This is one of five stories that explore the greater Serengeti region and its ecosystem. Read the rest of those stories here.
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Beyond what tourists see, a rich Maasai culture with many challenges
Guardians of the greater Serengeti’s landscape embrace traditions, but also have modern concerns such as poaching, education, and clean water.
As a teen, Jeremiah Cheruiyot Maritim killed animals to eat and to sell as bushmeat. Now a park ranger, he patrols the Serengeti along the Kenya-Tanzania border to catch poachers who target wildebeests and other animals migrating through the area. Poachers set traps or sometimes drive animals into gullies and kill them with spears.
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