An Army veteran who served in Afghanistan has moved to Africa in a bid to stop poaching . Kinessa Johnson from Yelm , Washington State , works for the Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife ( VEPAW ) , training park rangers to catch and detain the wildlife killers . The organisation was founded by an ex-Marine and is made up of former soldiers who signed up post-9/11 . She joined the group last November after a four-year stint in the services as a weapons instructor and mechanic . She was also deployed for one tour of Afghanistan . Scroll down for video . Kinessa Johnson from Yelm , Washington State , works for the Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife ( VEPAW ) , training park rangers to catch and detain the wildlife killers . Photos on her Instagram and Facebook of her holding a rifle have been met with criticism online . However she insists their intention is not to harm anyone and refutes claims she is a 'poacher hunter ' . She told 11 Alive : 'Our intention is not to harm anyone ; we 're here to train park rangers so they can track and detain poachers and ultimately prevent poaching . 'Most of the time anyone that is in a reserve with a weapon is considered a threat and can be shot if rangers feel threatened . 'Our goal is to prevent trigger pulling through strategic movements and methods of prevention . ' According to her Instagram , she is on the ground outside Arusha in Tanzania . She has also slammed other people questioning her experience and motives on social media . She joined the group last November after a four-year stint in the services as a weapons instructor and mechanic . She was also deployed for one tour of Afghanistan . ' I must say that I find it extremely disheartening to see so many bashing my ability based on my gender , ' she wrote . ' I work with so many awesome and capable female park rangers here in Africa , who put their lives on the line every day right next to male park rangers , and I think these comments are also disrespectful to these amazing women . ' On Saturday , alongside a picture and two colleagues , she wrote : 'The team and I along with the park rangers had a pretty successful few days , caught some guys and seized some firearms . 'We 're all really excited even though we are all crammed into a land cruiser , have n't bathed in a few days and hardly slept . ' Photos on her Instagram and Facebook of her holding a rifle have been met with criticism online . Johnson insists the organisation 's intention is not to harm anyone and refutes claims she is a 'poacher hunter '
Kinessa Johnson served four years as a weapons instructor and mechanic . Now she works for Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife . Patrols with park rangers and assists in intelligence operations . Hide Caption