It started, like most incidents, with a phone call.

Our radio room operators hear all kinds of stories, but this is one they had to check twice: a herd of SIXTY elephants headed towards farms bordering the Kimana Sanctuary.

The frantic message was relayed to the closest ranger unit, which immediately leapt into action. The elephants had already crossed the swamp bordering the area, inaccessible to our ranger’s vehicle, so the drone was deployed to herd the elephants back to safety.

Thanks to quick communication between farmers and our rangers, the elephants did not cause any damage. They crossed harvested fields as seen in this video, but crucially no crops.

Over the decades, we have built a strong sense of trust with the communities living in our area of operation. Between our rapid response units and the latest drone technology, we’re able to mitigate human wildlife conflicts across Greater Amboseli.

There will likely be more in the months to come: the rains have largely failed across much of the ecosystem, leaving many areas desperately dry. As a result, both domestic and wild animals are migrating beyond their normal range and into areas with less protection.

Wherever they journey, we have the relationships, the systems, and the capacity to overcome these challenges and ensure Amboseli’s people and wildlife stay protected.