A Rhino Protector and a Poacher Both Turn

While conducting research for my screenplay Garamba, I came across these two reports and their juxtaposition fascinates me. One is a video that documents a poacher becoming a ranger to protect the animals he once hunted. The other details a ranger on trial for being a poacher. While I do believe that the lives of animals are precious and they should be cherished, the situations surrounding the people protecting them as well as hunting them can be complicated. While no doubt only scratching the surface, I try my best to speak a bit to this in my script Garamba.

The first reference is a video from 2012 from the NYTimes, A Poacher’s Redemption: One Man Converts to Counter the Ivory Trade:

Here is the related NYTimes article: https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/30/world/africa/to-save-wildlife-and-tourism-kenyans-take-up-arms.html

The second reference is from National Geographic and tells the story of ex-ranger Rodney Landela and the accusations he faces for helping poach rhinos in Kruger National Park in South Africa: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/how-rhino-protectors-in-south-africa-became-threat-to-species