In the mid 1960s, Iain Douglas-Hamilton set out to study elephants in the wild at a time when little was understood about their lives. What began as research soon became something far more personal for Iain and his Kenyan-Italian wife, Oria - a life commitment to protecting these highly intelligent, sentient creatures and securing their future.

The Douglas-Hamiltons reshaped our understanding of elephants and fought tirelessly to protect wild populations and the integrity of their habitats. In Samburu - where elephants still roam freely as they have for millenia - they established one of the world’s most important long-term studies of wild elephants.

Oria built Elephant Watch Camp to inspire people from around the world to care about elephants. Her aim was to recruit supporters to the conservation cause, growing the alliance for nature, while also promoting local nomads as expert ambassadors for the wild world. People whose way of life is also under threat.

Their daughters, Saba and Dudu, carry forward this work today with the same sense of purpose, shaping our conservation mission, and bridging science, storytelling, and respect for people and place. We aim to keep north Kenya's biodiversity thriving, while building the capacity of local conservation champions to lead the charge.