About us
Rhino Ark
To continue to be the trusted partner in advocating, developing and implementing high-impact forest, water catchments and endangered wildlife conservation initiatives that tangibly support adjacent local communities.
Since 1988
Our history
Founded 1988 by Ken Kuhle
Rhino Ark was established in 1988 as a charitable trust to help save Kenya’s Black Rhino population in the Aberdare ecosystem. Rhino were under severe threat from rampant poaching for their highly valued horn. Wildlife would often invade farms bordering the park, destroying crops and occasionally resulting in human fatalities. Fear and aversion toward wildlife worked in favour of poachers who got easy access to the protected area.
Rhino Ark was formed specifically to assist the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in building an electric fence along sections of the Aberdare National Park on its Eastern Salient, the area with the highest concentration of wildlife that borders directly onto farmland. The scope of the initial project evolved into protecting the entire Aberdare Conservation Area with an electric fence.
Today, Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust is a leading Kenyan conservation organization that develops and implements practical solutions to challenges affecting Kenya’s mountain forests (also known as water towers) and their threatened natural habitats, in order to secure their ecological integrity.
What we stand for
Vision
To ensure that humans are living in harmony with habitat and wildlife.
Priority areas
- 1
Protection of mountain forests and their diverse wildlife
- 2
Support to, and engagement of, forest-adjacent communities in conservation
- 3
Re-establishment and/or securing of connectivity (wildlife corridors) with and between mountain forests
- 4
Use of science to assess the impacts of, and review, conservation interventions
How we intervene
Practical programmes protecting Kenya’s mountain forest water towers and neighbouring communities.
- Electric conservation fencing and fence management capacity building with KWS and KFS
- Combating wildlife crime and responding to wildfires
- Community-based ground patrols and ecological monitoring
- Aerial surveillance
- Environmental education
- Promotion of bio-enterprise development
- Securing wildlife corridors
Explore
Go deeper into Rhino Ark
Meet the people, read our approach, and find international partners. Each card opens a full page.
Approach & strategy
How we work with communities and partners
Open pageBoard of Directors
Governance of Rhino Ark Charitable Trust
Open pageOur team
Kenya programme and operations staff
Open pageGlobal Ambassadors
International awareness and support
Open pageTestimonials
Voices from leaders and communities
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Rhino Ark UK & United States
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Offices and enquiry emails
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Film
Watch our story
Documentary celebrating 30 years of Rhino Ark (2018)
May 2022
Quick FAQs
Short answers here. Full FAQs live in the Knowledge Hub.
Who is Rhino Ark?
Rhino Ark Charitable Trust is a trust established in Kenya under the Trustee Act (Cap 167) and registered under the Non-Governmental Organisations Coordination Act, 1990. Its main objective is the preservation of Kenya’s mountain forests (water towers) and their rich biodiversity.
Where are Rhino Ark offices located?
Main offices are at the Kenya Wildlife Service Headquarters Complex on Langata Road in Nairobi. There is a field office for the Aberdare / Mount Kenya ecosystems in Nyeri, and branch offices in the UK and USA.
How and why was Rhino Ark founded?
Rhino Ark is a non-profit Kenyan conservation Trust formed in 1988 by conservationist Ken Kuhle to address a massive conservation crisis in Kenya’s Aberdare mountain forests. Rampant poaching of rhino and African elephant was at an all-time high, and adjacent farming communities faced constant wildlife raiding. The initial aim was to build and maintain a protective electric fence to contain wildlife within the national park and curb illegal logging and poaching.
What are Rhino Ark’s vision and mission?
Vision: ensure that humans are living in harmony with habitat and wildlife. Mission: assist the Government of Kenya in conserving Kenya’s water towers through effective, result-oriented programmes that involve and support adjacent local communities within a public/private partnership framework.