Kenya: Promoting conservation with a camera
Maasai conservationist Ambrose Letoluai is a keen photographer. He produces portraits of some of Africa's most iconic animals that are now under threat. His photo safaris for children also aim to raise awareness of the animals' plight.
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00:00 Ambrose Leitolowai is a man of many talents.
00:05 He knows just what his goats need.
00:09 But the 30-year-old Kenyan is also a gifted photographer.
00:16 It all started with bird watching.
00:21 I always wanted to take a photo of a bird so that I can identify them.
00:28 In the wildlife conservation, mostly like elephants as well as giraffes and other wildlife,
00:35 they are threatened.
00:36 And the only thing that you can able to use is photography.
00:39 And just to tell how magnificent they are, how threatened they are.
00:43 And if you want to share the story, you need to have a photo or a film.
00:49 We're in the Naibunga Conservancy in central Kenya.
00:55 This is where Ambrose Leitolowai works.
00:58 He came here straight from college, where he studied wildlife management and nature
01:02 conservation.
01:03 Today, he not only photographs birds.
01:06 He captures nearly all the wild animals that live on the 11,000 hectare site.
01:12 But photos alone are not enough for him.
01:15 His aim is to protect the animals.
01:17 And that also means getting local people on board and educating them.
01:24 So it has been very difficult in the beginning, but now I'm being supported by elders, supported
01:30 by women, supported by children, so that we can able to execute this kind of problem that
01:38 we have and then solve the problem together.
01:40 Like having this human kind of conflict that we have and solve together as a community.
01:47 One animal that always creates conflict is the leopard.
01:51 But Ambrose Leitolowai now has fewer opportunities to photograph these big cats.
01:57 Poaching and a dwindling habitat have caused their numbers to plummet.
02:02 Leopards are now on the international red list of threatened species.
02:05 The black-coated leopard, or black panther, is especially rare.
02:14 Ambrose Leitolowai has tracked down 10 specimens in the area.
02:18 He says they show just how vulnerable the entire ecosystem is.
02:24 So many plant species are disappearing here just because of climate change.
02:29 There is no rains in this area.
02:32 We face a very devastating drought and the other herbivores are dying.
02:38 So when an herbivore dies, then the leopard ends up as well dying.
02:43 In addition, leopards are often killed by locals because they threaten their livestock
02:48 and therefore their livelihoods.
02:52 Ambrose Leitolowai sees himself as a mediator between the wild beasts on the one hand and
02:57 the local community on the other.
03:00 These women used to regard leopards as their enemies.
03:03 Now they're working to protect them.
03:05 They call themselves 'chewy mamas' or 'leopard mamas'.
03:09 We have come to understand the conservation and the importance of it because now the formation
03:14 of chewy mamas bears a lot of fruits.
03:17 Because the animals attract tourism, which in turn brings money that they too benefit
03:22 from.
03:23 The women have now built their own small headquarters in the middle of the savannah.
03:29 Another of Ambrose Leitolowai's projects is this information centre.
03:34 It's aimed primarily at young people.
03:37 Here he teaches children how to use a camera, taking them out into nature to practice their
03:42 skills.
03:43 Equipped with learning sheets and binoculars, they head out on safari.
03:47 Today they're watching birds.
03:49 A kid can learn.
03:53 I'm coming to this centre to learn about wildlife, to watch about film, to take a photo of this
03:57 particular bird and they learn it.
03:59 They even know now some names, species of some plants that we found in this particular
04:03 area.
04:04 And they know the use.
04:06 So that is something that makes me happy because I know this kid, when they grow up, they can
04:12 go to college and then study about natural resources and they can become someone.
04:15 They can become scientists.
04:17 His students are between 7 and 15 years old.
04:21 After the safari, they analyse what they've observed.
04:25 For many, it's a completely new experience.
04:32 When I grow up, I want to be a ranger.
04:35 Because here, not a lot of people know very much about animals.
04:39 A long time ago, people used to kill them all the time.
04:45 But recently, I read a book in school on how we can help protect animals.
04:50 Now, I want to educate people about their importance and to be one of those people who
04:56 stops poaching.
05:06 I would like to protect these animals because they help us as a country.
05:14 For example, they attract tourists, which brings us money.
05:21 People come to see the animals and that generates income for our communities.
05:26 Another thing is that it improves people's living standards.
05:31 Ambrose Letuluai is optimistic about the future.
05:35 He says young people here are becoming more environmentally aware.
05:39 Using his camera, he draws attention to the beauty and vulnerability of their environment.
05:48 Conservation is the key thing in microphotography.
05:50 So using photography and conservation goes hand in hand.
05:56 He hopes to soon build a bigger learning and information centre.
06:00 One where even more children can grow in their knowledge and appreciation of wildlife on
06:05 photo safaris.
06:07 [MUSIC PLAYING]