State unveils bold plan to rescue pancake tortoise

Kenya Wildlife Service Director General Erustus Kanga during the launch of a 10-year conservation plan for the pancake tortoise in Ciakariga, Tharaka-Nithi, on May 19, 2025. [Jayne Rose Gacheri, Standard]

With fewer than 10,000 pancake tortoises (Malacochersus tornieri) left in the wild, the government has launched a 10-year National Pancake Tortoise Recovery Plan (2025-2035) to prevent extinction.

Unveiled on World Endangered Species Day, the initiative affirms Kenya's biodiversity leadership.