Not All Ranger Deaths Make Headlines. They Should.
Rangers face countless dangers as part of their work every day. Many of these risks are unseen by the outside world. Danger is simply part of the job.
Accidents while helping others. Illnesses contracted on patrol. Even encounters with the animals they work tirelessly to protect.
Every ranger knows they’re risking their life every time they sign in for duty. Tragically, around 150 rangers lose their lives each year, many as a result of hidden dangers and the inherent risks of working on the frontline of conservation.
And behind every fallen ranger is a family left to navigate unimaginable loss. Families who have not only lost a loved one, but often their only source of income.
The Fallen Ranger Fund sits at the very heart of Thin Green Line. It’s the reason we were founded in the first place. The Fund exists to support families in the aftermath of loss, including helping children continue their education, keeping families together in secure housing, or establishing small businesses that provide a path to sustainable income.
We know this is a vision so many of you share.
Ranger Suresh from India cared for and monitored elephants in the Kodalbasti Range – an area known for its Indian one-horned rhino, leopard, and sambar deer, and an important corridor for elephants.
Suresh tracked elephant movements to mitigate conflict between wildlife and local communities. His work kept both elephants and people safe.
Tragically, he lost his life while trying to herd elephants away from a village. Killed by the very animal he had dedicated his life to protecting.
Suresh was just 35 years old. He left behind a wife and two daughters.
📷 Family of Suresh receiving financial support from the Fallen Ranger Fund.
Sadly, stories like these are not rare. Elephants are among the animals most commonly involved in ranger deaths.
Like Arafat from Tanzania, who was also attempting to move elephants away from food crops in a local community when he was tragically killed. Arafat financially supported his father and two younger brothers. He was just 27 years old.
📷 Arafat Miyimba’s father (right) and Thin Green Line’s representative in Tanzania, Boniphace, in the workshop business supported through the Fallen Ranger Fund.
Rajendra from India also lost his life while protecting a community from elephants. He was 48 years old and left behind a family, including two sons.
Being a ranger isn’t just a job. It’s a calling.
When so many would run away from danger, rangers run toward it. Tragically, for some, that becomes the last decision they ever make.
Bledar from Albania lost his life in a car accident while travelling to fight a fire in Lura National Park – home to European brown bears, Eurasian lynx, and wolves. He was 43 years old and left behind a wife and three school-aged sons, and his ageing mother, whom he also supported financially.
Darío from Bolivia was off duty when floodwaters reached his parents’ village, where he was staying between shifts. He was tragically swept away while trying to help other villagers reach safety.
Darío worked in an area rich in birdlife and home to pumas, ocelots and vulnerable spectacled bears. He was 44 years old and left behind a wife and children.
Paison from Thailand tragically drowned while trying to retrieve a tourist’s phone from the water. He was just 43.
📷 Darío from Bolivia, and Rajendra from India
The hazards rangers face are not always visible. Harsh environmental and working conditions mean illnesses such as pneumonia can quickly become life-threatening.
Deogratias and Patricia, both from Tanzania, lost their lives to pneumonia contracted while on patrol. Deogratias left behind two children who are now in the care of his stepfather. Patricia’s three daughters now run a small restaurant to support themselves financially.
📷 Father of Deogratias Katwana (left) at his produce stall with Thin Green Line’s representative in Tanzania, Boniphace.
📷 The daughter of Patricia Manonga at her restaurant.
We feel each loss deeply.
Every ranger death represents one less conservation hero in the world at a time when we need them most. And while they’re invaluable as rangers, they’re irreplaceable at home.
That’s why Thin Green Line stands with the families of fallen rangers. Support from the Fallen Ranger Fund assists families in their darkest hour, assisting with education expenses, secure housing, and small businesses that provide long-term, sustainable income.
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