BBC Wildlife Highlights Raptor Conservation in the Maasai Mara

We're thrilled to share that Cottar's Safaris and our conservation partners at the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust (KBoPT) have been featured in BBC Wildlife Magazine - one of the world's most respected natural history publications.

Writer and naturalist Mike Unwin travelled to our Olderkesi Conservancy to experience first-hand the groundbreaking work being done to protect Kenya's raptors, and the result is a stunning piece of journalism that Cottar's Safaris is incredibly proud to have been part of.

About the BBC Wildlife Feature

Published in December 2025, the BBC Wildlife piece takes readers deep into the Maasai Mara on the trail of eagles, vultures, and some of Africa's most threatened birds of prey. Mike spent a week based at Cottar's Safaris, venturing out daily with our head guide Doug Nagi and the KBOPT's field team - visiting monitored nests, witnessing vultures at a kill, and hearing the stories of the remarkable people working to turn the tide for raptors across Kenya.

Why Raptor Conservation Matters in the Maasai Mara

The feature documents the alarming reality that 89% of Kenya's raptor species have declined by at least 75% over the past 40 years - and recognises the scientists, community members, and conservation partners who are doing something about it. Cottar's Safaris is proud to be at the centre of that story.

You can read the full piece at BBC Wildlife / Discover Wildlife.

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Cottar's Safaris' Partnership with the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust

Cottar's Safaris has partnered with the KBoPT to offer guests an exclusive half-day immersive raptor experience, year-round. The experience provides access to the Trust's ongoing field work - visiting monitored nests and witnessing remarkable raptor behaviour alongside the scientists themselves - with a portion of the safari price going directly to fund KBOPT's projects.

This is conservation tourism as it should be: meaningful, expert-led, and directly accountable.

What Guests Can Experience 

The half-day Raptor Experience at Cottar’s Safaris with the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust is available year-round, subject to availability, and requires at least one week's notice, from a $780 donation.

A member of KBoPT's team comes to Cottar’s 1920s Camp to present on the trust's work protecting Kenya's raptors - work that has never been more urgent. As highlighted in the BBC Wildlife piece, seven of Africa's eleven vulture species are now on the edge of extinction - The Maasai Mara has seen unprecedented vulture declines over the past few decades, and KBoPT's field team is at the centre of efforts to reverse that trend.

What happens next depends on the day. If a vulture or other raptor is currently being rehabilitated, guests have the chance to visit it directly - a rare, close encounter with the birds at the heart of the conservation story. If not, guests instead join the KBoPT team on a wildlife drive, learning firsthand how the trust monitors raptor populations and protects these keystone species across the Maasai Mara.

Either way, guests sit directly alongside the people doing the work - in conversation with the scientists confronting one of East Africa's most pressing wildlife crises.

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How Conservation Tourism Supports the Work

The Maasai Mara is one of the great Wonders of the Natural World - home to nearly 500 bird species and almost 90 mammal species, from elephants and rhinos to leopards, lions, and giraffes, all within a reserve covering just 0.01% of Africa's landmass.

Guests staying at our award-winning Cottar's 1920s Camp can join the raptor experience alongside a full programme of Impact Experiences - including the Maasai Warrior School, stargazing, foraging walks, and wildlife drives. It's a safari experience that goes far beyond the Big Five.

Cottar's Safaris is enormously grateful to Mike Unwin and the team at BBC Wildlife Magazine for telling this story so beautifully - and proud to be doing our part to ensure the skies above the Maasai Mara stay full of wings.

Interested in the Cottar's Safaris Raptor Experience? Get in touch with our team to start planning your visit. bookings@cottarsafaris.com