Mara Elephant Project began the year with rapid-response rescue operations, innovative use of conservation technology, and meaningful community engagement across the Mara ecosystem and beyond. I’m so inspired by our team and their constantly growing ability to respond, adapt, and deliver real results for both elephants and the communities who live alongside them.
We began the year with a rare and encouraging sign for conservation in the Maasai Mau, where the Mountain Bongo Project (MBP) confirmed in January that a camera trap retrieved from the forest had captured an image in December 2025 of a young male mountain bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci). Mara Elephant Project provides an incubation model to emerging organizations that align with our mission to improve or expand their conservation efforts, and MBP was added as an incubation almost a year ago. This is the first verified camera-trap record of bongos in the Mau in several years, and I am absolutely thrilled by what it means for ongoing conservation efforts in the region. It provides an important signal that the population may persist in this landscape and reinforces the value of sustained collaboration between MBP and MEP, where shared technical expertise, long-term monitoring, and coordinated field operations come together to strengthen protection for one of Kenya’s most critically endangered species.
In support of this effort, MEP deployed its Charlie ranger team to the Maasai Mau to work alongside MBP rangers on joint patrols, monitoring, and real-time intelligence gathering to help identify and deter illegal activity in the forest. With fewer than 100 mountain bongos believed to remain in the wild, this confirmation is both rare and operationally important—it will directly inform patrol planning, camera trap placement, and longer-term conservation strategy aimed at securing the last viable population.
MEP’s helicopter has served as a first responder in many critical situations, and this quarter was no exception. March in the Mara brought heavy rains and severe, life-threatening flooding of the Mara and Talek rivers across the landscape. Several safari camps were heavily impacted by rising waters. While all guests and staff had thankfully evacuated before the worst of the flooding, some individuals returned to retrieve belongings once the water had receded, believing it was safe. Within a short time, the river rapidly rose again, leaving them stranded with no way out. Our search and rescue team in the helicopter was immediately deployed, helping guide and support a safe evacuation from above. We are so thankful to be able to help in situations like these.
In addition to flood response, the MEP helicopter also played a key role in several of the elephant treatments that took place this quarter. One elephant, Individual #128, was found with a severely infected arrow wound in his foot. After being safely darted from the MEP helicopter, the Kenya Wildlife Service veterinary team cleaned the wound and administered antibiotics. Follow-up monitoring shows encouraging signs of healing.
Of course, none of this crucial work is possible if we aren’t working together as a team with strong communication and collaboration skills. On February 7, MEP staff gathered at headquarters in the Maasai Mara for our first team-building session led by Impact Change. Rangers, researchers, and staff participated in friendly mini-sports competitions designed to strengthen communication and teamwork across departments. Deputy CEO Meshack Gaga said it best, “The session reinforced how closely linked our roles are across departments and that our progress depends on stronger coordination, clearer communication, and sharedaccountability to deliver on MEP’s vision.”
In early March, Nairobi hosted the Global Conservation Tech and Drone Forum, showcasing how technology is transforming conservation. The forum brought together conservation practitioners, technologists, researchers and innovators from across Africa and around the world to explore how emerging technologies such as drones, artificial intelligence, and data can strengthen conservation efforts and support communities protecting nature. MEP proudly sponsored the event and supported 8 student tickets to attend the forum, helping create opportunities for the next generation of conservationists interested in applying technology to real-world conservation challenges.
MEP was also able to present on a number of our operations, from Sarafina Sironka, MEP’s Senior Research Project Officer, highlighting MEP’s use of ElephantBook to identify elephants, to MEP drone pilots Edward Kuyo and Felix Yiaile demonstrating their work live, showing how we operate in real time. The forum was a phenomenal success, and I am constantly in awe of our team’s commitment protecting elephants, communities, and the landscapes they share, and empowering others to do the same.
