A group of combat veterans has formed a non-profit organization that helps combat both poaching and post traumatic stress, according to The Guardian.
Ryan Tate, 32, a former U.S. Marine, founded the organization called Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife, or Vetpaw. They are trying to protect rhinos and other game in the bush around their base in South Africa.
The former service members have gone through extensive training and are experienced enough to "resist the temptation" of using lethal force against poachers, The Guardian reported.
Rather, the veterans are using "textbook counterinsurgency" according to the British-born former U.S. Special Forces member, Kevin, a former Green Beret who did not want his full name used.
The organization seeks to employ combat veterans and giving them a similar level of brotherhood, intensity and purpose they knew during deployments. That also may help offset the PTSD that Tate told The Guardian "everyone gets" after returning from war.
"[There are] all these veterans with billions of dollars of training and the government doesn't use them. I saw a need in two places and just put them together," Tate said.
Rachael Kalinyak is an editorial intern with Network Solutions.
