ADAMS CASSINGA
As a part of this yr’s World Ranger Day marketing campaign to equip rangers in underfunded nature reserves, we’re proud to proceed our help of Adams Cassinga, a world-renowned wildlife warrior battling wildlife crime within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the founding father of the native NGO Conserv Congo.
To say that Adams is a brave and galvanizing nature champion is an understatement. He has had many identities as his life’s winding path led him to wildlife conservation, first as a 16-year-old fleeing civil struggle. His father, who feared Adams could be captured and compelled to grow to be a toddler soldier, despatched him to South Africa. In Johannesburg, Adams learnt to outlive on the streets whereas educating himself English in public libraries. After he was granted official refugee standing, he studied journalism and landed his first job working for an area newspaper. Whereas working as an investigative reporter in 2006, Adams was shot thrice!
Adams modified profession paths once more, this time to work within the profitable mining business in South Africa. On this function, he returned years later to the DRC to go to gold mines. Whereas he was flying over the jungle, Adams noticed the crisscrossed wounds of mining operations on the luxurious forest panorama. He started to consider the great thing about his nation’s wild locations and the battle to guard them. The remainder is historical past — and now Adams is the DRC’s premier wildlife warrior.