Today is the sixth annual World Ranger Day, first organized by the International Ranger Federation to honor the work and sacrifice of park and wildlife reserve employees worldwide.
On July 31, we remember the approximately 1,000 rangers killed or injured around the world in the line of duty in the last ten years –103 in 2013, and 56 so far this year. Many in remote areas deal every day with the realities of extreme violence amid their anti-poaching efforts, and live in hard conditions, often earning low wages.
For more info, visit the Thin Green Line Foundation, an Australian group that works to protect rangers, or the excellent website of the International Rangers Federation.
Photo credit: Park Rangers in Alaska by Marina via CC license on Flickr