At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Mara Elephant Project rangers reached an organizational milestone; alongside government partners, they removed over 1,000 snares in their areas of operation. Since 2022, the number of snares removed has almost doubled year-on-year, and 2025 was no exception, with rangers removing more than 1,300 snares by the end of December. These snares, set by bushmeat poachers, are designed to trap smaller wildlife but they also pose a threat to elephants. Hidden in thick undergrowth, the nearly invisible wires can easily entangle an elephant’s legs or trunk, causing potentially life-threatening injuries. On their daily foot patrols, MEP rangers are vigilantly looking for these deadly traps. When they find them, they dismantle and remove them by hand a challenging but vital task in protecting wildlife across the Mara.
In December, two bushmeat busts occurred within days and MEP rangers experienced one of the highest levels of bushmeat seized all year. They collaborated on the operations with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Oloisukut rangers, laying the ambush on one suspect’s motorbike transporting 25 kg of bushmeat. After the successful seizure of the impala meat, the team regrouped and, just days later, arrested a suspect for bushmeat poaching, seizing another 24 kg of impala meat.
Overall in the fourth quarter, MEP rangers, alongside government partners, arrested 24 suspects engaged in habitat destruction activities and six bushmeat poaching suspects. They confiscated 74 kg (163 lbs.) of bushmeat and removed 387 snares. They destroyed 23 kilns, 130 charcoal bags, seized over 7,800 posts and mitigated 89 human-elephant conflict (HEC) incidents.
Of the total HEC incidents mitigated in the fourth quarter, 66 were done by deploying drones. That’s almost 75% of the total recorded HEC incidents in the fourth quarter. One such incident in November involved the MEP ‘Golf’ ranger team. They were called to address a HEC incident involving a herd of 25 elephants that had moved into a sugarcane farm. The farm lies on a privately-owned parcel of land within the Nyekweri Forest also home to collared elephant Fitz. Although Fitz was not part of the group on this occasion, the rangers were already familiar with the herd’s crop-raiding history. Using their thermal drone, the team successfully monitored the elephants’ movements and guided them safely out of the farmland, preventing further damage and avoiding escalation. This response highlights the critical role of advanced drone technology in fostering safe, practical solutions for human-wildlife coexistence.
Additionally, the MEP mobile team responded to HEC incidents in Olderkesi, Kishermoruak, and Isaaten. They responded to a report that elephants entered a fenced in settlement area. Upon arrival, they found a young family group, a 20-year-old mother, her 7-year-old sub-adult, and a three-week-old calf. With careful coordination, they deployed their drone to help the elephants navigate the fences while guiding them back to safety. The family was safely guided back into Naboisho Conservancy.
In terms of monitoring during the quarter, MEP rangers monitored newly collared elephant Nancy Q grazing peacefully with her herd. This young mother was collared in September after being treated for a spear wound as a result of human-elephant conflict. Monitoring exercises like this are important even when nothing dramatic is happening. Tracking her movements helps KWS, the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) and MEP better understand wildlife corridors and support coexistence between elephants and surrounding communities.
Additionally, the MEP ‘Lima’ ranger team monitored two large herds of elephants in one day in the Mosiro area. The first was a herd of 30 and the second was a herd of 40, which included collared elephant Indy. Monitoring elephants on the ground in this area is very difficult because of the terrain, and they are often shy or aggressive. To get the visuals needed to note any injuries or herd demographics, drones are deployed to give our rangers an eye in the sky to monitor large herds at a safe distance to ensure their safety.
There were seven total elephant treatments in the fourth quarter. MEP rangers assisted the KWS Vet Dr. Njoroge from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) Mobile Vet Unit with three of those, all taking place in one day. They responded to a report of one bull with an arrow wound, which then quickly escalated as the team monitored two additional bulls in the same bachelor herd also with arrow wounds. The wounds, assumed to be sustained while the herd was crop raiding in farms nearby, were quickly treated by the team. The Kenya Choppers helicopter provided essential aerial support and thanks to the coordination between all partners, each elephant received the veterinary care they urgently needed.
In terms of training, MEP staff took part in data protection and mental health awareness trainings, leading up to World Mental Health Day. The data protection session equipped staff and rangers with essential tools to manage and safeguard information responsibly, reinforcing MEP’s commitment to transparency, integrity, and accountability across our work. The mental health awareness training was highly interactive, bringing together all departments and rangers in group activities that encouraged open conversations, teamwork, and reflection. These sessions reminded us that caring for our mental wellbeing is just as vital as protecting wildlife. At MEP, we believe that strong teams create lasting impact and investing in our people strengthens every part of our mission to protect elephants, communities, and wild spaces.
