New Land Rover Defender tested in Kenya

New Land Rover Defender tested in Kenya in support of wildlife conservation

The new Land Rover Defender was tested in Kenya recently when photographer David Yarrow, one of the world’s best-selling fine art photographers, took photos for the Tusk Trust conservation charity. In 2018, charitable donations from the sale of David’s images exceeded $2 million.

Land Rover sent a prototype of the new Defender 4×4 to the Borana Conservancy in Laikipia, in northern Kenya, to help support lion tracking and monitoring operations which Yarrow captured. Land Rover’s link to East Africa stretches back to 1948, when some of the first 48 pre-production Series models were tested in the region. The new Land Rover Defender will make its world premiere later this year,

The new Defender 4×4 was tested by expert wildlife managers in a series of real-world activities in Borana which spreads across 14,000 hectares. This included a darting exercise to replace an old tracking collar fitted to a male lion. Yarrow was on hand to photograph the exercise as the new Land Rover Defender, wearing a specially devised camouflage, was put to work locating a pride of lions. The lion was then sedated at close range from the security of the new Defender prototype.

The Borana Conservancy is supported by Tusk. Borana works in a number of strategic areas including supporting communities, environmental education, habitat protection, saving endangered species and ensuring human-wildlife co-existence is achievable. The reserve is home to some of the most vulnerable species in the world. Elephants, black rhinoceros, African wild dogs and Grevy’s zebras share the reserve alongside lions and other large predators.

The initiative was supported by Jaguar Land Rover’s worldwide logistical partner and supporter of Tusk, DHL.

2019 has been designated the Year of the Lion Campaign.
Through the sale of stunning wildlife images captured by David Yarrow, the issue of declining lion numbers and threatened lion populations in Africa, will be highlighted and taken to the top of the conservation agenda. There are currently fewer than 20,000 African lions remaining in the wild, compared with 25,000 rhinos (20,000 white rhinos and 5,000 black rhinos), and three-quarters of African lion populations are in decline.

About Borana Conservancy
Borana Conservancy is a wildlife sanctuary based in Laikipia, Kenya. It is home to some of the African continent’s iconic wildlife species, including the critically endangered black rhino. Borana is dedicated to sustainable conservation of land and wildlife. The Conservancy’s holistic approach commits tourism, ranching, and other enterprise to build local livelihoods and enhance ecosystem integrity. In 2015, Borana and the neighbouring Lewa Wildlife Conservancy combined their landscapes to create one of Kenya’s biggest wildlife sanctuaries.

About Kenya Wildlife Service
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), is a Kenyan state corporation that conserves and manages Kenya’s wildlife for the Kenyan people and the world. KWS manages the biodiversity of the country, protecting and conserving the flora and fauna in Kenya’s national parks and reserves. KWS also oversees wildlife management and activities in private and community wildlife areas through close working partnerships.