Killed Ranger Honoured at the Haque

THE HAGUE - A Kenya Wildlife Service ranger Samson ole Sisina who was killed while on an undercover operation against illegal game meat was on Monday evening among eight other people honoured at the ongoing CITES conference in The Hague.

Mr Ole Sisina was posthumously awarded the 2007 Clark R. Bavin Wildlife Law Enforcement Award in honour of his career “fighting wildlife crime with diligence, professionalism, trust and integrity, and in remembrance of his ultimate sacrifice in protecting the wildlife of Kenya”.

Mr Ololtisatti ole Kamuaro, a Kenya Wildlife Service board of trustees member who received the prize, said it was a great honour and motivation to the ranger force he worked.

He asked other delegates at the 14th Conference of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to support Kenya’s proposals on elephants, rhinos and sawfish as a recognition of the sacrifice made by Mr ole Sisina in protecting wildlife.

Hundreds of delegates from 171 nations gathered to honour the heroic efforts of wildlife law enforcement officers who often put their lives on the line to protect wildlife and uphold the rule of law.

Mr Will Travers, the CEO of the UK-based Born Free Foundation and chairman of the Species Survival Network said: "Wildlife law enforcement is the front-line. It's a dangerous, sometimes deadly place, and all too often the sacrifice made by law enforcement officers goes unrecognised-not tonight."

Honorees included representatives from America, Cameroon, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, and Kenya, and Tanzania.

Mr Sisina joined Kenya's Wildlife Conservation and Management Department - the predecessor of the Kenya Wildlife Service - in 1979.

As a ranger and ranger-driver Mr. Sisina provided exemplary service in a number of stations, including Narok, Kajiado, Tsavo West National Park, Meru National Park and Hell's Gate National Park.

Tragically, he lost his life on April 19, 2005 while engaged in an undercover investigation of an illegal game meat operation in Roysambu Ranch in Gilgil, Kenya.
A native Maasai, Mr. ole Sisina had elected to leave the traditional rural life of his people in order to pursue a job working for the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Mr ole Sisina was among 19 Kenya Wildlife Service men honoured on December 16, 2006, in a ceremony dubbed "Heroes Day".

The ceremony was in honour of those who have died in the line of duty since the formation of Kenya Wildlife Service, 15 years ago.

The awards are sponsored by the Animal Welfare Institute, a US-based nongovernmental organisation, and the reception is sponsored by the Species Survival Network, a global coalition of nearly 80 organizations from 30 countries working for strict enforcement and strong implementation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
The CITES Parties are meeting in The Hague from 3-15 June.

Most of the heroes honoured succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained from bandit attacks while on duty, while others were killed by the very wildlife they are entrusted to. KWS plans to hold similar events every year on December 16 to remember those who lost their lives since conservation began in Kenya in 1945.