Britain’s Prince William has honoured a rhino ranger with a charity award.
The 33-year-old royal has announced the Head of the Anti-Poaching Unit for the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, Edward Ndiritu, is the first recipient of the Wildlife Ranger Award – an accolade created by his conservation charity, Tusk Trust.
In a letter to Edward, he said: "May I take the opportunity to personally congratulate you on this richly deserved award and to thank you for the extraordinary contribution you and your team at the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy have made towards both the protection of wildlife and increased security for the rural communities of northern Kenya."
The Lewa wildlife conservancy is home to more than 9,500 migratory elephants as well as 13 per cent of Kenya’s rhino population, and the ranger’s award is partly a result of Lewa being the only Kenyan conservancy to not have a rhino killed by poachers in 2014.
Thanking the Prince of Cambridge – who has long been a supporter of wildlife conservation, having proposed to Duchess Catherine while on safari in Kenya – for the award, Edward insisted the accolade was for his "whole team" and not just him.
He said: "I would like to accept this award on behalf of my whole team. I recognise that it is not just my efforts that have made a difference – we have achieved this success thanks to the entire team’s dedication and hard work. I am thankful for everyone’s support and greatly humbled by this recognition. Thank you."
Britain’s Prince William honours rhino ranger
