Tembo Teams – Background
Tsavo Trust works in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), through a valid Memorandum of Understanding covering several programs and objectives across the Tsavo Conservation Area (TCA), including enhancing aerial and ground operations as well as wildlife monitoring with a special emphasis on Tsavo’s iconic Super “Tuskers”.
The TCA spans a massive 42,000 square kilometers (22,000 square kilometers of National Park alone) and harbour’s immense biodiversity. It is home to the single largest population of elephants in Kenya – approximately 16,500 today – and arguably the world’s last viable population and gene pool of elephants carrying exceptionally large and long ivory.
Tembo Protection Teams
With a strong aerial unit providing “eyes in the skies”, Tsavo Trust recognised the need for ground support to KWS, especially along the boundaries of the National Park, which resulted in the establishment of the Tembo 1 protection team in 2014. Following the successful achievements of this team, a second protection unit, Tembo 3, was established for operations in 2016.
Tsavo Trust now operates the full time deployment of the Tembo 1 , Tembo 3, Tembo 5, Tembo 7, Tembo 9, Kamungi and Shirango Community Scout ground teams, that provide operational support to KWS, to secure the southern boundary of Tsavo East National Park (Tembo 1, 7 and Shirango Scouts) and the western and northern boundaries of Tsavo West National Park (Tembo 3, 5 and Kamungi Scouts).
By increasing ground patrol coverage and wildlife protection efforts effectively; their permanent presence in the sectors they operate deter poachers. Each team is deployed with a 4×4 Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-Up, field equipment and rations. Desnaring foot patrols are conducted daily, and night ambushes are set up following increased intelligence. Over the last 11 years, Tsavo Trust in partnership with KWS and other field partners have successfully reduced poaching of elephants by at least 80% and nil rhino have been poached since 2017.
Tembo Monitoring Teams
Tsavo Trust’s Tembo 2 and Tembo 4 monitoring units operate in support of the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI) within the TCA. The main emphasis for these units is to provide regular scientific data pertaining to high value species including the Tusker elephants, the Key 1 Black Rhino population, Hirola, Lions, Wild Dogs and more. In so doing a layer of “eyes and ears” at ground level is achieved to compliment the “eyes in the skies” under the aerial unit.
A combination of ground and aerial activities has proven to produce far better monitoring results and in turn provides a greater security blanket for Tsavo’s “Tuskers” and wildlife.
These teams have also been heavily involved in various Tsavo wildlife census including the Kenya National Wildlife Census in 2021 and the Tsavo Lion Census in 2023.
In 2023, these teams covered a total distance of 79,743 kilometers (over 659 patrol days) over the TCA, locating 7 Super Tuskers, 16 emerging bulls and 4 iconic cow Tuskers.
All ground protection and monitoring teams have been trained and vetted, equipped with all necessary equipment (tents, digital radio’s, binoculars, GPS, camera, uniforms, phones with cyber tracker software) and have the full endorsement of KWS and WRTI for these collaborative support units.
