admin | November 10, 2025
News Brief
In northern Kenya, elephants once roamed freely across vast landscapes—but roads, fences, and expanding towns are now cutting through their ancient migration routes. Geospatial expert Benjamin Loloju, who works with Save the Elephants (STE), warns that closing these corridors could be disastrous. Using GPS data, STE has mapped “elephant highways” that reveal generations-old travel patterns. With support from local communities and the Wyss Academy for Nature, Loloju’s team is marking and protecting shared routes for wildlife and livestock before rapid development erases them entirely.
In the heart of northern Kenya, elephants once roamed freely across vast landscapes. Today, roads, fences, and towns are slicing through these ancient migration routes. But communities and conservationists are working together to keep the corridors open—before it’s too late.
Mr. Benjamin Loloju, a geospatial expert who grew up herding goats in the region, says, “It’s a really, really big lifeline corridor. If we close off here, we will cut off the elephants. And for their survival—it is so, so important to have this connection.”
Mr. Loloju works with Save the Elephants (STE), an organization founded in 1993 by Scottish zoologist Mr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton. STE has been using GPS collars to track elephant movements across Kenya for decades, collecting detailed data on where and how these animals travel in search of food and water.
Mr. Douglas-Hamilton’s research shows that elephant movements are not random. Years of GPS tracking data reveal consistent migration routes—what he calls “elephant highways”—that have been culturally shared across generations.
But Kenya is changing. Under a national plan known as Kenya Vision 2030, thousands of kilometres of new roads and rail lines are being built. A six-lane expressway and the Standard Gauge Railway—part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative—have already cut through national parks. Development is moving fast, often with little regard for wildlife.
In Oldonyiro, a town at the centre of a key migration corridor, the threat is especially urgent.
Mr. Loloju says, “This is the thread; this is the heart of it. If we lose this link, elephants won’t be able to reach the resources they need. Human-wildlife conflict will rise. More elephants could die.”
Mr. Loloju received an “elephant scholarship” from STE, which funded his education in Nairobi and later in the UK. Today, he uses his skills to map corridors and engage with local communities. Together with the Wyss Academy for Nature, his team has installed more than 200 concrete markers across northern Kenya, identifying joint routes for livestock and wildlife. He says, “This has been good. Communities have agreed to demarcate it.” Many residents are showing support for the initiative, recognizing the value of peaceful coexistence with elephants.
To support these efforts, the Northern Rangelands Trust and local conservancies are also raising awareness about the importance of keeping migration corridors open—for elephants and for the future of their own livelihoods.
But the corridor near Oldonyiro is under intense pressure. Land that was once communal has been converted to private plots, with title deeds and fences going up rapidly. Mr. Loloju says, “These elephants will come and say, ‘My god, this fence was not here a month ago.’”
Tracking maps back him up. Near Oldonyiro, elephant movements that used to be relaxed—big spaghetti-like lines—have now turned into a single narrow strand.
He explains, “They aren’t dawdling. They’re just trying to cross to the next safe place.” Even when elephants adapt and find new paths, those routes are also threatened. In one area south of town, residents are building permanent homes and fencing off their land—right along the elephants’ new trail. STE is trying to convince landowners to set aside narrow easements—just 20 to 30 metres wide—so wildlife can still pass through.
But fencing isn’t the only obstacle. Soil erosion is carving deep gullies into the landscape, making some areas impassable.
Mr. Loloju says, “It starts like a little path. And over the years, it just expands.” As he navigates a ravine, he adds, “Imagine a family of elephants having to cross this. And if fences keep going up, they may not have any choice.”
Mrs. Lucy King, director of STE’s Human-Elephant Coexistence Program, explains, “They are quite capable of changing their paths. But there have to be alternatives.”
She has worked on innovative strategies like beehive fences to deter elephants from raiding crops. But when towns spring up directly on top of traditional migration routes, options vanish. Mrs. King emphasizes that community understanding and support are essential for long-term coexistence between people and elephants.
Kenya now faces a difficult crossroads. Conservationists warn that without urgent action, the country risks repeating its past elephant tragedies—from the poaching crisis of the 1970s to more recent mass die-offs during severe droughts.
As bulldozers push forward and land use changes, local people and conservationists are pushing back—trying to protect the ancient paths that elephants have walked for centuries.
Photo: Elephants in the Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. Image courtesy of Hillary Rosner for Mongabay.
This story is based on an article written by Hillary Rosner for Mongabay, titled “Migrating elephants get room to roam via community conservation efforts.” To read the full story, go to : https://news.mongabay.com/2025/10/migrating-elephants-get-room-to-roam-via-community-conservation-efforts/