Helping to protect Kenya’s rarest mammal and its forest home.
Covered in distinctive hard scales, pangolins are shy, elusive, and nocturnal mammals found across Africa and Asia. All eight living species have recently gained significant attention in wildlife conservation. Unfortunately, they are collectively the most illegally trafficked mammals globally, driven by an insatiable demand for their scales and meat in Asia.
Kenya is home to two species of African ground pangolins: Temminck’s pangolin (Smutsia temminckii) and the Giant Pangolin (Smutsia gigantea). These fascinating creatures move ponderously by night, relying on their highly developed sense of smell to locate ants and termites, which they consume using their long, sticky tongues.
Pangolins play a crucial role in maintaining healthy ecosystems. By monitoring these indicator species, we gain valuable insights into the health of their environments. Granting pangolins ‘flagship species’ status helps safeguard the rich biodiversity of their habitats, which are essential for thriving flora, insect life, and healthy soils. These elements are fundamental for a balanced ecosystem, ultimately supporting human health, food security, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
The Nyekweri Forest, located adjacent to the Oloololo escarpment overlooking the iconic Masai Mara National Reserve, is an easternmost fragment of the Congo-Guinea forest. For millennia, this forest had been a biodiversity hotspot.
Nyekweri is Kenya’s last known refuge for the Giant Pangolin, a species thought to have been extinct from the country until 2021. It is estimated that fewer than 25 individuals now remain here and their survival is threatened by habitat destruction, poaching, and deadly electric fencing.
The forest faces an urgent crisis. In just the past decade, it has been subdivided among 2,170 landowners, resulting in a tragic 80-90% loss of its cover. This catastrophic deforestation is primarily due to illegal logging and rampant charcoal production.
This rapid degradation not only endangers the Giant Pangolins and a rich diversity of other wildlife but also jeopardises local livelihoods and the region’s ability to regulate water and climate. Conservation efforts are crucial to halting this devastation and protecting the remaining patches of this unique ecosystem.
DONATION METHODS
Please note that the options below are subject to availability. You will be required to book and pay for them in advance.
Talks in camp
A 45-minute presentation followed by 15 minutes of Questions and Answers (total time: one hour). A senior management team member gives the talk. Suggested times are after lunch or in the evening.
These talks work for groups of any size. Donation: USD 450 per group for the talk alone, or USD 650 per group if guests wish for a TPP staff member to join them for lunch or dinner to continue the conversation.
Visiting The Pangolin Project Headquarters:
Tour the control room and enjoy a presentation/overview of their work by a senior management team member. Tea and coffee are provided.
The visit lasts approximately 90 minutes and is offered only between 10 am – 11.30 am or 2 – 3.30 pm. Donation: USD 50 per person
Visiting the Nyekweri Forest:
Enjoy a guided walk with the lead nature ecologist to set camera traps and review the previous night’s camera trap data and pangolin activity. This activity includes a short talk by a senior management team member and can be included with a tour of the ops room. Two rangers will accompany the group.
This is a full morning activity, and groups must be on location by 8.30 am. Tea, coffee, and snacks will be included. The activity will finish by 12.30 pm.
Max group size: 6 people. Donation: USD 500 per group, plus, Conservancy access fee: USD 80 per person.
