Vetpaw aims to end animal poaching in Africa

WITH camouflage gear, tattoos and heavy weaponry, they look like an animal’s worst nightmare. Only this military-trained team have something else in mind.

Supplied Editorial vetpaw

WITH camouflage gear, heavy weapons and covered in tattoos, they look like every endangered animal’s worst nightmare.

Only the team of army-trained operatives at Vetpaw have a very different purpose, training park rangers in Tanzania and parts of East Africa to protect the last of the magnificent wildlife in the region.

“Death for me isn’t something I like to celebrate. I’ve been to war I’ve experienced it,” said Iraq war veteran Ryan Tate, who founded the organisation.

“A lion is not something that is hard to kill. Especially when you lure a lion out of its protected area, it’s just disgusting how [the killing of Cecil] went down. I get angry when I see it. I’m not a hunter, I just don’t do it.”

The organisation uses ex-army US army veterans to train park rangers in Africa to protect wildlife from poachers, giving them access to top of the range military, communications and medical equipment. They teach military movement strategies and marksmanship in a bid to protect the lions, elephants, mountains and gorillas in danger from illegal poaching.

“Overall it’s been a really incredible reaction we’ve gotten from the locals. Especially park rangers, they’re very passionate because it’s their wellbeing at stake,” he told news.com.au.

The Empire State Building with Cecil’s face on it. Picture: Kena Betancur

The death of Cecil the lion at the hands of American dentist Walter Palmer has prompted an outpouring of grief and rage around the world.

With the world reeling over the death of Cecil the lion at the hands of American dentist Walter Palmer, emotions are running high. As conservation groups have sought to raise awareness of the plight of endangered animals, others have defended their right to hunt such as US woman Sabrina Corgatelli who sparked outrage after posting selfies with her ‘trophies’ from the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

For Mr Tate, the death of Cecil has shone a spotlight on the work of the organisation he founded after serving in the marines. He found his love of animals a form of therapy and quit his state department job after watching a brutal documentary on the fate of wildlife in Africa.

“It’s unfortunate that it took losing such an incredible lion for people to realise that lions are in deep trouble,” he said.

“When you have 25000-35,000 lions left in the world it’s pretty shocking but a lot of people didn’t know it until Cecil was killed.”

There are now six other veterans working for Vetpaw including mechanic Kinessa Johnson who has a large social media following. Its advisory board is made up of attorneys, marines and foreign affairs experts.

Ryan Tate founded Vetpaw after returning from serving in Iraq when he saw how wildlife was being devastated in Africa.

In addition to rehabilitating veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or brain injuries, Vetpaw helps provide an alternative livelihood for poachers, training communities in agriculture and crop growing.

Mr Tate said losing an animal brings a great sense of shame and embarrassment to communities, and appealed to trophy hunters to spend their dollars protecting them rather than paying for their heads.

“My whole opinion on the situation is that if you claim to be a hunter because of conservation then you would recognise that $50,000 would be better spent donated to an organisation that protects these species and doesn’t hunt them,” he said.

“If you really want to conserve lions or elephants go hunt an animal that has a larger population and then donate to an organisation that protects it.”

Donate or volunteer with Vetpaw via their website