Ol Pejeta started its life as a cattle ranch. Bought in the 1940s by the prominent British settler Lord Delamere, it thrived for many years as a successful beef ranch under a number of owners, including for a time the infamous arms-dealer Adnan Khashoggi. However, in the late 1960s things were about to change, as Kenya suffered a serious poaching crisis.  As wildlife populations and in particular elephants and rhinos faced drastic decline, the then owner Lonrho Africa recognised the urgency, and in 1988 established Sweetwaters Game Reserve adjacent to the ranch. In 1992, the famous Sweetwaters Chimpanzee sanctuary was built for chimpanzees rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.

The threat of losing Ol Pejeta to agricultural development however was never far away. In 2003, some quick thinking and action by Flora and Fauna International, a generous benefactor and other partners, led to its acquisition, securing its future as the Ol Pejeta Conservancy we know today.  Later in the 2000s, the community development programme was launched, with education scholarships and later livelihoods support. In 2009, Ol Pejeta was honoured to receive the last four northern white rhinos, with the hope that a more natural environment might stimulate reproduction. In 2014, Ol Pejeta achieved IUCN green list status, one of only five conservancies in Africa to do so, recognising the importance of the landscape in Kenya and Africa. Ol Pejeta now holds the largest single population of eastern black rhino in Kenya, and is working with partners to save the northern white rhinos from extinction. We have developed expertise in wildlife and habitat management and security, conservation technology, and scaled our investment in community development.

Ol Pejeta has demonstrated its resilience, weathered COVID and shown that despite the challenges of population growth and climate change, wildlife and people can thrive. This incredible 90,000 acres of prime wildlife habitat and ranching land is now held for the foreseeable future in trust for the Kenyan people. It operates as Ol Pejeta Ranching Ltd, a commercial entity that generates income from tourism and agriculture. It is managed by Ol Pejeta Conservancy Ltd, a non-profit steered by a voluntary board. Ol Pejeta Conservancy is also supported by philanthropic and grants-based funding raised globally by Ol Pejeta UK, whilst profits from its commercial enterprises are ploughed back into the sustainable management of wildlife and habitat, and crucially the development of communities around its borders.  In 2024 Ol Pejeta launched a year to celebrate its 20^th Anniversary, and to look to the future as a leading Guardian of Nature, for the Benefit of All, committed to a sustainable future for wildlife and people alike.