Ex Poacher Joins the Conservation Movement to Save Kenya Elephants from Poaching

Not so long ago, Julius Lokinyi was a notorious poacher in Kenya. He has now knows that killing elephants for their ivory is far less profitable than the billion dollar tour industry in Kenya. Kenya's Wildlife attracts global tourists who are willing to pay as much as $700.00 per night for accommodations and the opportunity to experience Kenya's Wildlife.

While Lokinyi once sold ivory tusks at the roadside under the cloak of night, he now takes up arms to protect the very elephants he once killed. After shaming from peers and elders in his community, he has now come to believe that elephants are worth far more alive than dead. Elephants attract a vast amount of global tourists each year to Kenya, and this trade continues to thrive and grow. The Tourism Industry in Kenya is responsible for a large increase in jobs and a percentage of the money goes back into community improvements. Every one wins through saving the lives of the elephants.

Today Lokinyi day looks very different as he takes up arms for a respected conservation cause. A growing group of dedicated locals unite and take up arms to eliminate elephant poaching. They have formed what would appear to be a type of conservationist militia. 

So it appears that money does speak and a leopard can indeed change it's spots.

Author: Shelley Myke
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Shelley is a dedicated to Wildlife Conservation. She is is a Naturalist and Wildlife Conservation Photographer.

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