Author: Robert Brestan, HlidaciPes.org
When he’s not saving critically endangered forest elephants in Africa, Arthur F. Sniegon is reshaping the Czech landscape or heading to Ukraine to deliver humanitarian aid and study the war’s impact on the Carpathian ecosystem. Boredom is not in his vocabulary. Right now, he’s working to secure management of the Tsoulou National Reserve in Congo for his organization, Save Elephants, through negotiations with the Congolese government.
Even after twelve years on the job, encountering an elephant in its natural habitat remains a thrilling adventure for Sniegon—especially when it’s an injured animal with a leg caught in a steel cable snare.
Recently, conservationists in the Republic of Congo found such an elephant and reached out to Sniegon and Save Elephants, a group well-known locally, for help. It was clear the animal needed a veterinarian to survive.
The catch? Sniegon, a trained naturalist, isn’t a vet. “Finding a veterinarian here is tough, but Lukáš Pavlačík from Dvůr Králové Zoo didn’t hesitate. He flew to Congo, even though we’d never met,” Sniegon recounts in a Prague café aptly named Prales (Rainforest).
They tracked the elephant, sedated it, removed the steel snare, and treated its injured leg. “It was an adventure, but worth it. Forest elephants are critically endangered, with maybe 100,000 left at most. Their numbers have plummeted 85% in the last thirty years. People love elephants and admire them, but few realize how dire their situation in Africa is,” he adds.
Sniegon’s main focus is the Tsoulou National Reserve in Congo. Despite being designated a reserve for about sixty years, it has seen little research or conservation work. Sniegon aims to change that: “The Minister of Environment knows us personally now. We recently met, and we’re finalizing a ten-year agreement to co-manage the reserve.”
He says he doesn’t face resentment for being a white European advising locals on their land. “Congo recognizes the need for conservation and welcomes international partners. We’re a small organization, but we’re known locally and well-received,” he explains, noting that alongside French, he’s picked up Lingala, a local language.
Poaching in Africa and at Home
Sniegon funds his work through grants and private donations, with strong support from the Czech Republic. He also produces documentaries for Czech Television. Back in the Czech Republic, he takes on landscape conservation projects and holds a part-time role at Charles University’s Faculty of Science, working with the Center for Environmental Forensic Sciences to combat “crimes against nature.”
“This work is relevant in the Czech Republic too, where we see poaching, deliberate poisoning of birds of prey or otters, and illegal breeding of parrots or big cats. Forensic methods, genetics, and collaboration between academics, customs officials, and police are key. We organize seminars and develop methodologies,” he explains.
He’s also launched expeditions to Congo, where he serves as an expert guide. The first group included Czech artists who later created works inspired by their experiences, auctioned to benefit Save Elephants. A second trip is open to the public, and anyone can sign up.
Poaching, Sniegon notes, is less severe in Congo than in other parts of Africa, partly due to the country’s authoritarian regime and tight state control. The bigger issue now isn’t ivory but the demand for bushmeat and trophies like pangolin scales.
“Ivory smuggling to Europe and the U.S. is nearly nonexistent. As recently as 2016, over 120 kilograms of fresh African ivory were seized in the Czech Republic. Demand in Asia persists, but it’s not the boom it once was. Now’s the time to breathe and educate locals that unsustainable hunting of wildlife can’t continue,” he says.
Animal parts are used in traditional African and Asian medicine, with gorilla and chimpanzee limbs sought after for superstitious practices. “But even in Africa, there’s growing awareness that hunting elephants or gorillas is wrong, and it’s increasingly criminalized.”
“They Call Me Chinese!”
Despite occasional run-ins with poachers, Sniegon doesn’t consider his work in Africa particularly dangerous. The real threat? Local transportation. “The state of cars, roads, and drivers’ behavior is its own beast. I’ve witnessed two fatal accidents, and that’s what scares me most. If something happens, hospital care is practically nonexistent,” he notes.
Anything new in Congo — roads, dams — bears China’s mark. “Even in small villages, red flags fly because China provided things like satellite TV. Their propaganda works. China’s also after minerals and timber,” Sniegon says.
Locals often call him “Chinese, Chinese!” despite his clearly European features. “Chinese people are the most common foreigners they see. Their presence fuels demand for illegal wildlife products, like ivory chopsticks or Confucius statues, or pangolin scales.”
Russians are present too, though less visibly. “They have a massive embassy and a cultural center with a Gagarin statue in the capital. They’re less into mining but heavily involved with the military, servicing equipment and planes,” he describes. This influence shapes Congo’s leanings, reflected in its UN voting, often abstaining from resolutions targeting Russia.
Nature Amid War
Sniegon spends most of the year in Africa but splits his time with the Czech Republic and occasional trips to Ukraine. “I’d been visiting Ukraine and Crimea long before the war. When Russia invaded, I went with my dad, who was delivering ambulances early in the conflict,” he says.
Beyond delivering supplies to Ukrainian conservationists-turned-soldiers and food for search-and-rescue dogs, Sniegon studies Ukraine’s environment. “Ukrainian national parks are still operational, and conservationists have military draft quotas because the state sees nature protection as vital. The Carpathians, Ukraine’s only major forested region, face potential post-war logging for economic reasons,” he warns.
He assures that the Carpathians are generally safe and worth visiting despite the conflict. He’s currently working on a project with Czech and Ukrainian botanists to manage invasive species and maintain orchid meadows by hand. “The Czechs have expertise to share. Anyone interested can join,” he says.
