As we come towards the end of this extraordinary year which has been such a difficult and stressful time for so many people all over the world, we approach Christmas and the New Year with renewed optimism that at last a better time is ahead for all of us.

Looking for a unique Christmas gift idea? Adopt-an-Acre to protect wildlife!

Give your nature-loving friends and family something that really makes a difference this year by adopting acres to protect habitat in Kenya.

Kenya’s iconic wildlife needs help to survive in its natural habitat. Many species are declining in number and this is almost entirely due to habitat loss. Our mission for nearly 30 years has been to increase land for wildlife. Our wildlife conservancies are vast tracts of land that are protected areas for wild animals. Many of the iconic animals of Africa – including elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards and cheetahs – are attracted to the conservancies where they are safe and protected.

It is the income from low-impact eco-tourism to our small Porini Safari Camps and our “Adopt An Acre” plan that pays for some of their lands to be leased from the local Maasai communities and set aside for wildlife. But with the recent global downturn in tourism due to the pandemic, donations are now vital for the future of the conservancies as tourism income fell away drastically during the past 9 months.

Through the “Adopt-an-Acre” plan, contributors can adopt an acre of land in the conservancies for a year with a donation to the Wildlife Habitat Trust. This Trust has been set up as a fund to help to pay the land leases so that the Maasai families continue receiving rents and the conservancies can continue to exist. The Trust is audited by a reputable firm of auditors in Nairobi, Grant Thornton Kenya, so that contributors can be confident that all the money is going direct to the Maasai community. When you adopt an acre, all the money goes to pay the land rents direct to the individual Maasai families whose plots of land are in the Conservancy and to pay the wages to their family members who are working in the Conservancy as rangers or camp staff.  

• Adopt An Acre (from just $35) for yourself or as a gift for a loved one to help us ensure wildlife stays protected. As a gift, we supply a Certificate showing the name of the recipient on whose behalf the donation has been made. Simply donate using the form on the link below, then email us at info@gamewatchers.com and let us know what name to add to the Adoption Certificate.
• Adopt 30 acres or more (for yourself or as a gift) and receive a travel credit for the exact amount donated which can be used towards a Porini Safari in 2021 or 2022 – so it’s like a downpayment on a future safari, with crucial conservation benefits thrown in for free!

ADOPT NOW!

We are collecting donations on behalf of the Wildlife Habitat Trust via Donorbox. Please use the form here: https://www.porini.com/saving-wildlife-in-kenya/

Payments are accepted by debit card, credit card or PayPal. (Payments are received in US$ but your own account does not need to be a US$ account and can be in a different currency).

100% of the donations that we collect will be passed to the Wildlife Habitat Trust for use towards land leases and salaries of staff from the conservancy’s local communities.

Lions by Jeffrey Wu

Cheetah cub by Kathi Hammer

Elephants by Matt Caldwell

Leopards by Matt Caldwell

Coming on a safari staying at our Porini Camps in the Conservancies in the Amboseli, Ol Pejeta and Maasai Mara makes a real contribution to wildlife conservation and to the lives of the communities who earn an income from the conservancies. Many of the Maasai community whose lands are in the conservancies have told us how much they appreciate the support given by contributors to the Adopt-an-Acre plan.  And many of our recent visitors have been telling us how it was evident to them just how much the staff at the camps value the fact that people are now coming back again on safari.   A long-time friend of Gamewatchers Safaris and a leading Africa travel specialist is Lisa Marsden, who has just been out to visit us and sums this up well in her write-up after her latest trip:

“Incredible wildlife aside, what I didn’t realise until setting foot in the various lodges and camps, was what my presence really meant to the people in the industry – to the staff and guiding teams who are now back at work thanks to those who dare to venture. To see,  first-hand, how many lives depend on travel – to see hope restored – was all I needed to further commit my energy to encouraging more travel to Africa. ” (Lisa Marsden, December 2020)

We will be delighted to welcome you to enjoy all that a wildlife safari offers and in the meantime we wish you  a happy time over the Christmas holidays and we send our very best wishes for the New Year from all of us at Gamewatchers Safaris & Porini Camps.

To set the scene, here are some more images shared with us by photographer Jeffrey Wu who has been staying at Porini Lion Camp: