2021 END OF YEAR NEWSLETTER
William Fortescue
2021 END OF YEAR NEWSLETTER
WE SAID FAREWELL TO OUR MANAGING DIRECTOR
THE NORTHERN WHITE RHINO RECOVERY PROGRAMME
After 24 years, our Managing Director and CEO, Richard Vigne stepped down from his role at Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
We now have 13 pure northern white rhino embryos ready for the next stage in the recovery programme, implantation.
In a heartfelt email, he told Ol Pejeta staff:
This year, the BioRescue consortium ceased egg harvestation from Najin following an in depth ethical risk assessment. Najin will remain an important part of the mission as an ambassador for her kind and by transferring social knowledge to future offspring.
“I am proud of what has been achieved and I have thoroughly enjoyed doing it with you, the employees of Ol Pejeta. Well done to you all (past and present!) and please keep moving forwards so that we can all continue to be proud of this institution that we have created, and which is so respected.” We are deeply grateful for Richard’s tremendous contribution to conservation and the legacy that he has left behind.
“Humans do not have the right to let extinction happen on our watch. We need to change how we consume and interact with our planet.” said Richard Vigne.
BLACK RHINOS In 1993, Ol Pejeta had a population of 20 black rhinos. After three decades of conservation, dedication, and commitment from our rangers, staff, and management, supporters, and donors, we have almost 150 individuals. In addition, we have 39 southern white rhinos and the last two northern white rhinos. This year, we celebrate 14 new black rhino births - a record high for us! With stellar security operations and a highly effective K9 unit, we mark four years since our last poaching incident in 2017.
2021 END OF YEAR NEWSLETTER
OUR RANGERS Our rangers are the heartbeat of our conservation efforts. They have kept our wildlife, and communities safe. As a result, we have marked our fourth year of no-poaching! Some of our rangers attended a refresher training course on wildlife law and policing in Kenya, crime scene management, criminal justice, foot, and arm drills, bushcraft and survival tactics, rhino identification, and monitoring. We are thrilled to share that Simon Nakito won the Best Ranger overall and Beatrice Nashagin received the Best Female Ranger in Drills during the Community Rangers Training organised by the Kenya Wildlife Service.
Frank Af Peterson
THE ANTI-POACHING UNIT We shared the news of 12 puppies born to bloodhounds Otis and Malaika in our antipoaching unit. The puppies underwent three months of training and eventually, eight of them joined security teams in Mugie Ranch, Lol Marik, Loisaba, and Ol Jogi conservancies. The remaining four puppies will stay with us on Ol Pejeta to support the current K9 team.
2021 END OF YEAR NEWSLETTER
OUR COMMUNITIES This year in partnership with various stakeholders and with the support of our donors, we have: Provided 140 scholarships within our communities, the highest ever in our history. Built a dormitory accommodating 160 students at Mwituria Secondary School Built four classrooms and a library to grow the capacity of students accessing education Two much-needed boreholes were sunk in two schools providing clean water to the communities Conducted conservation education training for 41 teachers Twenty one girls were vaccinated against the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine, 1,944 children were administered vitamin A to boost their immunity, and 1,048 received deworming treatment Planted 10,000 seedlings together with our community members
CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGY •
Sixty two of our rangers now have stable and sustainable access to electricity after installation fo 12 solar panels
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Installed thermal imaging cameras to improve intelligence and monitoring along our fenceline
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Implemented use of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) through cell phones. Digitizing this ranger communications will enable our teams to respond much faster and mitigate threats as they occur.
2021 END OF YEAR NEWSLETTER
Secret Safari
OUR AWARDS
OUR GLOBAL AMBASSADORS
2021 EVENTS •
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Secret Safari, Into the Wild, a sixepisode documentary series made its debut in the UK on Channel 4. It focused on wildlife interactions with people on Ol Pejeta and helped us raise awareness about our conservation work The Global Gala for Rhinos - thanks to your overwhelming support for our annual fundraiser, we raised £155,000. After a 1 year hiatus, the Last Male Standing Cricket Cup named in honour of Sudan, the last northern white rhino male, returned on Ol Pejeta. All proceeds from the event were donated to Ol Pejeta and the Foundation for Youth Cricket & Education in Kenya
We were recognised by LUXLife Magazine as the Best Wildlife Conservation Initiative in Kenya for the 2021 Travel & Tourism Awards. We also received nominations for the fourth year running, in three categories of the 28th annual World Travel Awards.
For the first time ever, we announced official Ol Pejeta Global Ambassadors. •
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James Mwenda has gained global renown as a caretaker of the northern white rhinos and rhino conservation activist over the years. He has toured the USA, UK, South Africa, and Hong Kong, delivering passionate talks, and inspiring new conservationists everywhere. Ami Vitale is a world-renowned photographer and conservationist. Ami has followed the story of the northern white rhinos since their relocation to Ol Pejeta Conservancy in 2009. You may recognise her work from the iconic image of Sudan, the last male northern white rhino on earth with Joseph Wachira, a caretaker at Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.
NAJIN AND FATU BRANDED ON A DREAMLINER In partnership with the Kenya Tourism Board, and Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways, Najin and Fatu’s livery is on a Dreamliner that flies to 41 destinations. Stay tuned for more as Najin and Fatu fly the skies.
2021 END OF YEAR NEWSLETTER
END OF YEAR APPEAL Black rhinos were almost poached to extinction back in the 80s. With intervention from the Government of Kenya, the National Black Rhino Strategy was developed with the aim to have 2000 black rhinos by 2030. Ol Pejeta is home to the largest population of black rhinos. We have three generations of black rhino roaming the plains of Ol Pejeta thanks to our highly successful security efforts. We need to continue to protect and safeguard these rhinos and other wildlife for future generations. With just a few days left until the end of the year, continued uncertainty with the new variant and travel restrictions, we are struggling to meet our budget needs to sustain our core operations. It’s heart-breaking! Our budget represents the ranger’s salaries and rations, fuel for the vehicles, veterinary costs, humanwildlife conflict mitigation, education support to children and schools, healthcare extension services… We still have a long way to our goal and need your help to safeguard our rhinos, other wildlife, and communities.
William Fortescue
Please donate towards our end-of-year appeal to raise $150,000 for 150 black rhinos; and/or you can support us in other ways here: Our Campaigns.
2021 END OF YEAR NEWSLETTER
UPCOMING
IN 2022 Our rangers walk an average of 20 kilometres per day to monitor and protect our precious rhino populations from poachers and other threats. From 01-31 January, as you embark on your New Year’s resolution to get fit, we are asking you to join our challenge. Run, walk, cycle, or anything you like to raise muchneeded funds and create awareness for the work of our rangers. Our rangers need you to join their squad! Be a hero and sign up for our January Challenge, Roam for Rangers. When you have decided on your challenge, set up your fundraising page here or join our Roam for Rangers Facebook group. Here you will be able to meet other participants, share stories and hear from our ranger team.
And last but not least, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to you for your immense support. Without you, it would have been impossible for us to survive this year. Thank you from everyone at Ol Pejeta!
William Fortescue
THANK YOU