Kenya’s Nyekweri Forest holds the country’s only known population of giant ground pangolins, a species already under pressure across much of its range. Researchers tracking one individual named Naserian watched her signal vanish one night in 2025 after she encountered an electrified fence on the edge of the Maasai Mara region. The loss highlighted a pattern that has claimed many of these rare animals in recent years. ([1])
A Species at the Edge of Survival
Giant ground pangolins rank as the largest of the world’s eight pangolin species and occur naturally at low densities. They give birth to a single offspring at a time, which limits their ability to recover from losses. In Kenya the entire known population lives within Nyekweri Forest and surrounding lands, where fewer than thirty individuals are believed to remain. Every death therefore carries significant weight for the species’ future in the country.
Electrified Fences Reshape the Landscape
Since 2022 researchers have documented fifteen pangolin deaths in the Nyekweri area, fourteen of them caused by electrocution on fences. These barriers, installed to protect livestock and crops, cross the patchwork of forest, farmland and grazing land that the animals must navigate each night. Naserian’s case followed the same pattern: after two years of monitored movement through the mosaic of private parcels, a single charged wire proved fatal. The fences reflect broader changes in land use around the western edge of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Local Communities Respond to the Crisis
Maasai residents living near Nyekweri have become central to efforts aimed at reducing further deaths. Their involvement includes working with researchers to identify high-risk fence locations and exploring modifications that allow pangolins to pass safely. Because the animals move across privately held land, cooperation with landowners remains essential. These community-driven steps build on traditional knowledge of the area while addressing a modern threat that did not exist when pangolin numbers were higher.
Looking Ahead for Kenya’s Pangolins
The combination of habitat fragmentation and infrastructure continues to test the resilience of this small population. Ongoing monitoring provides clearer pictures of movement patterns, yet the low reproductive rate means recovery will be slow even if mortality drops. Conservation work now focuses on practical adjustments to fences and sustained engagement with the people who manage the land. The outcome will determine whether giant pangolins persist in Kenya or disappear from the country altogether.
