MBOMBELA – Military personnel, military veterans and security contractors from beyond Africa’s border are becoming increasingly involved in ranger training on this continent.

This has led to a proverbial high noon between rangers and military operatives.

READ the full article exclusively for print in Lowvelder of 2 May 2017.

The Game Rangers’ Association of Africa (GRAA) says rangers in Africa should be trained by rangers from Africa.

However, military veterans from other continents argue they should be given a chance.

Mr Andrew Campbell, CEO of GRAA, gave Lowvelder 5 reasons why rangers from Africa should train rangers in Africa:

• The rules of engagement are different for a war and the war on poaching.
• Rangers protect. Soldiers defend. It makes for a difference in training.
• The threat level to a ranger and a military operative differs. Rangers should be trained to be more conservation-minded than military-minded.
• A battle can be over at some stage. With anti-poaching the pressure is constant and relentless. You need to be trained so that rhino fatigue won’t become a problem.
• Africa has enough competent rangers to train rangers instead of the many fly-by-night trainers cashing in on the poaching crisis gripping Africa.
• READ the full statement of the GRAA
• READ about a ranger training rangers in the rest of Africa with great success

• Mr Damien Mander (right) of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation.
  The former Australian special operations military sniper’s foundation works and trains rangers in Mozambique and on the border reserves next to the KNP. Mander pointed out that the majority of leaders in the anti-poaching industry in and around South Africa are former military veterans. He gave Lowvelder 5 reasons why military personnel should be involved:
• I started eight years ago. I rode it out though, learned the ropes, and today we run a robust organisation which has adapted to the needs of conservation in Africa and utilises mostly local instructors.
• Unless we are going to properly train rangers to democratically police areas, with the skills to utilise para-military tactics when necessary, we will continue to put their lives at risk.
• Africa needs conservationists that can fight like soldiers, and soldiers that believe in the cause like conservationists.
• It requires a certain level of skills to train and lead rangers to the standards required if we are going to send them back out into what is often a conflict zone. We don’t use botanists to fight the drug war, and the wildlife war is no different in the dangers of front line risks.
• It’s a dirty and dangerous job, but the men and women who do it deserve the training they need.
• READ more about Damien Mander