Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page and yes, it does say Rob will be cycling 100 miles - I figured it was time for a challenge and this one if going to hurt, but with your help, it'll be worth it.

It's now 10 years that I've been running the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in the UK and in that time I've seen us have an incredibly positive, and growing, impact for threatened wildlife in Africa.

Over 160 orphaned baby elephants saved, more than 125,000 illegal snares removed, over 1,500 poachers arrested, literally hundreds of elephants saved by our mobile vet teams, and I know that there are thousands of elephants still alive today thanks to the daily front line efforts of our Anti-Poaching teams and Aerial Surveillance Unit.  It isn't just about the elephants; rhinos, lions, vultures, giraffes and a near endless list of wild animals need our help.   But it is the elephants that are being increasingly targeted, murdered for the tusks, to fuel a demand for ivory from the Far East, but also the west, as the USA is the 2nd largest market for ivory.

Poachers use a range of methods to kill; guns, snares, poison arrows, spears and traps, all of them effective and all of them causing unimaginable suffering to an elephant.  Often the poachers move in to remove an elephant's tusks before the animal has died, using axes and machetes they remove the whole face of an elephant, to ensure they get all of the ivory.

In Kenya we have lost two iconic 'Tuskers' in the last few months, Mountain Bull and Satao, animals that had lived for 50 or so years and carried huge tusks that reached down to the floor - I say lost, I mean they were killed!  The DSWT operates Anti-Poaching operations in Kenya, our ground teams are supported by light aircraft and in a matter of weeks we will, after many years of working towards it, be deploying a helicopter.  With these assets and working alongside the wildlife authorities and other NGOs, we are stepping up the fight against the poachers and increasing the level of protection for the elephants.  In the process, we will be better protecting all wildlife in the giant Tsavo Conservation Area.

This work is essential, it truly is life saving and with 1 elephant being killed every 15 minutes for its ivory, it is now that we have to act, or else we have the genuine prospect of seeing elephants disappear in the wild in Africa in the next 20 years and far sooner in many African countries.

So please, dig deep and sponsor me as I ride 100 miles for elephants and the wild animals of Africa on 10th August.  It will easily be the furthest i have ever cycled and who knows what kind of a state I'll be in at the end (and during for that matter) but I'll do it with your support and in the knowledge that thanks to the generosity of my friends, family and colleagues, essential funds will be raised to help the DSWT save elephants and wild lives in Africa - thank you.

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