Kuwa Macho Kwa Wajangili

"Kuwa macho kwa wajangili. Grow eyes for poachers."

This is Warden Wilson Mutua's call to action, not just for his team of reserve wardens but for everyone traveling through the Harambe Wildlife Reserve. Only by working together can we keep the threat of poaching at bay.

During our adventure on Kilimanjaro Safaris, a group of poachers are spotted on the reserve. As the truck reaches Magadi Gate ("magadi" means "guard"), we see that it's been smashed through. Wilson reaches out to us for help. Follow the poachers so the wardens can cut them off. Our truck is about to leave the protected boundary of the reserve.

It quickly becomes all too obvious that safari tours are not meant to be here. We descend into the gorge, where geysers erupt from hot springs all around us.

Coming up on the other side, we stumble upon the poachers' camp and some of their illegally obtained tusks and horns.

Ultimately, the poachers are surrounded and taken into custody. The baby elephant they had abducted (the one animal in the entire attraction that isn't real) has been recovered and will soon be reunited with its mother.

Warden Mutua thanks us for our help, but now what? We are way off the beaten path, and until the borders of the reserve are secured, further safari tours have been suspended. Our guide decides to drop us off at the safest place, a nearby Warden Post.

To ease our transition off the truck, the guide pulls up alongside an old wooden loading dock. These docks date back to Harambe's colonial period, but are still in use today. Ranches in the area truck their cattle here to offload them and escort them around the bend to the train station for transport elsewhere. Look closely, and you'll even spot the name of the transportation concern that works with the ranchers: Smythe-Wallis British East Africa Livestock Ltd.

Stepping away from the cattle chutes, we find ourselves safely at Warden Post #4. One of the wardens' jeeps has just pulled up, loaded down with items seized from the arrested poachers.

Poaching of ivory, hides, rhino horns and other wildlife contraband is a major concern throughout Africa. A growing, often poor population will sometimes turn to poaching as an easy way to make money and put food on the table.

Demand for these illegal goods comes from other countries, including the U.S., but there can be even greater demand for seeing these animals alive and well in the wild. In Harambe, eco-tourism has proven to be a boon to the economy.