Lewa

Combating Poaching

We provide equipment and salaries for various teams that work hand in hand to combat poaching. Security units ensure the immediate protection of the animals. Members of the anti-poaching team have full police authority and are commissioned by the Kenyan government. They patrol the reserve but are also called upon to investigate livestock thefts and break-ins outside the reserve’s boundaries. In recent years, the anti-poaching teams have significantly improved security in the surrounding communities.

Dogs for Wildlife

Animals also help combat poaching. In Lewa, tracking dogs—known as “tracker dogs”—are part of the armed anti-poaching unit. The dogs can track the trails of poachers and livestock thieves over long distances, even long after the fact. That’s why the dogs are also used to present evidence in court. We help fund the dogs, the training of the handlers, and the patrol vehicle.

Research and Treatment

Teams of researchers roam the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and collect data. They observe the animals, document their health and the social structure of the herds, and compile an overview of population trends.

Special attention is given to rhinos and Grevy’s zebras. Especially when it comes to endangered species, the survival of every single wild animal counts. Veterinarians who treat injured animals in the field are therefore another vital pillar of wildlife conservation.

Reducing conflicts

People are encroaching ever further into wildlife habitats. This leads to problems—for example, when elephants destroy farmers’ fields along their migration routes. We were able to defuse one such conflict on Lewa’s southern boundary. There, the “Elephant Corridor,” a 15-kilometre-long fenced strip of land along a stream, restores the historic wildlife migration route between Mount Kenya National Park and Lewa. The corridor not only enables people and animals to coexist peacefully; it also safeguards vital genetic exchange between increasingly isolated herds.

Relocating Rhinos

Since 2015, the fences between Lewa and the adjacent Borana Conservancy have been open to rhinos and other wildlife. More than 200 rhinos now live on the combined land. The animals are breeding so successfully that more than 50 have already been relocated to the Ol Pejeta and Sera reserves, as well as to Meru National Park. Another reserve is being established in the neighboring community of Il Ngwesi.

The relocations provide the endangered rhinos with sufficiently large territories and feeding grounds without the animals competing with one another.

With the people

Collaboration with the local community and a shared culture that fosters harmony between people and animals are the keys to Lewa’s success. Schools, clinics, and an environmental education center for children and adults are an integral part of our commitment. We also support projects aimed at improving sustainable agriculture, such as efficient irrigation systems.

Tourism is an important source of revenue for the reserve. It has created numerous jobs and income-generating opportunities in and around Lewa. With all its facilities, Lewa is now one of the largest employers in northern Kenya.