We are located on the Eastern banks of the Tana River in Garissa County, Ijara Sub County, covering Hara, Korisa, Kotile and Abalatiro locations in Masalani ward.

The name Hirola comes from the Somali word arawla which means the taunted colour of Hirola.

• The Conservancy started as a Community Based Organization (CBO) the year 2007 and later registered as not-for profit company in 2013.
• The conservancy is home to the world rarest  critically endangered antelope species called Hirola (Beatragus hunteri) and the rare White Giraffe and all other wildlife species except Rhino.
• The conservancy was established to recover Hirola population and protect its natural range.
• Established Hirola sanctuary in August 2012 with 48 Hirola antelope introduced as a starter population, by the year 2021 the Hirola population inside sanctuary grew to 150 Hirola.
• The community land of Ishaqbini conservancy act as a natural habitat and corridor for wildlife and the key role and focus is to conserve the rare and critically endangered hirola antelope that is endemic to this region.

  The community stopped the government from translocating Hirola from its native land to Tsavo East National park. Historically, community has been living with Hirola and other wildlife peacefully since time immemorial and see it a blessing from God.

The community feel the ownership of Hirola and it’s their Identity, which is why they opted giving out part of their grazing land for Hirola conservation than being taken out of its native land as past effort for translocation never succeeded. They seriously fought and took the matter to court and won the case against the Kenya Wildlife Service which was doing the translocation.

The Hirola antelope, Beatragus hunteri, is the sole extant representative of a long-lasting phylogenetic lineage originating approximately 3.1 million years ago. The present population represents the last relic of a once widespread genus. Today, it is widely recognized as the most severely threatened species of antelope in the world. As a ‘Critically Endangered’ species, the Hirola is about as close to extinction as it comes. In being the only surviving member of its genus the Hirola’s loss would represent the first extinction of a genus on the African continent since the evolution of modern man. The population has declined from roughly 16,000 animals in the 1970s to an estimated 400 – 500 today.The most dramatic decline occurred between 1983 and 1985 during a major disease (Rinderpest) outbreak in the region.

In August 2012, Ishaqbini established a 27km2 predator-proof sanctuary for Hirola as a means of recovering the species by providing a secure area for a viable breeding population. A founder population of approximately 48 Hirola was established in the sanctuary, alongside populations of other wildlife. All large predators including cheetah, spotted hyena and leopard were removed from the sanctuary through trapping or darting, however smaller predators, not considered threats to Hirola, still remain inside. The aim of the sanctuary is to establish a secure breeding population of Hirola in the absence of predation, poaching and competition with livestock. The sanctuary has been a great success, and today the sanctuary population has grown to approximately 150 individuals, representing potentially 25% of the global population. The Ishaqbini sanctuary has shown that containing Hirola in a predator free environment is the most viable management option that can halt the decline of the species at this critical time, while efforts are made to address the drivers of decline in free-ranging populations in the long-term. The Ishaqbini community have agreed to set aside an additional land adjacent to the existing sanctuary for expansion, with a view to increasing the carrying capacity up to an estimated 250 hirola.

Other than the HIROLA, Ishaqbini is also home to many other wildlife species i.e. Zebras, Giraffes, Buffalos, Topi, Gerenuk, Cheetah, Leopards, Lions, Wild dogs, Ostrich, elephant, oryx and over 100 different bird species with stable population, this is strongly attributed to the strong conservational nature of the local community.

Investment in Community livelihood projects to diversify and increase income and development targeting water, education and health are key to creating the incentives needed to create behavioral change towards sustainable management and conservation of natural resources. Over the past 12 years, Ishaqbini through partnership with NRT have invested significantly into improving the lives of the resident community through employment, provision of clean water to villages (Korisa location and Kundi-a village in Hara location), education bursaries for students, micro-enterprise loans for women’s groups, youth vocational training on market-based skills such as mobile phone repair and tailoring and an annual livestock vaccination campaign for the local community. In a region that has almost no opportunities for formal employment and alternative livelihoods apart from pastoralism, the impact of Ishaqbini conservancy to the local community has been significant.