Our Impact

A deeper purpose in service of the wild

Our conservation-led philosophy

The longterm sustainability of wild species and places is at the heart of everything we do.

As habitats shrink and human-wildlife conflict grows, our partnership with Save The Elephants, local communities, and other conservation NGOs is vital. Together, we support research and evidence-based solutions that protect elephants as keystone species, the integrity of their habitats, and the people and wild species with whom they share the land.

Our mission is to expand the alliance fighting for nature. By recruiting like-minded individuals that want to make the world a better place, we're commited to protecting biodiversity and helping nature thrive.

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Elephant Names

In 2024, STE made a landmark discovery: elephants use names for one another. It's a first among non-human animals, and there is still so much more to learn from them.

By analysing calls from elephants in Samburu and beyond, scientists found that individuals respond to specific vocal 'name' signatures, ignoring calls meant for others. It offers a remarkable insight into elephant intelligence, social depth, and the real longterm possibility of using AI to crack open their language.

Mapping Africa

Long term studies on elephant movement using tracking collars, pioneered by Iain Douglas-Hamilton in the 1960s, are giving elephants a voice across Africa.

With an estimated 10,000 collars collecting data across Africa, Save The Elephants has started mapping out the continent from the elephants perspective, through Africa-wide collaborations with other researchers. The finely tuned insights from this data will enhance cross-border conservation efforts throughout the African elephants rangelands.

Bee-Ware!

With human-elephant conflict on the rise, peaceful coexistence with wildlife is a mounting priority. More than a decade ago, STE discovered elephants avoid angry bees.

This is now used as a practical technique to mitigate conflict - placing bee-hive fences around subsistence farms - offering a simple, eco-friendly way to protect crops from elephants, enhance pollination services, and even double the income of farmers. It's a win-win of positive impact all-round, replicated since in other African countries and in Asia.

Our Impact Partner

Save the Elephants

Founded by Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Save The Elephants stands at the forefront of elephant research and conservation in Africa, using cutting-edge science to give elephants a voice, and to secure thier future in a rapidly changing world.

Through innovative collaborations, STE has played a pivotal role in combating the illegal ivory trade. A decade ago, poaching threatened to wipe out Africa's elephant population within a generation. Today, thanks in part to STE's efforts culminating in China's 2018 domestic trade ban, elephant populations are rebounding.

STE has conducted daily monitoring of the elephants in Samburu & Buffalo Springs National Reserves since 1997, making these north Kenyan elephants one of Africa's most studied populations. The relatively peaceful relationship between Samburu's people and wildlife, has been a further remarkable further discovery .

Leading international institutions and expert Samburu field researchers partner to investigate the world of elephants, revealing them as highly intelligent, self-aware creatures capable of complex emotions and social bonds, challenging us to reconsider our understanding of consciousness

Understanding Elephants

Pathways & Protection

Peaceful Coexistence

OUR IMPACT PARTNER

What we’ve achieved

Local Impact

Our connection to Samburu is rooted in our relationship with the local nomadic communities, and is built on trust, respect, and years of consistent friendship and rapport, with the shared belief that people and conservation must thrive together.

Changing Lives

Alternative Livelihoods

We create opportunities that go beyond traditional livelihoods, offering training and employment in conservation-led tourism. These pathways strengthen local economies, reduce pressure on natural resources, and empower communities to play an active role in protecting the landscapes they call home.

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Emergency response

Afya Bora (“better health”)

We provide urgent medical support and stand by our neighbours in moments that matter. From fixing bones & broken teeth, securing access to eye surgery or vaccines, treating snake bite and acute burns, rescuing kids wounded by elephants or crocodiles, and racing babies or expectant mothers to hospital ... our mission is to ACT FAST and help our neighbours when we can.

Supporting the vulnerable

Wonderful Widows

Some of the most vulnerable in Samburu are widows. In response, we run a rotational programme offering paid work - primarily beading - creating income and independence for those who need it most. During periods of drought, this support extends to others within the community, providing stability when it matters most.

Expanding minds

Raising Awareness

By sharing knowledge - from the world of elephants and challenges faced by nomads to the realities of frontline conservation - we help foster understanding, curiosity, and a deeper connection to the natural world. Through these exchanges, both within the community and across the world, we aim to inspire a shared sense of responsibility for protecting what matters.

Working together

Ewaso Conservation & Tourism Forum

A collective of stakeholders across the Ewaso ecosystem, working together to support conservation and community. Through collaboration, the Forum promotes peace, responsible stewardship, and coexistence between people and wildlife - while supporting regenerative land practices and the revitalisation of pastoralist cultures.

Building Capacity

Elephant Scholarship Fund

In partnership with Save The Elephants, we offers that support students from local communities through high school and tertiary education. Today, over 340 scholars have graduated - many returning home as professionals and leaders, helping shape a more resilient future for Samburu and its people.

OUR IMPACT PARTNER

What we’ve achieved

Global Impact

We are proud to have helped inspire people from around the world to get involved in elephant conservation. Champions like the famous NBA sports hero Yao Ming, or Chinese superstar Li Bingbing, whom we showed the beauty of elephant lives in Samburu as well as the brutality of the blood ivory trade.

On returning home, both worked tirelessly to bring about the ban on domestic ivory trade in China, which eventually came to fruition on 1st January 2018. It shows that meaningful encounters with elephants can ripple far beyond Africa's borders, shaping awareness and inspiring action for effective global change.

2012

Giant Champion

Yao Ming came to Samburu with Wild Aid in 2012 to join hands with STE campaigning against the blood ivory trade. It was the first real breakthrough that helped raise awareness in China, leading eventually to the banning of domestic trade in-country in2018.

2014

Butterfly Wingbeat

Chinese actress Li Bingbing, an ambassador for UNEP, was the face of a campaign to raise awareness about blood ivory trade. Named Sampiriri (butterfly) by the Samburu, her wingbeat helped create a hurricane of change on the other side of the world, assisting in the banning of domestic ivory trade in China in 2018.

2015

Corridors of Power

At the height of the blood ivory trade, STE reached out to powerful political figures in the USA, from John Kerry to Hilary Clinton, with Bill and Chelsea Clinton visiting STE in Samburu with the Clinton Global Initiative. The links between illegal wildlife, drugs, weapons and human trafficking, and terrorism, catapulted the ivory issue to the top of the agenda, with President Obama commiting to closing domestic ivory trade in the USA in tandem with China.

2017

#KnotOnMyPlanet

Supermodel, Doutzen Kroes, led the #KnotOnMyPlanet viral campaign to raise funds for STE's Elephant Crisis Fund, in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Networ. 100% of funds raised went directly to frontline conservationists stopping the killing of elephants, thwarting ivory traffickers and ending demand for ivory.

2023

The World is Going to Hell but You Can Buy Great Stuff

Wildlife photographer, Charlie Hamilton James, recruited Litus Lekalaile to highlight the impacts of climate change in Africa, as part of a provoking exhibition revealing the apathy and structural oblivion of unhinged consumers on a dying planet.

2025

A Life Among Elephants

Produced by Mara Media, the 90 minute film on the life and work of conservationist Iain Douglas-Hamilton as won multiple awards at film festivals, and continues to inspire people to fight for the causes they believe in.

OUR IMPACT PARTNER