Aerial & Ground Units

Eyes in the sky,
boots on the ground.

Every day since 2013, in support of KWS, our aircraft and field teams have watched over a landscape larger than Switzerland. The aerial unit finds it; the ground unit responds to it.

The Impact • 2013–2025

1.1M km
Flown on aerial patrol since 2013
13 teams
Ground teams deployed in support of KWS & WRTI
11,530
Snares removed from the bush
1,700
Arrests supported, with an 84% conviction rate

A landscape the size of the Tsavo Conservation Area cannot be protected from the ground alone. Our aircraft cover in a single hour what a foot patrol covers in a week, locating wildlife, spotting incursions and carcasses early, and guiding teams straight to where they are needed.

On the ground, our field teams hold a permanent presence in the places that matter most, patrolling on foot and by vehicle, clearing snares, and responding to what the aerial unit reports. In support of KWS and WRTI, and alongside their rangers, the two units function as a single protection system across the TCA.

Aerial NRF & Eles Over Tsavo HR

The Aerial Unit

The first to see, the first to know.

From a single aircraft in 2013, the Aerial Unit has grown into a four-aircraft fleet, the eyes over Tsavo that locate wildlife, spot incursions and guide the ground teams, in support of KWS.

  • Fixed-wing aircraft and an R44 helicopter flying reconnaissance across the TCA
  • Locating tuskers, rhino and other key wildlife for the monitoring teams
  • Spotting incursions, fires and carcasses early, when response still matters

Building the fleet

2013

First aircraft

Aerial reconnaissance begins over Tsavo, a single aircraft covering the whole landscape.

2024

R44 helicopter

A game-changer for close-in operations and rapid response, delivering far greater capability at a relatively low cost.

2025

Savannah aircraft

Added reach and endurance for wide-area patrols, with very low running costs that stretch every donated dollar further.

The Ground Teams

Where protection meets the ground.

Today, in support of KWS and WRTI, Tsavo Trust fields seven ground protection teams and six monitoring teams, over 40 rangers and field personnel who hold a permanent presence where it counts

  • Foot and vehicle patrols holding a permanent presence in priority areas
  • Snare sweeps that clear thousands of traps from the bush each year
  • Rapid response to incidents flagged from the air, alongside KWS rangers
Aerial TT Recovered Snares

By the numbers · 2013–2025

What patrols put on the record.

Thirteen years of aerial and ground effort, in support of KWS, measured in what it has cleared, recovered and reported.

9,155
Hours flown on patrol
2.1M km
Covered by ground patrols
1,122
Pieces of ivory recovered
11,882
Bushmeat items recovered
2,761
Illegal livestock camps cleared from the park
782
Charcoal kilns destroyed
200
Poachers’ camps located and destroyed
6,847
Field reports filed to KWS

Why it matters

The air finds it. The ground answers it. Neither works without the other.

A threat spotted from the air is a threat cleared before it kills. A carcass found early is an investigation that can still catch those responsible. This constant loop between the sky and the ground, sustained day after day, is what has helped drive elephant poaching in Tsavo down by more than 95% against its 2013 baseline, in support of KWS.

Keep the aircraft flying and the teams moving.

Fuel, maintenance and field rations are the daily cost of protection. Your support keeps both units in the field.

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