In 2011, some areas of Africa reported the highest level of poaching ever recorded and in 2012 96 elephants were poached in the Greater Mara Ecosystem. Researchers estimate that 38,000 elephants are killed every year to supply the illegal ivory trade.

That is, one elephant killed every 15 minutes.

In 2020, the most concerning emerging poaching trend as a result of the pandemic is bushmeat poaching. Usually sold commercially and caught using snares, bushmeat can be zebra, wildebeest, giraffe or antelope and is a very common form of poaching in the Mara especially in the forest areas. In 2020, MEP recorded the highest level of bushmeat poaching in a decade.