Hirola Conservation Programme

The Hirola Conservation Programme (HCP) is a Kenya-based conservation non-governmental organisation dedicated to saving the hirola, described on its own website as "the World's most Endangered Antelope." Its stated mission is "to protect and increase the numbers and distribution of hirola through participatory conservation, education, community involvement and international support." The organisation operates in the rangelands of North-Eastern Kenya, a region that includes Garissa and the surrounding pastoralist areas, and it frames its work around a participatory model in which local communities and pastoralists are central partners rather than passive beneficiaries. HCP's programme portfolio spans several linked conservation initiatives. Its anti-poaching programme focuses on the conservation of the hirola and elephants. A ten-year habitat restoration project aims to restore grasslands in areas where hirola currently persist. The organisation also runs a Somali giraffe project in partnership with indigenous communities in north-eastern Kenya, a One Health programme that seeks to understand zoonotic disease cycles and manage potential outbreaks, and a community education effort anchored by the Hirola Wildlife Education Centre, described as the inaugural conservation education centre in Kenya's North-Eastern region. An Animal Rescue, Caregiving and Re-wilding Program provides care for abandoned, orphaned and injured wildlife in the region. Beyond field conservation, HCP presents itself as a partner for companies seeking to meet environmental and social responsibility expectations. Its corporate partnerships page invites businesses to align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, support their ESG strategies, and gain access to HCP's expertise and data, while offering benefits such as increased customer loyalty, employee attraction and retention, and brand visibility. The organisation solicits support through monthly donations, a "Pay for a Day" sponsorship, and sponsorship of key wildlife supplies. The programme's public communications highlight metrics such as 1,000 acres under restoration, 1,000 pastoralists reached, and 100 remaining hirola, and its blog covers topics including local leadership in species revival, the Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary breeding and re-wilding programme, water for wildlife, the Hirola Wildlife Education Centre at the Garissa Giraffe Centre, and drought as a looming disaster. As a conservation NGO rather than a commercial enterprise, HCP functions as a mission-driven organisation whose brand is built around species protection, community partnership and environmental stewardship in one of Kenya's most arid and marginalised regions.

The Hirola Conservation Programme (HCP) is a conservation non-governmental organisation based in Kenya and dedicated to the survival of the hirola, an antelope that its website describes as "the World's most Endangered Antelope." The organisation's public identity is built around a participatory conservation model that places local pastoralist communities at the centre of species protection in the rangelands of North-Eastern Kenya. HCP's work is organised into a set of linked programmes. Its anti-poaching programme focuses on the conservation of the hirola and elephants. A ten-year habitat restoration project aims at restoring grasslands in areas where the hirola currently persist. The organisation also runs a Somali giraffe project in partnership with indigenous communities in north-eastern Kenya, and a One Health programme that aims to understand zoonotic disease cycles and manage potential outbreaks. Community education is delivered through the Hirola Wildlife Education Centre, described as the inaugural conservation education centre in Kenya's North-Eastern region, located at the organisation's main camp, the Garissa Giraffe Centre. An Animal Rescue, Caregiving and Re-wilding Program was established to provide care for abandoned, orphaned and injured wildlife in the region. A significant strand of HCP's work concerns breeding and re-wilding. Its blog recounts the background and history of the Hirola Breeding & Re-wilding Program and the establishment of the Ishaqbini Hirola Sanctuary. The organisation also communicates about water provision for wildlife in the vast rangelands of North-Eastern Kenya, where drought is a recurring threat; a 2021 blog post described drought as "a looming disaster." Publicly highlighted metrics include 1,000 acres under restoration, 1,000 pastoralists reached, and 100 remaining hirola. Alongside its field programmes, HCP has developed a corporate partnerships offering. It invites companies to partner with the programme to meet environmental and social responsibility expectations, align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, support ESG strategies, and access HCP's expertise and data. The organisation solicits support through monthly donations, a "Pay for a Day" sponsorship, and sponsorship of key wildlife supplies. Its blog has covered themes such as how local leadership is reviving vanishing species, water for wildlife, and the Hirola Wildlife Education Centre. As a mission-driven NGO rather than a commercial company, HCP's history is documented primarily through its own programme communications and blog posts rather than through corporate or financial records. Its identity is closely tied to the arid rangelands of North-Eastern Kenya, to pastoralist communities, and to the survival of the hirola.

• Blog post published describing drought as a looming disaster.

• Blog posts published on the Hirola Breeding & Re-wilding Program, Water For Wildlife, and the Hirola Wildlife Education Centre.

• Blog post published on how local leadership is reviving vanishing species.

A participatory, community-led conservation NGO focused on saving the critically endangered hirola in North-Eastern Kenya, also offering corporate ESG and SDG partnership opportunities.

• Anti-Poaching Programme

  Focuses on the conservation of the hirola and elephants.

• Habitat Restoration

  A ten-year restoration project aiming at restoring grasslands in areas where the hirola persist currently.

• Somali Giraffe Project

  Partnering with indigenous communities to conserve giraffes in northeastern Kenya.

• One Health Programme

  A 'One Health Approach' that aims to understand zoonotic disease cycles and manage potential outbreaks.

• Community Education

  The Hirola Wildlife Education Centre, located in North-Eastern Kenya, is an inaugural conservation education centre in the North-Eastern region of Kenya.

• Animal Rescue, Caregiving and Re-wilding Program

  Established to provide the necessary care that abandoned, orphaned and injured wildlife in Northeastern Kenya might need.

1. 1hirolaconservation.org – Saving the World's most Endangered Antelopehirolaconservation.org
2. 2Corporate Partnerships – hirolaconservation.orghirolaconservation.org
3. 3Wikidata Q136323253wikidata.org