Tsavo Trust is a field based, Kenyan not-for-profit conservation organization working in support of wildlife, habitat and communities in Kenya’s Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA).
The Tsavo Conservation Area is a massive, largely roadless, expanse of wilderness. It holds Kenya’s largest elephant population, currently estimated at 12,866 animals. It also boasts the world’s last sustainable gene pool of elephants carrying exceptionally large ivory (over 100lbs per tusk). In 2014 there were 15 of these iconic Tuskers alive in Tsavo. By the end of 2015 there were 11 and by 2019 there are now only 8 remaining in Tsavo. Despite this trend, Tsavo remains the best place on earth to see these magnificent giants, but they are under intense threat from poachers. The problem this project is addressing is to provide further protection to these iconic elephant Tuskers through increased aerial and ground coverage.
Tsavo Trust’s Big Tusker Project works in collaboration with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other support partners to provide aerial back up, participate in censuses/scientific research and monitoring of the elephant populations of Tsavo with a specific emphasis on the large ‘Tuskers’. This project also provides a ground follow-up capacity to boost KWS’s efforts on the ground especially in “hot-spot” poaching areas. The goals of this project are to provide a greater level of security (ground and air) for the iconic Tuskers.
