Hassan Sachedina’s Post

It’s been a bad week for African conservation. Senior Wildlife Warden Solomon Chidunuka tragically passed away. He oversaw the North Luangwa Area Management Unit; Zambia’s only area protecting black rhino. Solomon was my first SWW when I moved to Zambia around a decade ago when we set up the Lower Zambezi REDD+ Project. He was SWW of the Lower Zambezi Area. He did amazing things reducing poaching and increasing management capacity in Lower Zambezi and leaves a powerful legacy in N. Luangwa as well. Solomon was a worthy Tusk Conservation Award winner and the video attached for the award ceremony captures Solomon’s humility, determination, authenticity and deep purpose. His passing is a massive loss for #conservation in Zambia and Africa. Our deepest condolences go to his family, to our partners at DNPW, and Frankfurt Zoological Society. In Kenya, a gifted rhino conservationist and anti-poaching patrol pilot named Ian Lemaiyan was also tragically lost in an airplane accident. I didn’t personally know Ian but know that he was gifted, intelligent and got things done. African leaders are the key to the future success of African conservation, and this week Africa lost two of the best leaders way too soon. We’ll do our best to carry on their legacy and make them proud.