Saving the Pancake Tortoise: ‘Living emblem’ of Kenya’s natural heritage

Kenya’s exquisite little pancake tortoise, locally known as kobe kama chapati, faces extinction due to habitat loss, land clearance for agriculture, poaching for the illegal pet trade and potential impacts from climate change.

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On 10 August, three suspects were arrested in a sting operation conducted by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) rangers and the police. The suspects were transporting four of these creatures to a buyer at the Marimanti trading centre in Tharaka-Nithi County. The sting operation came in the wake of KWS unveiling a National Recovery and Conservation Action Plan for the Pancake Tortoise (Malacochersus tornieri) in Kenya (2025-2035) on 16 May.

These unusually soft-shelled, beautifully patterned, relatively agile animals are endemic to Kenya’s arid and semi-arid landscapes, where they can be found in the crevices of rocky outcrops and hills. According to John Wambua, KWS assistant director in charge of the Eastern conservation area, the tortoise’s habitats are Tharaka-Nithi, Meru, Embu, Samburu, Laikipia, Isiolo, Kitui, Mwingi, Tana River and Marsabit counties.

Habitat of the pancake tortoise, Kenya

This tortoise species exhibits a low reproductive capacity, with females laying only one egg per clutch per season. Their recruitment rate (the number of new tortoises added to the population, through birth, maturation, or migration) is low. Survival of juveniles in the wild, especially given the numerous egg and juvenile predators present in the animal’s natural habitat, is also low.

The pancake tortoise is red-listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and international trade is restricted under CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Appendix I. Despite this, tortoises are still poached and traded illegally in Kenya.

Protecting the species is complicated by two challenges. As the map shows, its habitat is widespread and includes community and private lands outside national parks and national reserves, making collaboration with local communities essential for its protection. In addition, national population size estimates, breeding, feeding, movements, home range, genetics and distribution are yet to be fully established to aid conservation planning.

Abraham Mugambi, a Marimanti community leader involved in the campaign to save the pancake tortoise, said a group of people from outside the area was responsible for paying desperate youths to poach the tortoises. The community intelligence system, he disclosed, had established that illicit dealers offered almost $100 for one animal. The community is, however, now on high alert.

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Buyers smuggle the tortoises out of Kenya, primarily to Europe and North America, where the animal’s exotic characteristics make it a treasured pet in private homes and an addition to zoos. International wildlife trafficking networks also supply exotic meat and pet markets in Thailand and elsewhere in Asia with endangered and threatened species, including the pancake tortoise.

To formulate a conservation strategy, KWS partnered with Turtle Survival Alliance through the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, National Museums of Kenya and Northern Rangelands Trust to establish the National Pancake Tortoise Technical Steering Committee.

Over two years, the committee conducted a baseline study (using data available in the public domain and from the literature), stakeholder mapping and consultations at multiple sites, as well as community and technical validations. This culminated in the 2025-2035 action plan launched by the Tourism and Wildlife Ministry on 16 May.

The plan aims to protect and restore vital koppie habitats, train local ‘tortoise guardians’ to lead conservation efforts, target wildlife trafficking networks, boost scientific research and population tracking, and create eco-tourism opportunities to generate local income.

“Our young men, elders and women have been taught about the threats the species face and have been informed to alert the chief or elders in case they see any stranger or anyone looking for the tortoises,” Mr Mugambi said.

Speaking at the launch, KWS Director General Erustus Kanga called on county governments in regions where the tortoise is found to designate protected habitat zones. He asked them to allocate funding for public awareness campaigns and establish county-level wildlife monitoring and enforcement units focused on the species.

“This action plan isn’t just about saving a tortoise,” he said. “It’s about protecting a living emblem of Kenya’s natural heritage – a species that defies nature’s norms yet now depends on our protection. With females laying just one egg per year, every individual is critical to the species’ survival.”

Peter Nyawira of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy added: “We’re not just launching a document. We’re building a coalition – counties, communities, scientists and policymakers – for one small tortoise that tells a bigger story about our disappearing drylands.”

The efforts by KWS and its partners will hopefully usher in a decade of evidence-driven scientific and community understanding of the pancake tortoise and its habitat. The plan should also establish collaborative conservation interventions that work with communities and curb the poaching and illicit trade of the tortoise.

The stakeholders involved in implementing the ambitious 10-year plan should raise public awareness on the ecological and tourist value of this unique tortoise. They should mobilise resources from international conservation bodies to support habitat rehabilitation and restoration efforts.

Law enforcement agencies need to collaborate with KWS, communities and private landowners to curb the illicit trade in pancake tortoises. Community-embedded intelligence gathering and the speedy prosecution of arrested poachers would boost such efforts.

Halkano Wario, East Africa Regional Organised Crime Observatory, ENACT, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Nairobi and Noor Ali, Investigative Journalist

ENACT is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Institute for Security Studies in partnership with INTERPOL and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime.

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).