I want to introduce you to one of the newest conservancies under the umbrella of the Northern Rangelands Trust. It is called Ishaqbini Community Conservancy and is in Ijara District of North-eastern Kenya (south-east of the Giraffe Sanctuary at Garissa which is featured as another Wildlifedirect blog). The conservancy is owned by the local Somali community and was established primarily to conserve the Hirola antelope (Beatragus hunteri) - Kenya’s most endangered antelope with an estimated 400 - 600 individuals remaining in the wild. The area covered by Ishaqbini is an important area for this species with an estimated population of about 100 Hirola. Ishaqbini is also an important area for African Wild Dog and has resident populations of reticulated giraffe, lesser kudu, gerenuk, lion, leopard and desert warthog (a species about which very little is known) amongst others.

Hirola antelope and photo of Hirola that was killed by a leopard - August 2007

Since NRT became involved the conservancy has employed 14 community scouts who are carrying out patrolling and wildlife monitoring in the conservancy, they underwent a three-week training course conducted by Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in August last year and their pass-out parade was well attended by district officials and Kenya Wildlife Service. The conservancy also has a manager and accountant who oversee the day to day activities and liaise closely with KWS, the county council and the Board of Trustees - members who have been elected by their community.

Inspection of Ishaqbini Scouts by the District Commissioner and KWS Warden during their pass-out parade

Ishaqbini is a beautiful area located on the Eastern banks of the Tana River opposite the Tana River Primate Reserve - the remoteness of the region and the tolerance of local people towards wildlife is evident in the fact that it is common to see Giraffe, Zebra and Warthog roaming around between the Somali homesteads. The Lesser Kudu we came across were possibly the ‘tamest’ I have ever seen and merely ambled across the road and stared at us when our vehicle approached. Other unique species found here are the Tana River Mangabey and Tana River Red Colobus which inhabit the riverine forest. It is very exciting for us to be working in this area with these communities, to see if the NRT model for community conservation will work in a completely different setting.

Lesser Kudu - Ishaqbini

Desert Warthog - Ishaqbini

Last week we got a report from the Manager that 2 Hirola had been poached inside the Conservancy. The head and hooves were all that remained of the carcass as well as carefully positioned branches upon which the meat was laid as it was cut off the carcass. This was devastating news for the scouts who are so dedicated and proud of the work they are doing. They suspect the poachers came into the conservancy in the late evening to poach, once they knew the scouts had all returned home. This incident highlights the need to establish a headquarters and permanent patrol presence inside the conservancy, however, currently we do not have the funds to do this. In the interim we are trying to raise money for tents and sleeping bags which would enable the scouts to carry out mobile patrols inside the conservancy. Any support you can give us towards purchasing this equipment would be much appreciated.

We are heading back to Ishaqbini at the end of this month to continue with wildlife monitoring training with the scouts and review patrolling and security activities. We are working closely with KWS and we see Ishaqbini as a model for community involvement in the conservation of Kenya’s rarest antelope.

Ishaqbini scouts during the wildlife monitoring training

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