Instagram – Jan 09, 2022 @ 13:12
A week ago today, on Sunday 2nd January, the conservation world lost a great figure in Richard Leakey. An eminent conservationist and paleoanthropologist, his discoveries of ancient human skulls and skeletons helped cement Africa’s standing as the cradle of humanity.
In his conservation work, he was fiery and passionate. As the Chairman of the Board of the Kenya Wildlife Service, he ushered in a new era of conservation for the country and became a leading voice in Kenya’s anti-poaching campaign. In 1989, he drew international attention when he took a stand against the illegal ivory trade by helping to burn the country’s stockpile of 12 tons of ivory, confiscated from smugglers and poachers (pictured). The act was repeated in 2016.
Thank you, Richard, for your incredible work and your dedication to conservation. You will be missed.
Image via @sheldricktrust