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US Veterans Led By Former Marine Work To Fight Animal Poaching In Africa

Updated September 7, 2021

No matter where you go, you're likely to find some serious and persistent problems within a local community. Although it's common for disenfranchisement from economic opportunities to be at the root of many of these problems, they can become complicated, ugly, and harmful to the world at large the more they're left to fester.

So when two communities can find a way to work together and address the issues affecting both of them, it's easy to imagine the passion that can come from that solution.

And in the case of a non-profit organization called VETPAW, those communities joined together despite being an ocean apart.

Before he found himself in South Africa with his brothers and sisters in arms, 35-year-old Ryan Tate had his interest piqued by a documentary.

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As The Guardian reported, the former U.S. Marine founded the organization Veterans Empowered To Protect African Wildlife after seeing how serious wildlife poaching remains in Africa and learning how many park rangers are killed by poachers.

According to Al-Jazeera, Tate spent over a year going through every military contact he knew to build what would eventually become the anti-poaching network we now know as VETPAW.

The group is now operating in South Africa and while they're working against poaching in general, they're particularly focused on rhinocerous populations.

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As The Guardian reported, this is because their horns can fetch about $65,000 per kilogram.

This is due to high demand throughout eastern Asia as the horns are considered an ingredient in traditional medicine and an overall status symbol.

But while Tate is passionate about fighting poaching, that's not the only benefit he saw from starting VETPAW.

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In his view, participation in this organization is just as beneficial for veterans facing mental health issues and unemployment as it is for the rhinos.

As Tate said, "Everyone gets PTSD when they come back from war…you are never going to get the brotherhood, the intensity again…[There are] all these veterans with billions of dollars of training and the government doesn’t use them. I saw a need in two places and just put them together."

Although the soldiers of VETPAW are equipped with the weapons and vehicles needed to face heavily armed poachers, their experience and skills are their best weapon.

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As one member named Kevin told The Guardian, "Shooting and killing is easy. The hardest thing is not shooting but figuring stuff out ... if you kill someone do you turn a family, a village against you?"

While a rookie may resort to deadly force right away, the idea is that an elite soldier is more experienced at analyzing each situation and exercising restraint when that isn't needed.

At last report, the VETPAW team operates throughout about 494,211 acres in South Africa's northern province of Limpopo.

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As Al-Jazeera reported, their work also includes training local rangers on conducting operations at night, effective patrolling practices, and small unit tactics.

As Tate said, "We are here for free. We are not going anywhere. Whether it is cold or hot, day or night...we want to work with anyone who needs help."

h/t: The Guardian, Al Jazeera

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