Lion Killer Turns Saviour!

Lion killer turns Saviour!

Born in the native Maasai Community in Kenya, Antony Kasanga grew up with wildlife as part and parcel of the ecosystem. As is expected in the Maasai rituals, a boy child has to ensue and kill a lion before being recognised as a man in the society.

When the season approaches for passage from boyhood to manhood in the Maasai community, lions are always at risk. I wonder what they could do if they would reckon the season fast approaching. However, this is never the case and young Maasai men on a yearly basis set out to go hunt the lions and the first to put his spear on the lion is always the hero.

Antony Kasanga after growing and seeing the lions killed developed an interest to save the lions from the killers; of whom he was once one.

Antony grew up in the southern part of Kenya and only attended secondary school up to 2003. After his secondary school, Antony developed the interest to save lions even more; he joined the Living with Lions project. Though he had interest in further education, the chance was not there for him until WildCRU accepted him and admitted him to one of their new course, International Wildlife Conservation Practice. With just the secondary education, Antony worked as a research assistant and an assistant director for Lion Guardian Program at Living with Lions organization; being part of Master of Science thesis of one student, Leela Hazzah who still runs the Lion Guardians to date.
 

Antony got scholarship to study at the Oxford University and this even opened his eyes to wildlife conservation more. “Attending the course has really enlightened me on how to carry out research. This is something I struggled with before. I have worked in wildlife issues before, but didn't get a chance to explore the scientific part. As such being part of the WildCRU has helped nurture my young mind to understand conservation through a scientific perspective,” says Antony.

Antony now works with Maasailand conservation Trust to save lions. This is something that is unheard of. Furthermore, Antony wants her sister to join him in the work of saving lions.

“One of the most important things to me was to make sure that my sister was still going to school while I was further studying conservation. Perhaps she will one day be able to follow in my footsteps to become a Maasai wildlife conservationist, which would be a great achievement, even more so because she is female. Maasai do not recognize any role played by women in society, and this why I want my younger sister to become one of the pioneers in a field dominated by men. “

Antony’s work is highly welcomed by the community and now he has rallied many Maasai men into wildlife conservation; especially the Big Five.

Antony now a renowned wildlife conservationist has proved that change begins with an individual.

He has trounced the odds of being just a Secondary School graduate and a Maasai Moran to become an expert in Lion conservation and a champion for saving Lions!