AWF aims to enable elephants to range freely in their natural habitats and reduce conflicts between elephants and local people.

Benson Lengalen
African Wild Dog Researcher
Samburu Heartland, Kenya

 

Bio Photo

Long days in the field, rough terrain, and thorny acacia trees won’t stop Benson Lengalen from following those wild dogs. Lengalen is a Kenyan who grew up in the wild Samburu country and appreciated wildlife from an early age.

Starting as a research assistant for the Samburu-Laikipia Wild Dog Project, Lengalen now heads AWF’s wild dog research. Lengalen has a unique ability to include local communities in wild dog conservation, helping them see that wild dogs are more of an asset than a hindrance.

This has not only created new employment opportunities but has also opened avenues of communication, allowing conservationists to get more reliable information about the wild dogs and when they come into conflict with people’s livestock.

Lengalen's ultimate goal is to foster recovery of the wild dog population without an associated increase in human-wildlife conflict.

> Learn about Lengalen's wild dog research and conservation.

> Support African wild dog conservation now.