Kenyan ranger Daniel Yiankere wins prestigious Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award

Daniel Yiankere, a security manager at Loisaba Conservancy in Laikipia County, was selected for the prestigious award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to wildlife protection and his efforts to build stronger partnerships between conservation teams and local communities.

The award was presented to him two nights ago in London by Prince William, the Prince of Wales and Royal Patron of the Tusk conservation organisation.

A brief biography of Yiankere shared by the Loisaba Conservancy shows his conservation journey began in childhood, when he grew up near the Maasai Mara, helping his family look after their goats.

An encounter with a lion sparked his fascination with wildlife, while a chance meeting with a ranger as a young man inspired him to pursue the profession.

After being selected from about 300 applicants, he began ranger training in 1992, embarking on a career that would take him to some of Kenya’s most prominent wildlife conservation areas.

Over the years, he has served with the Kenya Wildlife Service in Tsavo, Amboseli, Meru, the Maasai Mara and Marsabit, gaining extensive experience in wildlife protection and security operations.

His career has, however, come with significant risks. His family says his life has been endangered several times while on duty, and he has also witnessed colleagues killed or injured during operations in the field.

The conservancy says that since joining Loisaba Conservancy in 2017, Yiankere has led a team of more than 100 security and monitoring personnel, helping maintain zero poaching incidents during his tenure.

He also played a central role in the 2024 reintroduction of 21 critically endangered eastern black rhinos to the conservancy, a major conservation milestone that has since seen the birth of rhino calves.

Beyond wildlife protection, Yiankere has focused on bringing neighbouring communities into conservation efforts, chairing security and grazing committees and fostering cooperation between communities along the Isiolo-Laikipia border.

He is also helping expand the rhino sanctuary into neighbouring community-owned land, a project that would establish only the second sanctuary of its kind in Kenya.

His approach to conservation is rooted in the belief that protecting wildlife cannot succeed without the support and participation of the people living alongside it.

“Conservation is not something you do to a community. It is something you do with them,” he says.

The Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award recognises individuals and teams working on the frontline of wildlife conservation across Africa, including those involved in anti-poaching operations, community conservation, wildlife monitoring and human-wildlife conflict management.

The award celebrates the dedication of rangers working in national parks, community conservancies and privately managed conservation areas, both on land and in marine environments.

Yiankere’s organisation will also receive a £50,000 (Ksh. 8.5 million) grant to support its conservation work, alongside the recognition of his contribution to protecting some of Kenya’s most endangered wildlife.

Other winners included Raabia Hawa, a Kenyan who received the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa, and Dr Colleen Begg from Mozambique, who received the Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa.