In the first quarter of 2025, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) and Mara Elephant Project conducted collaring operations for two elephants. Elephant Lempiris was re-collared with a new Savannah Tracking satellite collar to continue his tracking for another three years. This came after his continuous movement data had demonstrated the loss of connectivity between conservancies east of the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the Loita Forest. Originally collared in 2017, data from his collar informs patrol targets in the area and identifies hot spots for human-elephant conflict (HEC) surrounding the conservancies.
On February 14, KWS, WRTI and MEP collared a new female elephant in a herd of 120 in the Mosiro area. She was aptly named Roho, which is Swahili for ‘heart’. Her real-time movement data will enable MEP rangers and partners to develop more impactful HEC mitigation efforts by gaining a better understanding of how the mega-herd is using this complex space.
The long-term monitoring (LTM) team conducted 71 elephant monitoring exercises in the first quarter. They monitored four collared elephants, Kevin, Ivy, Edwin, and Fred. Twenty-five new individuals among them 14 cows and 11 bulls, were identified and added to the ElephantBook database of known individuals.
Elephant Edwin stopped by MEP HQ to show off his latest accessory – a brand-new Savannah Tracking satellite collar. He’s the first elephant recorded in ElephantBook, and he was collared for the first time in November to more effectively respond to his bold crop-raiding.
In the first quarter, the LTM team camped for 10-days in Olderkesi Conservancy and visited surrounding areas. The elephants residing in these areas are not identified and remain a focus of the monitoring team in 2025. The team observed aggression among elephants in the region, which they speculated stems from high levels of HEC, particularly due to the high volume of maize farming. During this expedition, a total of 10 elephant dung samples were collected which contributes to ongoing research aimed at understanding ecosystem dynamics and human-wildlife interactions.
We continue to support conservation organizations with EarthRanger training. In the first quarter, MEP hosted Six Rivers Africa and African People & Wildlife, two organizations operating in Tanzania, to support them in their efforts to deploy the system to inform daily operations.
Even though 2025 started with low rainfall, by March, the MEP coexistence farm had an abundance of produce. They delivered the 980 kg (2,100 lbs.) of rosemary to the essential oil company Kutoka Ardhini, producing the highest oil extraction to date.
“This coexistence demo farm is well maintained, and from this harvest, it has registered the highest oil extraction.”
Vincent Biwott, Kutoka Ardhini Agronomist
The team’s conservation school club continues. On World Recycling Day, they visited Oloonkolin Primary School and led the 53 students through a recycling activity that used milk packets to plant vegetable seedlings. They also hosted a kitchen garden training for 30 women from Emarti and Enkutoto villages and provided them with seedlings.
The team also had some great visitors. Kamal and Purvi, owners of Kampur Travel Diaries, MEP’s founding educational program supporter, and Teddy Kinyajui, CEO of Seedballs Kenya, and MEP Advisory Committee Member, visited to see the work firsthand. We also donated four bags of seedballs, which will be distributed to community members and schools, promoting reforestation and ecological restoration.
Stay Connected to the Herd!
