Meet Humphrey Kariuki, The Kenyan Multi-Millionaire Preserving Endangered Animal Species

Humphrey Kariuki Ndegwa is one of Kenya’s most storied, yet elusive businessmen. Over the last three decades, Ndegwa, 60, has quietly built his company, the Janus Continental Group, into one of East Africa’s largest conglomerates while staying away from the limelight.

Modest in his personal life, calm in his demeanor, but audacious in business, Ndegwa has built a business conglomerate that includes The Hub - a premier shopping mall located in the beautiful leafy suburbs of Karen in Nairobi; Africa Spirits, Kenya’s leading manufacturer of Alcoholic beverages; Dalbit Petroleum, one of the largest oil distributors in East and Southern Africa, and Great Lakes Africa Energy, a U.K-based company that is a developer and operator of power projects in Southern Africa. These businesses collectively employ more than 3,000 Kenyans and foreign nationals. Ndegwa is also the owner of the 5-star Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, and the neighboring Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy and Animal Orphanage. Since acquiring the Animal Orphanage from its American owners years ago, Ndegwa has spent a fortune providing shelter and professional care to orphaned, injured, neglected, abused or frightened wild animals, with the goal to releasing them back into the wild where they belong.

I recently had breakfast with the business mogul at his scenic ranch at his Wildlife conservancy in Mount Kenya, in close proximity to wandering Bongos, an endangered species of mountain antelope, which he is helping protect. He spent more than an hour recounting his success story, enlightening me about his conservation work, and musing on his African legacy.

Full story at http://bit.ly/2yoobxH

Source: Forbes

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New York noise, a top gripe for man, now a risk for endangered whales

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Noise in New York has always grated on people and now, with the cacophony engulfing surrounding waters, it is threatening the city’s newly discovered neighbors: endangered whales.

Rare North Atlantic right whales and other species that use tonal and pulsating songs to find food and mates have been detected in New York waters by an underwater monitor that the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Wildlife Conservation Society installed last year.

Aerial surveys since March have revealed 61 whales, including eight right whales, four sperm whales and 21 fin whales, all endangered species, as well as 15 humpback whales, according to state data.

Last week, a Wildlife Conservation Society team spotted humpback whales less than 550 yards (500 meters) from the beach in Rockaway, Queens, said senior scientist Howard Rosenbaum, co-leader of the survey.

Full story at http://reut.rs/2yonQLr

Source: Reuters

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Jailed: Former Mountie for smuggling the ‘magical’ tusks of the Unicorn of the Seas

A former policeman has been jailed for 62 months for money laundering after agents smashed a racket smuggling the tusks of the so-called Unicorns of the Seas.

The retired Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer imported hundreds of narwhal tusks worth up £2.2million into the United States at a time the mythical marine creatures are threatened by hunting and pollution.

Both US and Canadian officials have welcomed the sentencing of 59-year-old Gregory Logan after a lengthy cross-border investigation aimed at tackling the illegal exploitation of threatened wildlife.

Narwhals have a legendary status because of their incredible, sword-like tusks that protrude from their heads like the fabled unicorn and are used to club and stun fish during hunting forays.

Full story at http://bit.ly/2yo45DG

Source: Express.co.uk

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Illinois' vanishing bugs and why it matters to Earth

A beast with black wings buzzed close and darted past us into the trees: What was that? Was that it? That had to be it. Mallory Sbelgio, citizen scientist, entomologist in training, defender of rare insects, did not quite roll her eyes, though it was remarkable her eyes remained in her head: No, she said, no, that wasn’t the bug we were looking for. She continued walking. Our insect was rarer — in decline throughout the country, but especially Illinois. We were hunting the Hine’s emerald dragonfly, one of relatively few insects to receive a special status: It’s protected by the Endangered Species Act.

A long sliver of a thing alighted on a curling blade of grass, its body sky blue, its wings slim windowpanes. It clung to its green, then zipped off.

Full story at http://trib.in/2yonTXD

Source: Chicago Tribune

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Endangered Malay tapir born at Edinburgh Zoo

A Malay tapir – a species that is endangered in the wild – has been born at Edinburgh Zoo.

The female calf, named Maya, was born to mother Sayang and father Mowgli and has been finding her feet.

There are believed to be fewer than 2,500 left in the wild, partly due to their habitats being turned into palm oil plantations.

Karen Stiven, the zoo’s senior hoofstock keeper, said: “Currently Maya is staying very close to mum and she is doing well.

Full story at http://ind.pn/2yonWTj

Source: Independent

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Steve Irwin’s Son Takes Stunning Photos Of The Wildlife His Family Helps Protect

Robert Irwin, the 13-year-old son of wildlife conservationist and “The Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin, is continuing his dad’s love of photography with his own stunning work.

Robert takes gorgeous photos of the wildlife he’s come to love, thanks to his parents’ passion for animals, and shares them on his photography site and his Instagram page. The teen told HuffPost he turned to photography because he was inspired by his father, who died in 2006. Robert said Steve always carried his camera with him while traveling, which is what motivated him to pick one up himself.

“Growing up right in the middle of Australia Zoo with incredible animals in my backyard has helped drive my fascination with wildlife and nature, so when I started using a camera, it allowed me to capture the beauty of our natural world, which I can then share with others,” he said.

Using Canon DSLR cameras and a variety of Canon lenses, Robert takes photos of wildlife, landscapes and architecture, though the former two are his favorite subjects to capture.

Full story at http://bit.ly/2yntv4l

Source: Huffington Post

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Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)