Protecting the remaining wild habitat areas in Big Life’s area of operation is an increasing program focus and a critical conservation need. Big Life's engagement in conservancy development is composed of two specific parts.

The first is paying annual leases to hundreds of owners of 60-acre parcels of land located in the Kimana Corridor. These lease payments are intended to limit destructive development of the land, other than that which is compatible with conservation and pastoralism.

The second involves working with local communities to protect land that is strategically important either as wildlife movement corridors or dispersal areas, but is also valuable to the local livestock economy as a grazing resource. This protection can be achieved through the establishment of conservancies, including the legal and management systems necessary for their effective functioning, and assisting to develop income-generating opportunities such as tourism.

Kimana Sanctuary, at the easternmost part of the Kimana Corridor, is an area frequented by Amboseli’s biggest bull elephants, including known tuskers like Tim. Thanks to support from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the D.N. Batten Foundation, Big Life rangers are working to secure this special place.

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October 07, 2022

THE KEYS ARE SAFE (FOR THE NEXT 50 YEARS)

Where human development spreads along roads and other lines of infrastructure, it chokes ancient wildlife movements. But in Amboseli there are still gateways connecting the various sides of the ecosystem - these are the… Read More

June 20, 2022

WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT

There are two worlds in Amboseli, and the difference is night and day. A wildlife corridor in an area of intense human activity has a traffic pattern that reflects it. Here’s a glimpse over a 24-hour period at a pinch… Read More

March 22, 2022

Hidden Water of the Chyulu Hills

The term “water tower” may conjure an image of a tall steel structure with a large bulbous top. But is also applies to natural features, such as mountains or highlands, that collect water from rain or snow and release… Read More

March 21, 2022

AMBOSELI’S LOST WORLD

The terrain is rough; a string of extinct and dormant volcanoes rising from Amboseli’s dry savannah plains. Razor sharp lava rocks indicate the most recent eruptions, while older craters have been softened by more than… Read More

September 30, 2021

TIME TO CELEBRATE

Some days we take small steps, other days they’re more like jumps. Today we’re very excited to announce a jump. You might be familiar with the Kimana Sanctuary. Right in the heart of the Amboseli ecosystem, it is a… Read More

April 26, 2021

AVOCADO FARM, DISMISSED!

It was eight months ago that the bulldozers arrived in the Kimana Wildlife Corridor, before going on to clear 180 acres of natural habitat to make way for commercial agriculture (pictured here). ⁠ Seven months ago, that… Read More

February 18, 2021

A MESSAGE FROM THE ELEPHANTS

There is nothing subtle about a message delivered by an elephant. More so when you put something in their way, as is being discovered by KiliAvo, a company going ahead with the development of a commercial agricultural… Read More

February 15, 2021

A SWEET ANNOUNCEMENT

In the wake of Valentine’s Day, we wanted to share some sweet news. Big Life Foundation has partnered with Saving the Wild and Comvita on an exciting new project to help preserve the Kimana wildlife corridor with help… Read More

February 12, 2021

SANCTUARY SUPERGROUP

For the first time since Big Life took over management of Kimana Sanctuary back in 2018, we have observed the formation of an elephant supergroup inside its safe boundary. An estimated 100 individual elephants gathered… Read More

January 27, 2021

WHY DID THE ELEPHANT CROSS THE ROAD?

To get to Amboseli, of course! Negotiating manmade obstacles like this is daunting for any wild animal, but in the case of this road there is simply no way around it. To complicate matters, this is not a quiet backroad.… Read More

Dec 6, 2020 - HOW MANY ELEPHANTS IS AN AVOCADO WORTH?

Sep 24, 2020 - AVOCADOS VS ELEPHANTS

Oct 6, 2019 - OF HANDBAGS AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Sep 17, 2019 - SETTING A FAIRYTALE STRAIGHT

Jun 5, 2019 - A BANDIT’S HAVEN NO LONGER

May 17, 2019 - A Long-Awaited Journey

Feb 28, 2019 - A SANCTUARY SAVED

Feb 10, 2019 - THREADING ELEPHANTS THROUGH THE EYE OF A NEEDLE

Dec 4, 2018 - Unearthing Tim: The Battle to Rescue an Amboseli Icon

Nov 30, 2018 - SPACE (To Call Their Own)

Jan 9, 2018 - OUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: BIG LIFE TO PROTECT KIMANA SANCTUARY

Aug 14, 2017 - THE GREEN HILLS OF KENYA ARE GOING REDD+

Oct 22, 2016 - NATURE’S HUNGRIEST BEAST