NAIROBI, Kenya — Women rangers in Kenya and China are emerging as an important force in efforts to protect wildlife and natural habitats, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan has said.
In a message marking World Ranger Day, observed annually on July 31, Guo drew parallels between the work of female community rangers in Kenya and their counterparts protecting wildlife in northeast China.
“From African savannas to Chinese forests, every step taken by rangers connects us in a shared pledge to protect the wild,” Guo said.
The ambassador highlighted the work of Team Lioness, an all-female community ranger unit established in Kenya in 2019.
The team operates in the Ole Narika conservancy, a wildlife corridor linking Amboseli National Park with the Tsavo ecosystem. The corridor is an important migratory route for elephants and other wildlife.
According to Guo, the rangers patrol up to 400 kilometres a month on foot. Their duties include monitoring wildlife movements, tracking animals using GPS technology and helping curb illegal extraction of natural resources, including excessive firewood collection.
Xinhua reported in March 2025 that Team Lioness had grown from eight members when it was established in 2019 to 17 women. The team is part of the Olgulului Community Wildlife Rangers, which has 88 rangers working to safeguard the Amboseli ecosystem.
The women have taken up roles traditionally dominated by men, patrolling community lands and monitoring wildlife while also helping promote coexistence between communities and animals.
“We call ourselves Team Lioness because the lioness is the keeper of the family. She hunts, protects and multitasks. We do the same. At work, we are rangers. At home, we are mothers and wives,” team member Lakara told Xinhua.
The experience of women rangers in Kenya has a parallel in northeast China.
Guo said a female rangers team was established in 2019 in the Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park in Dongning, Heilongjiang Province.
The team conducts routine patrols, removes traps, maintains wildlife monitoring equipment, participates in animal rescue and carries out public education on wildlife protection.
Xinhua reported in 2022 that the team was the first all-woman patrol team in the national park. It was established by the forestry and grassland bureau of Dongning to support wildlife protection while creating employment opportunities for local women.
The six-member team at the time was responsible for protecting Siberian tigers, Amur leopards and other wildlife.
The broader Northeast China Tiger and Leopard National Park covers more than 1.4 million hectares across Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. It was officially designated in 2021 after a pilot conservation programme that began in 2017.
Conservation measures in the park have contributed to a recovery in populations of some of its flagship species. Xinhua reported in January 2026 that the number of wild Siberian tigers in the Chinese part of the ecosystem had risen from 27 in 2015 to about 70 in 2025, while Amur leopards had increased from 42 to about 80.
The recovery has been supported by measures including continuous patrols, habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring and efforts to remove threats to animals.
The comparison by the Chinese ambassador comes amid growing interest in Kenya-China cooperation on wildlife conservation.
At a Kenya-China wildlife conservation forum in 2024, Kenyan officials and conservation experts called for stronger cooperation in areas including ranger training, wildlife research and community livelihoods.
Xinhua reported that China had previously supported Kenya's conservation efforts through capacity building for rangers, anti-poaching equipment, joint research and training programmes.
Kenya's wildlife is a major tourism asset and an important part of the country's natural heritage. The Amboseli-Tsavo landscape is particularly significant because it provides habitat and movement corridors for wildlife while also supporting communities living alongside protected areas.
The experiences of Team Lioness and the women rangers in northeast China demonstrate the increasingly important role of women in frontline conservation, while also highlighting the common challenges facing wildlife protection across different ecosystems.
Guo said the work of the rangers in the two countries reflected a shared commitment to conservation.
“From African savannas to Chinese forests, every step taken by rangers connects us in a shared pledge to protect the wild,” she said.The Xinhua material also supports a useful follow-up angle on Kenya-China wildlife conservation cooperation, particularly ranger training, technology and community-based conservation.
