by supporting a stable climate upon 16 Community Meetings to critical ecosystem habitats. Conservancy Association (ALOCA). With support which we all depend. 795 People Reached from Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Big Life has 86 Suspects Arrested for Habitat Destruction in entered into conservation lease agreements Local communities and partners (Big Life 465,000 29 Incidents with 338 landowners in these conservancies. included) directly benefit from the sale of Carbon Credits Sold two million carbon credits being marketed by 10 Suspects Arrested for Encroachment into Together with land leases that are held by Conservation International. In 2020, Protected Areas in 13 Incidents tourism operators, there are 401 land parcels Securing wildlife corridors and Big Life received $140k+ in revenue, which leased for conservation in the corridor. helped to fund Big Life’s rangers protecting the The leases restrict land conversion and dispersal areas is Big Life’s most urgent area, as well as construction of a new outpost in fragmentation and prohibit fencing and the northernmost reaches of the rhino area. farming. Landowners have full access to their task. There is no time to waste. land for livestock grazing, and mechanisms are being developed to ensure that tourism revenue benefits all conservancy members. Work in this area will be ongoing, as we strive to maintain open migratory corridors through the conservancies to connect Amboseli National Park with Kimana Sanctuary, and beyond.

56 Rangers 7 Permanent Outposts 1 Mobile Unit

$168,512 in Conservation Lease Payments

21 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 22 c o m m u n i t y

c o m m u n i t y s u p p o r t

Big Life provides a number of services in support of the community, aligned with Big Life’s ethos: if conservation supports the people, then people will support conservation.

These services include education and healthcare initiatives, and also lesser-known activities, such as using ranger vehicles as ambulances, responding to crime within the community, conducting search and rescue operations, and more.

Many of our community programs, including our mobile health clinics, had to be put on hold in 2020 due to COVID-19 and the resulting inability to gather safely in numbers. But as a result, we were able to redirect resources to provide critical PPE for the community, including masks, hand sanitizer, and hand washing stations. We also arranged for backpack nurses and community health volunteers to provide healthcare services and distribute information on COVID-19 prevention, in addition to critically needed sexual health and reproductive rights information, such as family planning.

23 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 24 c o m m u n i t y

Education Big Life invests in the future of participating communities by funding teachers’ salaries, providing scholarship funds for local students, and implementing conservation-specific curriculum in classrooms. 300 24 The latest UN statistics (pre-COVID-19, and now made worse) cite more than 1 million children Long-Term Scholarships Awarded One-Time Scholarships Awarded Girls: 9 // Boys: 15 out-of-school in Kenya and list education as Girls: 155 // Boys: 145 one of the three most critical needs, besides clean water and access to healthcare, within 2,474 2 Healthcare Community Crimes the Maasai regions in Kenya. The desire for Students Reached with College/University Students Supporting the community has never been more important than in the face of a global pandemic. 18 Suspects Arrested in 11 Incidents education is so strong that often families will Conservation Education Supported to Graduation With support from partners, Big Life has been able to expand our existing Community Health For crimes involving trespassing, illegal gun bankrupt themselves, selling their cattle (the Volunteer (CHV) program on Mbirikani Group Ranch into Eselengei and Rombo Group Ranches. possession, vandalism, and theft. main livelihood and subsistence commodity) to 15 16 The CHVs are trusted and respected members of their communities and their primary role is to go put their children through school. Teachers’ Salaries Paid door-to-door providing healthcare education, as well as referrals to their local government facility. Community Assistance Schools Assisted While schools in Kenya were closed from March They also let everyone know when a backpack nurse will be coming, where she or he will be located, Big Life rangers and tracker dogs often help through October of 2020 due to COVID-19, the and assist with organizing on the day of the visit. The backpack nurses provide general and maternal to search for people who have become lost in scholarships we awarded are being honored health services including immunizations, de-worming, antenatal care, and family planning. the bush, and assist in numerous other ways, as students return to school. Additionally, our as follows: Big Life has continued to support the local government health facilities with the provision of hand conservation education program was adapted sanitizer and soap, as well as the protective equipment needed by the CHVs in their line of work. to facilitate safe visits with students. 22 Lost People Found 13 Livestock Search & Rescue Incidents 2 Mobile Health Clinics 9 Emergency Medical Transports 83 Backpack Nurse Visits 5 Searches for Stolen Property 3,953 Patients Who Received Family Planning 3,440 Patients Who Received De-Worming Medicine 3,556 Patients Who Received Immunizations 5,393 Condoms Distributed 75,593 People Reached via 22,553 CHV Household Visits and 80 Community Dialogue Days

25 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 26 remembering t i m

In February of 2020, we lost Tim, one of the him in the crosshairs of poachers. We now passing was a loss for those who lived near biggest and most charismatic tuskers in Africa. know that his tusks measured an impressive him, for those who protected him, for those At fifty years old, he died from natural causes. 134 and 160 pounds, respectively, making him who traveled far-and-wide to see him and We take comfort that his death wasn’t at the truly one of the last great tuskers. photograph him, for those who studied him, hands of man. and for the elephants with whom he spent his Tim was an integral part of the ecosystem, and time, particularly his companion Tolstoy. Men had certainly tried. Tim’s appetite for a powerful demonstration that it is possible for local crops made him a target of many angry humans to coexist with megafauna. His Lala salama, Tim. farmers’ spears, and his immense tusks put a timeline of accomplishments AS WE CELEBRATE OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY, A LOOK BACK AT 30 YEARS OF OPERATIONAL HISTORY

27 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 28 f i n a n c i a l s a n d s u p p o r t

f i n a n c i a l s a n d s u p p o r t We are grateful for the support of our partners, including:

Organization: Big Life Foundation USA | Report: Financial Report | Period: January to December 2020 | Country: USA | Currency: US Dollars US Board of Directors Field Partners Corporate Partners

Richard Bonham, Co-Founder 51 Degrees 1% for the Planet STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES At Big Life, we maximize every penny of your contributions. Orla Brady African Conservation Centre Electric Forest 88¢ out of every $1 donated goes directly towards our mission Nick Brandt, Co-Founder African Wildlife Foundation Elephant Gin Jon Cummings, Secretary Amboseli Ecosystem Trust Great Plains Conservation INCOME 2020 2019 of protecting wildlife and wild lands for the benefit of all. Greg Gubitz, Chairperson Amboseli Landowners Conservancy Association LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics Contributions & Grants $3,788,813 $3,217,722 Tom Hill, Co-Founder & Treasurer Amboseli Trust for Elephants Part Time Rangers In-Kind Contributions $132,797 $149,925 Dereck Joubert Amboseli Tsavo Community Quagga Green Label Other Income $65,4611 $23,602 Neen Koenigsbauer Wildlife Ranger Association Temple St. Clair Chris Sattler Association of Private Land Rhino Sanctuaries Total Income $3,987,071 $3,391,249 Mike Silvestrini Born Free Zoo Partners Barry Turkus Conservation International Enduimet Wildlife Management Area EXPENSES 2020 Beauval Zoo Kajiado South Sub-County Department of Health US Staff Chester Zoo Programs $4,026,848 $3,148,422 EXPENSES Kenya Wildlife Service La Passarelle Conservation General/Admin $232,409 $208,904 Amy Baird, Deputy Director Lion Guardians Oakland Zoo Fundraising 2 $305,050 $264,992 Alexandra Hostetter, Director of Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust Ouwehands Zoo Foundation Development and Partnerships Mara Elephant Project Zoo Basel Total Expenses $4,564,307 $3,622,318 Kim McCoy, Executive Director The Nature Conservancy Zoo Dresden Traci Walter, Development and Outreach Associate Porini Eselengei Camp Zoo-Verein Wuppertal e.V. Ranger Campus Change in Net Assets ($577,236) ($231,069) Zoological Society of London Satao Elerai Safari Camp Net Assets, Beginning of Year $1,567,561 $1,798,630 Save the Elephants 3 Net Assets, End of Year $990,325 $1,567,561 $4,026,848 $305,050 $232,409 Save the Rhino International Programs 88% Fundraising 7% General/Admin 5% Thank you to all of our Board of Directors Seedballs Kenya and Advisory Board members, who invest Sheldrick Wildlife Trust 1 Under the US CARES Act, which was passed in response to COVID-19, Big Life applied Our Form 990 tax filings and audited financial statements are considerable amounts of time, resources, South Rift Association of Landowners Tanzania National Parks Authority for and received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, which was later forgiven online at: biglife.org/about-big-life/financials expertise, in-kind donations, and financial Tanzania People and Wildlife and converted to a grant. The amount of this loan is included in the calculation of contributions towards achieving our mission. ® “other income.” Tanzania Wildlife Division’s Anti-Poaching Unit Image Credits Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority give.org 2 Big Life receives up to $120,000/yr of free online advertising from a Google Ad Grant. Tsavo Trust Auditing standards require us to categorize this donated advertising as a fundraising Cover + Page 1-2: © Nick Brandt All Other Photos: The Nature Conservancy expense, which inflates our numbers slightly, but we do not spend a penny of your Page 6, 14, 16: © Jeremy Goss WildlifeDirect donations on Google AdWords. © Black Bean Productions Big Life Foundation

3 Big Life maintains a Board-designated reserve fund to be drawn upon in the event of Page 18: © Tom Hill financial distress or an immediate liquidity need resulting from events outside typical Page 27: © Diana Younger operations of the organization. Page 34: © Clifford Pickett

29 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 30 s u p p o r t e r s

Ranger Club member We also wish to thank our wonderfully Donation received by Big generous anonymous donors for making b i g l i f e s u p p o r t e r s Life Canada, Kenya, or UK our work possible. You know who you are.

$100,000+ Barry & Jody Turkus Pavilion Foundation* Roar Africa, LLC Grace Roberti Foundation $1,000+ UN Development Programme / Global Environment The Rabins Family Prabha Sarangi & Connor Samuel Clairmont Amy Haak Anonymous Natalie Aitchison Facility* Saving the Wild The Sursock Family Barbara Haak Anonymous Gregory Allgrim US Department of Treasury - CARES Act PPP Talbot Family Foundation Jim Wickett Paul Haddow* Debra Allian The Beitel Family Fund Zoo Basel* Thin Green Line Foundation* Wildlife Conservation Network* George Hambrecht Albert Amato* Bently Foundation Lorraine Thirion & Sami Cassis Daniel Wolkowitz David & Amanda Hazel Amgen Foundation The D.N. Batten Foundation Maya Amoils $20,000+ Zoo Dresden* Gregory Wong* Jean Hazel Elephant Gin Gail Andrews Michael & Jane Agg* XKBB Foundation Highland School & Families Estate of John Black Henderson* Anonymous* Anonymous $10,000+ Zoo-Verein Wuppertal e.V.* Ned & Kay Holmes Les Appel Leila and Mickey Straus Family Foundation Anonymous* Princess Catherine Aga Khan James Klosty Nancy April Sheldrick Wildlife Trust* Jasmin Argyrou Aspen Business Center Foundation Anonymous* $5,000+ Christine Koski Tusk Trust* Greg Asciolla Anonymous Lawrence Foundation Stan & Kristine Baty The Benindi Fund* Layne Aurand US Agency for International Development* Anonymous CHASE Africa* Barbara Benkelberg Terry & Constance Marbach Timothy Baker* US Department of the Interior* Kimberly & Tylor Armstrong Combined Federal Campaign Members Thomas Boudreau Michael McKenzie David Beatty US Fish & Wildlife Service* Scott Asen Jon Cummings & Holly Hegener Boylston Family Foundation Sally Nacht Michele Becker Beauval Nature* Alan J. Bernstein & Carol R. Bowen Bryce & Nicki Douglas* Chester Zoo* Jenny Nicklin $50,000+ Eric Bischoff The Blackie Fund James T. Nystrom Foundation Christopher Dunn Robert C. Colwell Peter & Lisa Blackwell Acton Family Giving Katie Brown Fairview Foundation Dalio Foundation Parc Animalier d’Auvergne Aaron & Patricia Blumberg Foundation Arlene & Arnold Goldstein Charitable Trust Victoria Brunn Farvue Foundation Duncan N. & Renea T. Dayton Debra Rathwell Katy Board* Zak & Cassie Boca The Burnap Foundation Loic Ferton* Kent Olson Buffy Redsecker & Alan L. Chung Charlene Bofinger Nick Brandt Patricia & Len Campbell Jacqueline Bogle* John & Carole Garand Caroline Forgason Christopher Renaud Chyulu Hills Conservation Trust* Louise A. Hayes Booth Capricorn Foundation* Save the Rhino International* Peggy Hewett Henry Trust Horne Family Foundation Robert Boyar & Barbara Mitchell DJ&T Foundation David Champion Joshua and Kristin Dick Family Fund International Monetary Fund Bruce Schnitzer & Alexandra Champalimaud Greg & Kathy Boylston Elephant Crisis Fund* Warren Citrin Kilbourne Family Neen & Kirk Koenigsbauer Mike & Brit Silvestrini Rozanna Bozabalian European Union* Cindy J. Cobb Kinetic Six* Lush Handmade Cosmetics Ltd* Stichting Ouwehands Zoo Foundation Orla Brady ForRangers* Colleen Crowley & Jack Martin Brillstein Entertainment Partners LLC Diane Krause Marie-Claire Cronstedts Stiftelse Paul Takats The Giorgi Family Foundation Brito Family Foundation Vijay D’Cruz Charles & Judy Tate Leon Judah Blackmore Foundation* Mellmann Foundation* Jamie Brown * Brian & Diane Langstraat Christine Duca The Maue Kay Foundation Ministry of Tourism & Wildlife, Kenya* Time Shrine Foundation Frances Bruchez Steve Mackie* Empowers Africa Gérald Meyer Mitchell D. Phaiah Foundation Daniel & Jeanette Turkus The Burton Foundation Manitou Fund Sébastien Firmenich David Michaels James Mullen & Nola Anderson Christine W. Walter Cynthia Calderon The Ogilvie Family* Kari Floren Nitorum Capital Nancy-Carroll Draper Charitable Foundation Peter & Eleanor Nalle / Knox Family Foundation Erdem Yurdanur & Family* Temple St. Clair Cappy and Beth Rothman Family Foundation, Inc. Robin & Lela Gibbs Susan Zellerbach Part Time Rangers* Quagga Green Amy Carlson Angelika Göser* Pablo Carrillo 31 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 32 s u p p o r t e r s

Marie Casteillo Dale Greene Nancy McDaniel John B. Slater Stephen Cauchi Leo Grillo Donald McDermott Ann Smith Alexander Chanler The Haberman Foundation Thomas McMahon John Smith & Jane Michaelides-Smith Andrew Chanyi Gordon Haddow Eric McNulty Catherine Soltesz Andrew Chen Judith Hain Brian McShane Mary Claire Soltesz Joyce Clear Robert Hallewell Sean Megy Nils-Olav Stockinger* Lisa Clinton & Derek Ruddy Ruth Hazel Francis Melvin The Sulica Fund Leslie Conant Timothy Herschbach Alison Mezey Amy Sullivan Suzanne Ivey Cook* Douglas & Shoshana Himmel Mark & Kathleen Morehouse Jack Swain Catherine Cope Elizabeth Holbrook Melinda Mueller* Ted & Phyllis Swindells John Corney & Riichiro Miwa Louise & Mark Holden Janna Nakagawa Daniel Switkin Thank you for all of your support. Elizabeth Cramer Paul Hrabal Wendy Kay Oppenheimer Dimpsy Teckchandani Kelly Crummey Michael Hughes Megan Pacetti Julie Thomas Peter Cudlipp The ISF Academy Samantha Parsons Judith Thompson We couldn't do this without you. Polly Cutting Peter Jaud Robert & Inmi Patterson Diana & Gordon Tracz Karen D. Clark Steven Jesseph Peter Fogliano & Hal Lester Foundation Rory & Treena Trustham* Karen Davidson Jason Jesseph The Phase Foundation Shannon Tucholski David & Laura Davis Patricia K. Joanides Justin Pietsch Susan Turner* Susan Dawson Marilyn Jones & Mitchell Kaplan David Potel & Nancy Blum Vaughan W. Brown Family Foundation Lynn Dickason Nathan & Sofia Kelly Anne Poulos Guido Vero James Dilley Chris Kennedy Trisha Powers Friederike von Houwald Robert Dodson Kathryn Kimber Proper 21 Evan J. Wallach & Katherine C. Tobin Maurice Duca Keitha Kinne Ashley & Steven Quamme The Walt Disney Company Foundation Walter M. Dunlap Erik Klemenz William Ralston Kristin Ward Celia Ann Early James Kobacker Karthik Ramamurthy The Warfield Family Juan Camilo Echeverri Deborah Kozura Randi Reichel Jennifer A. Waters Christopher Edgette Matthew Kurek Amy Richards Frank & Joan Waters The Elephant Foundation* Pierre Lacaze Riester Foundation Merris Weber Linda P. Elliott Margot Laimbeer Lynne Rittiner William Wells* Katherine Ellsworth Richard & Alice Laimbeer Jennifer Rogers Khristin Wierman Karl-Heinz Esser Gunnar Land Danielle Rossi Rachel Wilkinson Andrea Henderson Fahnestock La Passerelle Conservation Harvey & Constance Rubin Lance C. Williams & Grant A. Kretchik Mani Christopher Fazeli* Riki Kane Larimer Becky Russo Winnick Family Foundation Maria Flaque Alida Latham Safari Club International Gerald & Anita Wiseman Jeffrey & Robin Fleck Lindsay Lauder Carl Safina Rachel Wolfberg Kathryn Florio Allison Laux Deborah T. & Robert S. Salomon William Wood Eamon Foley Tessa Leach Samuel & Grace Gorlitz Foundation Wozencraft Charitable Fund Noah Forbes Peter Lemon David Sandberg Xypex Chemical Corporation* Alyne Fortgang Michael Lenzin* Gerrit Schipper* Joshua Yoselevsky Future for Elephants* Shuda Li Stephen Schneider Sonja Zabienski Harriet and Jerry Dempsey Family Foundation Adam Liquori Adam Schoon Jeffrey & Trudi Zelikson Neil Gader Jennifer Loucks Preetha Seenivasan Thomas & Nanci Zimmerman Frederica Gamble Michele Lynn The Seydel Family Otto Zingg* Michael Gazala & David Cooperstein Jean Mallary Jacqueline Shaldjian Elise Zoli Walter Giles Nicki Martin Debra Shannon Sarah Gillim Rebecca Martin Celia Shapiro James Gittings Rashmi Yadav Marya Lauren Shepard Grainne Godfree Adrienne Maynard Jeffrey & Liliane Sherman Michael Gordon Therese McCarty Simon Gibson Charitable Trust* David Greenblatt Eileen McComb-Schieneman Debra Skelton

33 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ANNUAL REPORT | 34 b i g l i f e . o r g

Big Life Foundation USA | 1715 North Heron Drive | Ridgefield, WA 98642 | USA | [email protected]

35 | 2020 ANNUAL REPORT