Five years ago, driving through the Shimba Hills National Reserve, and I still remember the first time I saw them, tall, majestic, almost mythical with their long backward curved horns. I had moved from the bustle of Nairobi to the coastal calm of Diani. We were driving through the 192-square-kilometre expanse of the reserve when, almost like a dream, a small herd of Sable Antelopes emerged from the foliage.
Their dark coats shimmered in the coastal sunlight, curved horns slicing the sky with quiet elegance. I’ve returned to the reserve many times since that day, hoping, waiting, but I’ve never seen them again. According to a 2024 article in The Star, their population has plummeted from 265 in 1960 to just 56 in the most recent census. A sobering statistic, and one that underscores just how critically endangered and elusive these animals have become.
March 2024 saw N’tsiki Bidii, a mentee in the organiser’s Kwale Sports Excellence CBO’s TWALENGA Women in Sports program in partnership with Rowan McKellar, cycle over 40 kilometres from Swahili Beach Resort in Diani to Shimba Hills National Reserve. With a convoy of five cars and 30 people drawn from different parts of the beautiful County in tow, they took the first significant step to save the Sable Antelope.
Saturday June 21st, saw the return of Save Our Sables ride. From one lone female rider in 2024, to a mass ride of over 50 riders this year drawn from the region and in extension Mombasa county, kicking off the palm lined Swahili Beach Resort entrance, we pedaled inland. The landscape transformed — the flat coastal plains giving way to lush rolling hills and dense greenery. Destination Shimba Hills National Reserve in sight. The climb into Shimba Hills was challenging but deeply rewarding.
Sable antelopes, mostly found at Shimba Hills National Reserve, have significantly declined in the past three decades due to poaching and drought. Last year on World Wildlife Day, the government launched the Sable Antelope Recovery and Action Plan 2024-34 to protect the rare species from becoming extinct. The plan provides a legal framework to ensure the endangered sable antelope is protected. The ride attracted Kwale based corporates’s sponsorship from Base Titanium, Swahili Beach Resort, The Alliance Safari Beach Hotel, Glug Africa, TonyWild Foundation, Almasi Art Agency, Entrepreneur Mwangaza Mishi and the Kwale County Government.
The Saturday event saw a conservation education session, tree planting with the Kenya Forest team, a game drive by Kenya Wildlife Services, and lunch inside the reserve. Inside the reserve, at the breathtaking Ocean View Point — where the hills meet the sky and the Indian Ocean glistens in the distance — Kombani Dishes had set up a beautiful buffet lunch for us after the game drive. Tables were lined with steaming pots of coastal delicacies, fresh fruits, and refreshing drinks. The aroma of spices, grilled chicken, and coconut-infused rice filled the air, inviting riders to relax and refuel. With the cool breeze sweeping through the trees and panoramic views stretching to the sea, it was more than a meal — it was a moment of pure joy and community, a celebration of culture and conservation.
The event endured, and this weekend the sable antelope, known locally as “Shambi” had its celebration and day. A defiant rally from all of us willing to do anything to conserve this endangered species.