Richard Leakey, conservationist elephant defender, dies at 77
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After refusing to give in to his health woes, Kenyan conservationist Richard Leakey passes at 77.
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Kenyan conservationist Richard Leakey
Prominent Kenyan conservationist and fossil hunter Richard Leakey passed on Sunday, aged 77, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta announced.
The veteran conservationist, renowned for his work defending African wildlife, most notably elephants, remained energetic throughout his 70s despite battling skin cancer, kidney and liver disease.
"I have this afternoon... received with deep sorrow the sad news of the passing away of Dr. Richard Erskine Frere Leakey," President Uhuru Kenyatta said late Sunday.
Leakey has long battled ivory poachers in support of elephants, whose killing peaked in the 1980s as demand for ivory surged. During that crisis in Africa, Leaker became one of the world's leading voices against the global ivory trade, which had been legal at the time.
His efforts led President Daniel arap Moi in 1989 to appoint him to lead Kenya's national wildlife agency, later named the Kenyan Wildlife Service, or KWS.
The year of his appointment, as a publicity stunt, Leaker set fire to some 12 tons of tusks to make the point that they had no value once removed from elephants.
The head of the KWS also implemented a shoot-to-kill order against armed poachers, seeing they posed too much of a threat to wildlife.
In 1993, he was involved in a plane crash that cost him both of his legs. "There were regular threats to me at the time and I lived with armed guards. But I made the decision not to be a dramatist and say: 'They tried to kill me.' I chose to get on with life," he told the Financial Times.
Leaker lost his position at KWS, later becoming a prominent opposition politician to the corrupt regime of Moi's. His political career was not very successful.
Africa was struck by another elephant poaching crisis in 2015, prompting President Kenyatta to ask Leakey to re-assume his position at KWS, this time as chairman of the board. He held that position until 2018.
Deputy President William Ruto said Leakey "fought bravely for a better country" and inspired Kenyans with his zeal for public service.
Despite his illnesses, the veteran did neither give in nor give up on his activism, becoming one of the most prominent figures in terms of environmental activism and conservationism.
"Richard was a very good friend and a true loyal Kenyan. May he Rest In Peace," Paula Kahumbu, the head of Wildlife Direct, a conservation group founded by Leakey, posted on Twitter.
Richard was a very good friend and a true loyal Kenyan. May he Rest In Peace. Condolences to his family. https://t.co/oTowGHYzOS
— Dr. Paula Kahumbu (@paulakahumbu) January 2, 2022
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
