Our Save the Great Tuskers project has gained new foundations with the completion of an aircraft hangar in Tsavo to protect the anti-poaching aircraft from the ravages of African sun & rain.
Pilot & Chief Conservation Officer Richard Moller has been flying daily sorties to provide aerial support to the anti-poaching operations of the Kenya Wildlife Service.
February in Tsavo National Park thankfully did not see a repeat of the now infamous killing of an entire family of 12 elephants that took place in January, but poaching has been at epidemic levels across Kenya, and East and Central Africa. It is estimated that an elephant was killed every second minute in 2011.
By flying in defence of Tsavo’s elephants, Save the Elephants and the Tsavo Trust are working to protect one of the last remaining reservoirs of big tuskers left in Africa. As well as bearing an extraordinary genetic heritage and important survival skills, these iconic animals are flagships for the species.
Nothing embodies the power and spirit of an elephant more than a big tusker, and to see such ivory worn by its rightful owner is an inspiring sight. To that end, below is a photo of a Tsavo Bull taken by Richard Moller on 2nd March.
The supercub aircraft flown by Richard is the ideal anti-poaching aerial support craft, with a quiet engine and proven excellence at flying low and slow. Its fabric wings are vulnerable to Kenya’s intense sunlight and torrential downpours, so the newly-completed hangar was an important step towards sustaining our Tsavo initiative.
Finding the remaining funding is the next step. Save the Elephants has already raised 20 per cent of the money necessary to support the first year of operations in Tsavo, but to keep our eyes in the sky we need your help! Please donate and spread the word!