Kinessa Johnson served for 4 years in Afghanistan to protect our country. This week she arrived in Tanzania to fight a different enemy. Her new mission is, as she puts it, “We’re going over there to do some anti-poaching, kill some bad guys, and do some good.”
In life after the US Army, Kinessa serves as an anti-poaching advisor with Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife (VETPAW), a not-for-profit organization that employs US Veterans to help protect African wildlife from being poached and captured illegally.
Kinessa and her cohorts are doing important work. According to VETPAW, nearly 100 African elephants are slaughtered every day for their tusks. Without action, this fabulous species, and others, will be gone from the wild within a decade.
The poaching crisis affects us all. The illegal ivory trade often funds terrorist organizations and their attacks.
I hear Kinessa might be doing some TV work for Discovery Channel. I assume that show would document how she and her colleagues are helping to protect African wildlife…should be interesting.
Mike – This seems like an interesting and worthy cause. I am considering a donation, but am cautious for fear of supporting a fly by night or vigilante type organization. May I assume your endorsement is based on some industry support, peer review and proven history? Their website seems to indicate as much. I suspect the University of Florida, for instance, would be cautious in lending their support. I place a great deal of weight on your opinion though.