When we hear about wildlife conservationists, the first thing that comes to mind is usually a rich mzungu wearing a hat stitched with the map of Africa, sporting cargo shorts with too many pockets and safari boots. Perhaps with brown socks, standing next to an animal that's almost going extinct. Seldom do we imagine a Samburu woman with circles of colourful beads on her neck, rings of aluminium glinting on her arms and feet, living at the foot of Mount Ololokwe. A woman with a gap between the teeth, long earlobs and deep sockets that have been hiding eyes from the Northern sun long enough. . . We do not imagine that this woman would be a board member of a Conservancy, fighting so valiantly to keep our wildlife away from the horrible hands of a poachers by marshalling other Samburu women in joining this cause in their own way. . . Kalama is a community conservancy, meaning that it is exclusively run by the locals. They own the land here, but have donates a portion of it, 16000 ha, to giving a safe home to wildlife of the North. . . Such are the people on the ground, really. A people whose communities coexisted with wildlife long before someone came up with the ridiculous idea that ivory can boost your game in the sack. Long before the price of a kilo of rhino horns became the most expensive commodity in the black market; going for a staggering KES 6.5million. Hell, neither gold nor cocaine comes close to that neighbourhood. . . Kalama Conservancy is run by Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT): one of the beneficiaries of the Safaricom Marathon in Lewa. And this gorgeous woman, Nabiki Lesuperr, is a board member. . . When God made the earth, what was His first instruction to man? To take care of his creations. Akina Nabiki listened. . . She is not such a popular face of conservation. But a face nonetheless. A heroine by any other name is still a heroine. . . #KalamaConservancy #LewaMassive #Twaweza #YouRunIWin #SafaricomMarathon #Travel #Wanderlust (at Kalama Conservancy, Isiolo)
