In this talk, we will look into how Ewaso Lions, a community-led conservation organization in northern Kenya, is working together with the community to address the Human-Lon Conflict.
Toby Otieno was born and raised in Western Kenya on the outskirts of Kisumu city. As a child he never knew about ‘conservation’ as a career or way of life. Still, he was fascinated enough with wildlife to sneak out of school to visit a nearby wildlife sanctuary. Watching wildlife there is where his interest began.
Over the years Toby has vast research and field experience ranging from small mammals to large mammals. He started out as a volunteer intern (for over 4 years) at National Museums of Kenya, Mammalogy Department, before proceeding to Mpala Research Centre as Research Project Field Manager and as a graduate student. Toby holds a BSc. in Wildlife Management and Conservation from University of Nairobi, and a MSc in Wildlife Management from Karatina University.
Toby joined Ewaso Lions 7 years ago as a Research Manager where he took the lead role in all monitoring activities and research programme management in order to provide data to support our Ewaso Lions mission in ensuring our community led conservation programmes and research activities are connected to promote continued co-existence between people and wildlife. Currently, Toby is the Director of Operations and Impact and he does not only lead Ewaso Lions Research Department but he also takes a lead role in our operations.