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conservation biology, tactical and remote medicine (including
endemic diseases), adapting my SOPs to different environments
and tasks, almost always with no operational support.
It took me years before I considered myself experienced enough
to teach others what I learned, often the hard way: in fact, a
Conservation Ranger has the knowledge of the environment of
a Game Ranger, the practical attitude of a Security Operator, the
mindset of a Soldier and the flexibility of a Cop.
My personal experience as an instructor matches what has been
stated by WWF in 2018: “almost 40% of the rangers worldwide
indicate that the training received is outdated and inadequate to
prepare them for the realities of their job.”
Teaching old, ineffective procedures put Rangers lives at risk:
they need professional support to fight wildlife traffickers and
the criminal\terrorist organizations behind them. We found out
that the training is often provided by inexperienced, outdated or
unprofessional trainers due to budget limitations: this is why CROW
support programs (involving volunteers, researchers, training and
materials) are charge-free to all national and private parks.
Our courses are targeted on a specific field of application, such as
Medical and Tactical (both armed and unarmed) training, or on
the basics (sometimes including applicants selection as well): we
focus on practical skills and standard operative procedures tailored
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on real needs and based on our experience. Adaptivity, creativity
and strategic thinking are required to develop effective solutions.
A typical training day starts at 6AM, PT first, followed by the topic
of the day until 6PM: we always try to make good use of daylight,