‘ I’ll do everything I can to stop the poachers’
mum-of-three
Faye Cuevas,
49, moved to Nairobi in Kenya two years ago to work for IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare). Her primary role is helping prevent elephants being poached for the illegal wildlife trade.
She says, “I was a lieutenant colonel in the military for over 20 years. I served in war zones, including Iraq, and worked in intelligence, gathering information on the ground. Four years ago, I transferred the skills I’d learnt in the military to working for IFAW, because I love elephants.”
Faye started off by travelling to and from Kenya from her home in Washington, DC. She says, “I remember arriving and instantly feeling I belonged
there. I fell in love with the people and the whole culture.
“I was shown around, and we came across a herd of elephants. We spent a few hours with them, and I saw the matriarch watching over her herd. She was so majestic, and in that moment I became determined to stop poaching – these animals need protecting."
New start
In April 2017, when an opportunity came about for a permanent move to the Kenyan capital, divorcée Faye took the plunge and relocated with her twin boys Cruz and Cai, now nine, and daughter, Quinn, eight.
Faye says, “It was exciting to have a completely new start, though my friends and family thought I was mad and worried about me, because it was such a huge life change for me.
“We live in a gated compound. My kids have the childhood I had growing up in Minnesota – a very outdoorsy lifestyle, where they come back muddy and exhausted after a day spent playing outside. They go to an international British school, and it’s incredible how quickly they've adjusted.
“Our life is far more simple – our home is basic, and we regularly have power cuts. But we all adapted quickly and don’t really miss much about our home – except friends and family. I love the rich colours of Africa – we have huge windows looking out into the garden.”
VITAL WORK
And single Faye is fulfilled by the work she does. She explains, “My main job is to gather intelligence, so we can predict where the poachers are going to strike, and catch them just before they do. We use high tech equipment similar to that used by the military, to analyse data on criminal activity, and we work closely with local rangers and the Maasai to gather information.
“I tend to work ‘virtually’ when we actually catch them, because that’s the best way to manage the operation. The team will have an online link with me during the operation, but I haven’t actually been present. There’s a huge sense of achievement when we net a big player. For example, in 2016, working alongside Kenya Wildlife Service, we caught an ivory broker who’s now serving a life sentence.
“The work I do is vital,” Faye says. “I worry that without it, my daughter won’t be able to see elephants in the wild when she’s an adult.
“The facts are brutal. Three out of five African elephants will die by a poacher’s spear or bullet. In 2015, it was estimated that there were 325350,000 elephants remaining in Africa. We lose eight per cent of those every year, the majority to poaching.
“It breaks my heart to see an elephant die – the rest of the herd will pay its respects, staying with the body and patting it with their trunk. And when I see elephants whose mums have been killed by poachers, it makes me so angry.
LEFT TUSKLESS
“On average, male elephants stay with their mothers for 11 years, and females for life. It’s very traumatic for them to witness their mum dying. In some countries, poachers will use guns. But in others, like Kenya, they often avoid using bullets, as the noise attracts attention. Instead, the elephants might be stabbed with poisoned spears. It’s a slow, painful death.”
Faye adds, “Last year, I spent an afternoon with an elephant herd. The matriarch was one of only 12 remaining
‘big tuskers’. Her tusks reach to the ground, and she is absolutely magnificent. But her daughter is tuskless – female elephants in areas of heavy poaching who survive poaching or trauma don’t develop tusks. It’s possibly an evolutionary thing that will stop them getting hunted for their ivory. Seeing them together, it struck me, just how tragic that was.
“Humans are destroying our planet for money, and I’ll do everything I can to stop them.”