IoT Sensor Networks for advanced wildlife tracking and rhino rehabilitation
Partners: Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, 51 Degrees, Kenya Wildlife Service, Cisco, Actility
Key Species: Black rhino, African elephant, painted hunting dogs, hippo, giraffe, kudu, fringe-eyed oryx
Deployment: 2025
For decades, the sprawling, red-dusted savannahs and rugged hills of Tsavo have been a sanctuary for Africa's iconic Big Five and over 500 recorded bird species. Partnering with the Kenya Wildlife Service, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has safeguarded this remarkable landscape, whose tireless efforts have transformed Tsavo into a testament to resilience and conservation ingenuity.
In the 1970s, black rhinos were so abundant here that they were deemed “bush vermin” and roamed in their tens of thousands. Tour guides told tales of rhinos storming out of the bush and denting safari vehicles. Sadly, the illegal rhino horn trade has tragically decimated the population. By 1983, just 350 remained.
Together with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) is transforming the future of rhinos and elephants with a pioneering conservation model that seamlessly blends human dedication and advanced technology. Their efforts are a remarkable synergy of ground and aerial operations, powered by data-driven insights and strong partnerships with local communities.
Real-time conservation insights
Powered by solar energy, Sheldrick’s operations room is a central hub where data from these aerial patrols, vehicle movements, camera traps and diagnostic metrics stream directly into visualisation software. This real-time operation turns data into actionable insights, guiding targeted conservation efforts day and night across Tsavo’s vast landscapes.
IoT helps strengthen protection and monitoring
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, with 51 Degrees, is now implementing LoRaWAN and Internet of Things (IoT) networks. The Connected Conservation Foundation is proud to support their transformative initiative by unlocking LoraWan Cisco Gateways, a Sensor Integration platform and network server from Actility and funding to cover importation and some sensors. These will assist with delivering critical, real-time data on wildlife movements, vehicle tracking, ranger patrol monitoring and environmental conditions from across 38,500 km2 of Tsavo. This will enable the SWT to monitor, collect and analyse environmental and security data with unprecedented precision and scale.
LoRa for Rhinos - expanding habitats and enhancing safety
A core application for this new LoRa network is tracking and helping protect Rhinos. Nestled at the foot of Ngulia Hills, the intensive protection zone (IPZ), Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary (NRS) has become a beacon of success, with rhino populations surpassing its carrying capacity. KWS, with the support of stakeholders, is embarking on a bold mission: releasing rhino populations from NRS into Tsavo’s western regions. By enhancing security and monitoring, the SWT is assisting KWS in laying the groundwork for rhino recovery beyond the boundaries of the IPZ.
In February 2025, the KWS conducted an ear-notching exercise for black rhinos, fitting LoRa horn transmitters to the free-ranging population in Tsavo East National Park as part of the Black Rhino Recovery and Action Plan. The LoRa network will send data from these trackers directly to the Kenya Wildlife Service's operations platform, accessed only by a few strategic staff members. If a rhino gets to the park boundary, an alert will trigger an immediate response. Or, if a tracker shows abnormal movement indicating unusual behaviour or distress, teams and an aerial response can be mobilised straight away.
Beyond security, data captured by these sensors will also unlock vital insights into rhino behaviour. Detailed movement patterns reveal feeding grounds, mating behaviours, habitat use and emerging threats. As rhinos venture beyond the IPZ, the LoRa tags will enhance their safety, enabling the team to guide them back to secure areas if they stray into risky zones or encounter threats. What was once a time-consuming and uncertain process, relying on hours of aerial patrols, will soon transform into a precise operation.
LoRa tags enable new virtual vets
SWT tirelessly responds to elephants injured by snares or caught in human- wildlife conflict, often through spearing or poisoning. Thanks to the KWS/SWT-funded Tsavo Mobile Veterinary Unit, these elephants receive rapid, lifesaving treatment. Now, their efforts are getting a high-tech boost. LoRa tags can be fitted to treated elephants that may require follow-up intervention to fully heal, enabling rangers to monitor their recovery remotely. Like a virtual doctor check-up, the sensors track movement patterns over the weeks and months and alert the team of the elephant’s location for additional intervention.
Promoting coexistence
LoRa technology will also support the management of so-called 'problem animals' —elephants that break fences, raid crops or pose a threat to human safety. By tagging these individuals, rangers can monitor their behaviour patterns and receive instant alerts when they approach local communities. This proactive approach facilitates swift action, supporting relocation efforts and helping to prevent conflict before it escalates.
Impact
- We eagerly anticipate the positive impacts of this technology on conservation efforts and operations in Tsavo.
