Protecting Elephants: Anti-Poaching Efforts in the Tsavo Conservation Area

Protecting Elephants: Anti-Poaching Efforts in the Tsavo Conservation Area

Spanning 42,000 km², Kenya’s Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA) is home to over 16,500 elephants, including the world’s last viable gene pool of “Big Tuskers,” elephants with exceptionally large ivory. The elephant population faces persistent threats from poaching and illegal wildlife trade. In response, Tsavo Trust (TT) in partnership with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), deploys seven anti-poaching teams and an aerial unit to protect elephants and other wildlife. IUCN Save Our Species African Wildlife initiative, which is co-funded by the European Union has supported these efforts. 

Aerial patrols serve as “eyes in the sky,” locating poachers, monitoring wildlife, and providing vital intelligence to ground teams, significantly enhancing their effectiveness. TT rangers are recruited from local communities, enhancing livelihoods and stewardship of natural resources.

Over the past 11 years, combined efforts of KWS, TT, and partners have reduced elephant poaching by over 80%, and the population is now growing at an annual rate of 5%. 

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Helping Endangered Cape vultures at Tswapong Hills, Eastern Botswana

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