Earlier this year, members of our UK and Equatorial Guinea conservation project teams had the fantastic opportunity to travel to Kenya for an inspiring and knowledge-packed field trip, supported by the Elephant Crisis Fund.

On February 17, two of our UK-based conservation team and three of our Equatorial Guinea-based team joined Save the Elephants in Tsavo for their Trainer of Trainers programme. An intensive course focused on elephant behaviour, deterrent methods, and community engagement strategies.

Over three days, the teams learned directly from Save the Elephants and farmers using different elephant deterrent techniques, seeing first-hand how these approaches work on the ground.

Another highlight was learning from Loise Njero, Save the Elephants’ bee expert, who shared her invaluable expertise on beehive management. Beehive fences are a key part of our human-elephant coexistence work in Equatorial Guinea, and this training will help us improve our monitoring and care of our own hives.

The trip also allowed us to connect with other inspiring organisations. We visited Wildlife Works, a pioneering NGO working with carbon credits to support forest conservation and local communities in Kenya. Their Kasigau Corridor REDD+ project is a brilliant example of nature-based solutions, protecting over 200,000 hectares of dryland forest while creating sustainable jobs and improving the livelihoods for over 100,000 people.

Of course, no visit to Kenya would be complete without spending time in the field with the wildlife. We were lucky to see many African savannah elephants in their natural habitat and visit the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Nairobi Nursery, where orphaned elephants are rehabilitated with incredible care. Additionally, we explored Nairobi National Park, witnessing the challenges and opportunities of conserving wildlife so close to a bustling city.

This trip was not only a chance to learn and exchange knowledge, but also a reminder of the power of collaboration across borders. The experiences, ideas, and partnerships formed during this trip will directly strengthen our work back home, supporting both people and elephants to live together more peacefully.

You can find out more about our conservation work in Equatorial Guinea below.