The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 360 km2 (140 sq mi) not-for-profit wildlife conservancy in Central Kenya’s Laikipia County. Situated on the equator west of Nanyuki, between the foothills of the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy works to conserve wildlife, provide a sanctuary for great apes and to generate income through wildlife tourism and complementary enterprises for re-investment in conservation and community development.
From a working cattle ranch in colonial Kenya, to a trailblazer of conservation innovation – the story of Ol Pejeta is as enchanting as it is inspirational.
Today, Ol Pejeta Conservancy is the largest black rhino sanctuary in East Africa, and home to two of the world’s last remaining northern white rhino. It is the only place in Kenya to see chimpanzees, in a Sanctuary established to rehabilitate animals rescued from the black market. It has some of the highest predator densities in Kenya and still manages a very successful livestock program. Ol Pejeta also seeks to support the people living around its borders, to ensure wildlife conservation translates to better education, healthcare, and infrastructure for the next generation of wildlife guardians.
In 2004, the ranch was purchased by the U.K.-based conservation organization, Fauna &Flora International (FFI), with the financial backing of the Arcus Foundation, a private international philanthropic organization founded by Jon Stryker. The land purchase was wholly funded by a $15 million donation from the Arcus Foundation, which worked in tandem with FFI and the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to secure the 90,000 acres of open Savannah grassland and convert it into a national land trust.
The conservation of the natural habitat, located in Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau, ensured the protection of existing rhino, elephant, and other wildlife populations in addition to captive chimpanzees living in a 300-acre sanctuary.
The Arcus Foundation also gave $12 million to fund capital and institutional development costs at the conservancy. That initial injection of funding allowed Ol Pejeta Conservancy to fulfill its business model as a Kenyan-owned operation benefiting local community development and economic growth in addition to its impact on conservation.
Today, the Arcus Foundation continues to support the conservancy through its membership on the Board of Trustees and the funding of various initiatives.
In 2014, Ol Pejeta achieved IUCN Green List status, one of only two conservancies in Africa to be awarded this. IUCN Green Listing aims to define excellence in managing valuable natural areas. They have also been awarded the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence three years running – a testament to the incredible experiences treasured by all who visit Ol Pejeta.
In 2015, we published our 2020 Management Plan – which was developed by our staff in consultation with a range of stakeholders, and sets out our vision for the years leading up to 2020, outlining the major projects that will help them to deliver our vision. They want to become an innovative and sustainable model that conserves biodiversity (particularly endangered species) and contributes to economic growth and the improvement of the livelihoods of rural communities.
Wildlife at Ol Pejeta Conservancy
All members of the “Big five game” (lion, Cape buffalo, African elephant, leopard, and rhinoceros) can be found on the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. Both black and white rhino thrive here. In 2013, Ol Pejeta recorded the birth of its 100th black rhino. This means the Conservancy is now a “Key 1” black rhino population on the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group categorization. It is one of only eight sanctuaries in Africa with this distinction.
Other rare animals that can be found on Ol Pejeta include the endangered African wild dog, oryx, Jackson’s hartebeest, Grevy’s zebra, serval, cheetah, and bat-eared fox. The more common African wildlife can, of course, be found here too, including giraffes, vervet monkeys, baboons, hippos, impala, eland, Grant’s gazelle, dik-dik, plains zebra, silver-backed jackal, hyena. There are also over 300 bird species on the Conservancy.
All animals are free to move in and out of the Conservancy by way of specially constructed “game corridors” that only restrict the movement of rhinos. Knee-high posts in the ground, situated very close together, present no challenge for elephant, antelope and carnivores, who are easily able to jump or step over. Rhinos, however, are unable to do this, and as a result, are restricted from moving into areas where they are in danger of being slaughtered for their horn.
Chimpanzee Sanctuary at Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Home to 39 profoundly damaged chimpanzees rescued from captivity across Africa and further afield, Ol Pejeta’s Chimp Sanctuary encompasses two large enclosures cut in two by the Ewaso Ngiro River. There are an elevated observation post and keepers are usually on hand to explain a little about each chimp’s backstory; note the tiny replica cage in which one of the chimps was chained for years on end prior to being brought to the sanctuary.
There is an information center and you can adopt a chimp (US$100 to US$250) if you would like to help the sanctuary.