East Africa’s First All-Female Anti-Poaching Unit

Segera Conservancy in Kenya’s Laikipia region Kenya — a destination that features prominently in Cheli & Peacock safaris — recently launched the first ever, all female anti-poaching unit in East Africa.

The 12 Maasai women in the unit received six months of intensive training at the Zeitz Foundation’s new training academy at Segera Conservancy and have been supplied with the necessary equipment and ongoing support required to be on the front line of Kenya conservation.

“It is been a long-standing mission of the Zeitz Foundation to create initiatives that enhance the livelihoods of local communities, empower women, and conserve nature,” says founder Jochen Zeitz. “We are proud to be supporting this ground-breaking venture that will improve women’s lives and support conservation in Kenya.”

The 50,000-acre Segera Conservancy sits in the heart of Laikipia — with Mount Kenya to the east and the Great Rift Valley to the west — and is Kenya’s only five-star safari property north of the equator.

“These women will not only get to set a new standard in their profession, but also get an opportunity to improve the livelihoods of their families,” Najib Balala, Kenya’s Secretary for Tourism & Wildlife, declared at the graduation ceremony.

“Women are nurturers and that instinct transfers easily to protecting the environment in which their families can thrive. I am very delighted that Kenya takes the lead in East Africa in empowering women in wildlife conservation.”