More than 1,000kg of ivory and 2,000kg of sandalwood were confiscated by Big Life Foundation Rangers last year, according to quarterly report covering October, November and December.
The organisation's executive chairman and founder Richard Bonham said the rangers helped rescue dozens of animals and arrest more than 150 suspects engaged in illegal wildlife crimes.
“These are just a few of our impressive numbers, and we look forward to sharing more of our 2023 impact soon,” he said.
The foundation's area of operation covers about 1.6 million acres across the Amboseli-Tsavo-Kilimanjaro (Greater Amboseli) ecosystem in East Africa.
Its team of more than 500 helps protect and secure wildlife and critical habitat, stretching from the rangelands north of Amboseli to the Chyulu Hills and Tsavo West National parks in the east and south to Kilimanjaro National Park.
The area is a central connection point for migrating wildlife and contains some of the most important habitat left in Africa.
Big Life was the first organisation in the region to conduct collaborative cross-border patrols between Kenya and Tanzania.
The core areas of operation are Eselengei, Kimana, Mbirikani, Rombo, Chyulu Hills National Park and Enduimet Wildlife Management Area (Tanzania) while the non-core areas are Merrueshi Ranch and Taveta.
Amboseli National Park, Kuku, Mailua Ranch, Olgulului and Tsavo West National Park are some of the adjacent areas.
Bonham said there were zero crop raids by elephants witnessed since December.
“We can attribute this to an abundance of natural food sources following the good rains, but also the cumulative efforts of our rangers and our crop-protection fencing [which are] really paying off,” he said.
The Big Life founder said they have partnered with the local community to protect the Nairrabala corridor on Olgulului.
“We are signing leases, hiring rangers and planning for the future of this 37,000-acre connection between Amboseli National Park and the conservancies to the north,” Bonham said.
The organisation patrolled 46,107km on foot this quarter and 148,052km by vehicle, bringing a total area patrolled to 194,159km.
The kilometres patrolled since inception in 2011 are 1,387,728 by foot and 4,376,283 by vehicle bringing the total to 5,764,011.
Big Life said 12 suspects were arrested with bush meat while 36 were arrested for being in possession of trophy.
Recovered items included 382.6kg of ivory, 14 snares, three animal skins, 261kg of bush meat, three kilogrammes of Pangolin scales, 1,103 kg of sandalwood and 57 tools and weapons.
The organisation said there had been eight incidences of bush meat and 16 of trophy possession, noting that one case had been concluded while some 1,071 are ongoing.
Big Life said there have been three mortalities due to human-elephant conflict while two elephants died of unknown causes.
Other mortalities (excluding large predators) included two buffalos, four bushbucks, nine dik-diks, six duikers, one eland, five gazelles, two giraffes, one impala, one stork, one warthog, one wildebeest and four zebras.
On elephant was injured and treated while two lions and two ostriches were either rescued or treated.
The compensation issued for 61 cows was $12,195 (Sh1.9 million), 496 sheep/goats at $18,169 (Sh2.8 million) and six donkeys at $218 (Sh34,008) bringing the total compensation for quarter four to $30,582 (Sh4.8 million).
Livestock killed by predators are caracal (four), cheetah (33), hyena (373), jackal (57), leopard (three), lion (89) and wild dog (one).
Big Life says there are eight known eastern black rhinos in its area of operation that spend most of their time in the densely-forested Chyulu Hills National Park, protected by their rangers and the Kenya Wildlife Service.
In addition to monitoring and protecting the resident rhinos, the organisation has been working to improve and maintain infrastructure in the rhino area, the goal of which is to maintain Intensive Protection Zone status, which will allow for the future inbound translocation of rhinos from other territories.
Big Life warns that the ongoing land subdivision sweeping Amboseli and fragmenting large tracts of community-owned land into thousands of small and privately-owned parcels could destroy the ecosystem.
It is supporting partner communities by investing in proper land use plans, using spatial planning to create area designations for all land-use types, such as settlement, agriculture, rangeland and conservancy/wildlife corridors).