The Kenya Wildlife Service is the mandated authority over all state protected areas and wildlife in the country. Its role is critical to the success of conservation in the Tsavo. We work in close collaboration with KWS to strengthen KWS’s biodiversity management activities and ensure increased coordination across the landscape. A strong KWS results in a secure TCA.
2-Seater Super Cub Aircraft
Map shows flight paths flown by Tsavo Trust’s aircrafts over the Tsavo National Parks in 2023, where 79,783 kilometers were flown over 617 hours of flight. This equates to flying from Nairobi to New York 10.8 times in a 2-seater Super Cub aircraft that averages 115kph.
Tsavo Trust’s Aerial Unit currently operates two Super Cub aircrafts. These aircrafts are an ideal aircraft for the type of flying required on aerial reconnaissance flights over the largely roadless Tsavo. Slow, low level flight allows for effective reconnaissance by both the pilot and a rear seat observer. These aircrafts are relatively inexpensive aircraft to purchase and operate (roughly $350 an hour), providing an essential and highly effective element KWS operations.
Tsavo Trust has three experienced bush pilots trained, capable, and permitted to fly these aircrafts on aerial reconnaissance flights, in support of KWS, achieving meaningful and measured results in the fight against wildlife crime.
A key aspect of aerial reconnaissance is the ongoing battle between conservationists (Tsavo Trust, KWS and other partners) and the multitude of illegal activities such as ivory poachers, bushmeat poachers, illegal livestock encroachment and Human Wildlife Conflict that haunt Tsavo’s wildlife daily. The Illegal Wildlife Trade remains a multimillion-dollar industry and there appears to be no end to this worrying trend.
Through aerial reconnaissance, Tsavo Trust alongside KWS has been able to map poachers’ movements as well as monitoring poaching camps and identified “hot spot” zones that require constant attention. Other illegal activities are also closely observed and addressed as necessary. For example, between 2013 and mid 2023, 1,521 arrests were made in Tsavo following illegal activities by joint KWS / Tsavo Trust activities. The use of our Aerial Unit was vital in allowing ground units to make these arrests. Aerial reconnaissance and monitoring remain THE most important conservation tool over the wilderness of Tsavo.
A key aspect of aerial reconnaissance is the ongoing battle between conservationists (Tsavo Trust, KWS and other partners) and the multitude of illegal activities such as ivory poachers, bushmeat poachers, illegal livestock encroachment and Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC) that haunt Tsavo’s wildlife daily. The Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) remains a multimillion-dollar industry and there appears to be no end to this worrying trend.
Through aerial reconnaissance, Tsavo Trust alongside KWS has been able to map poachers’ movements as well as monitoring poaching camps and identified “hot spot” zones that require constant attention. Other illegal activities are also closely observed and addressed as necessary. For example, between 2013 and mid 2020, 740 arrests were made in Tsavo following illegal activities by joint KWS / Tsavo Trust activities. The use of our Super Cub aircraft was vital in allowing ground units to make these arrests. Aerial reconnaissance and monitoring remain THE most important conservation tool over the wilderness of Tsavo.