Flowers in a thorn tree

Over four years, Steven Thackston made several trips to Kenya, whereupon he would imbed with ranger units of the Northern Rangelands Trust. Thackston would patrol, eat and sleep with the rangers, photographing them as they chased poachers and murderers, rescued hurt and orphaned animals and as they worked within the pastoral communities where endangered animals still live alongside people. Rangers are the essential workers of wildlife conservation. Traveling through the pastoral communities in troop carriers, they have contacts who tell them about the movements of animal herds and potential poaching rings. They also work as peacekeepers within these communities with the idea that a happy and stable community is less likely to feel the need to poach an endangered animal. The mission to change the hearts and minds of the pastoral people regarding the treatment of endangered animals, is instilled within the ranks of the ranger units. The elephants and rhinos that appear in this book are all rescue animals or live on conservancies. They would not be alive without the efforts of men, particularly the rangers who populate the book. The rangers believe in their work. This group of humble men have one of the most important jobs in the world and they are succeeding.