Through the Save The Snakes Support Grant Program, Save The Snakes supported Fredrick Kilonzo to strengthen conservation of the endangered Ashe’s Bush Viper in Kenya. This project focuses on community education and local capacity building around Ngaya Forest in the Nyambeni Hills, where one of the species’ last confirmed populations occurs. By working directly with schools, community leaders, teachers, youth, and local conservation stakeholders, the project aims to reduce fear and persecution while building lasting local support for one of Kenya’s least-known snakes.
Project Title:
Voices for Vipers: Community Education and Awareness for the Endangered Ashe’s Bush Viper (Atheris desaixi) at Ngaya Forest, Nyambeni Hills, Kenya
Project Summary:
Fredrick Kilonzo’s project focuses on the Ashe’s Bush Viper (Atheris desaixi), one of Kenya’s most threatened and poorly understood snakes. Restricted to a small number of highly fragmented forest localities, the species faces threats from habitat loss, direct persecution, and illegal collection. Despite its conservation importance and legal protection in Kenya, communities living alongside its remaining habitat have limited awareness of the species.
“Voices for Vipers” is a focused community education and awareness initiative around Ngaya Forest in the Nyambeni Hills. Building on previous fieldwork and community relationships established through the Auckland Zoo Conservation Fund-supported “Saving Kenya’s Mount Kenya Bush Viper” project, the program will work with five primary schools and four villages surrounding the forest.
The project will train 12 local community educators—including teachers and youth leaders—in Ashe’s Bush Viper biology, ecology, conservation status, identification, and safe human–snake coexistence. These educators will then support Snake Conservation Days reaching approximately 400 students, alongside four community workshops reaching approximately 200 adults.
Educational materials will be developed in both English and Meru, including identification posters, conservation booklets, training guides, and workshop materials. Through measurable pre- and post-activity assessments, the project will evaluate changes in knowledge, attitudes, and snake identification skills while establishing “call rather than kill” reporting approaches within target communities.
Aims and Objectives:
- Increase Awareness of Ashe’s Bush Viper:
Introduce communities and schoolchildren around Ngaya Forest to Atheris desaixi, including its biology, ecology, conservation status, legal protection, and importance within the forest ecosystem.
Address widespread fear and misidentification of snakes by providing accessible and culturally appropriate conservation information.
- Build Local Conservation Capacity:
Train 12 local community educators, including teachers and youth leaders, to become local conservation ambassadors.
Participants will receive bilingual training guides and snake identification resources that can continue to be used for community education beyond the grant period.
- Deliver School-Based Snake Conservation Education:
Conduct Snake Conservation Days in five primary schools, reaching approximately 400 students aged 10–15.
Education will focus on snake identification, ecological importance, conservation, and safe coexistence, with bilingual materials retained by schools as long-term educational resources.
- Engage Communities Living Alongside Ngaya Forest:
Conduct four community awareness workshops reaching approximately 200 farmers, forest users, village elders, and other community members living around the forest.
Workshops will address snake identification, ecological importance, legal protection, and practical approaches to safely responding to snake encounters.
- Measure Education and Behavior Outcomes:
Use pre- and post-activity assessments to measure changes in participant knowledge and attitudes.
The project aims for at least a 40% improvement in knowledge scores, 70% of participants demonstrating a shift toward neutral or positive attitudes toward snakes, and 90% of participants correctly identifying the Ashe’s Bush Viper by the end of the project.
- Establish Long-Term Community Stewardship:
Establish “call rather than kill” snake reporting protocols in four target villages and support trained educators in continuing conservation messaging after the project ends.
Each trained educator will be encouraged to reach at least 30 additional community members, creating a potential additional reach of 360 people beyond the project’s direct activities.
Goal:
The ultimate goal of this project is to establish a strong local foundation for the long-term conservation of the Ashe’s Bush Viper in and around Ngaya Forest.
Because the species is extremely rare and restricted to fragmented forest habitat, community attitudes and behavior can have an important influence on its survival. By introducing local communities and schoolchildren to the Ashe’s Bush Viper and the wider diversity of snakes found in their landscape, the project seeks to replace fear and misunderstanding with knowledge and appreciation.
The project will also invest in local people as long-term conservation partners. Training teachers and youth leaders means that conservation knowledge will remain within communities after the grant period, while bilingual educational materials will continue to be available in schools and community spaces.
By combining school education, community workshops, educator training, and measurable knowledge and attitude assessments, “Voices for Vipers” will create a replicable model for community-based snake conservation that can support future efforts to protect Atheris desaixi and other threatened snakes in Kenya.
Support Snake Conservation:
We would like to send our most heartfelt thanks to Dustin Howland for supporting this project. Fredrick Kilonzo’s project is a recipient of the 2026 Save The Snakes Support Grant Program. Save The Snakes Grants are made possible because of the generosity of compassionate people and organizations who are inspired and dedicated to protect threatened snake populations and mitigate human-snake conflict around the world. Please donate today to help Save The Snakes support even more snake conservationists to continue their vital work. Thank you for your support!
