Wildlife Wars

Wildlife Wars: My Fight to Save Africa's National Treasures
By Richard Leakey and Virginia Morell '71
St. Martin's Press., 2001 • 327 pp. • $25.95

Ah, the troubles elephants can bring! It was the fight to preserve Kenya's elephant herds that led to the title of this book by Richard Leakey and Virginia Morell '71. And what a set of troubles elephants and their conservation brought to Leakey. Those troubles included at least three career changes; death threats; accusations of racism, colonialism, corruption and even building a private army; a campaign that earned him a seat in the Kenyan Parliament (along with a a severe and highly publicized beating); conflict with others in the international conservation community; and perhaps even the loss of both legs below the knee (the latter is unproven, and Leakey does not claim it to be the case). Quite a roster to attribute to concern for a single species, albeit the largest living land mammal. But, the loss of legs excepted, all are demonstrably true.

Humanity has had a long, often troubled relationship with these giant creatures, and the focal point of much of the relationship has been the ivory trade. High ivory prices in the '80s led to high levels of poaching in Kenya's national parks and reserves, critically endangering their elephant populations. It is the fight to protect the elephants that occupies most of this book. Written mostly by Morell, but using Leakey's first-person voice, this is a fascinating, if sometimes frustrating, account of the battle to control poaching and create a Kenya Wildlife Service that could effectively manage the country's wildlife and parks. And, it was truly a battle on both fronts.

Leakey is a rarity in modern scholarly endeavor: a self-made, self-taught researcher of considerable accomplishment. The Leakey name is renowned in human paleontology, and Richard has made several important contributions to the family prestige. Paleontology is a field in which the Ph.D. is usually the minimum token for admission, yet Richard Leakey dropped out of high school, completed it via an equivalency degree, and never went to college, let alone graduate school. He simply pursued what he wanted to do with hard work and tenacity, eventually rising to the position of director of Kenya's National Museums. He was serving in that capacity when the events began that are recounted in this book.

The Leakeys have never been lacking in bold opinions nor strangers to controversy, and Richard was a well-known figure in 1989 when President Daniel arap Moi, named him to head Kenya's Wildlife Department, then in charge of National Parks. The department was known to be corrupt, inefficient, grossly underfunded and outmatched by poachers in both weaponry and tactics. Leakey's approach was to seek outside funding, dismantle the old Wildlife Department and create a new Kenya Wildlife Service. It won him few friends in Kenyan government, but it was effective in controlling the loss of wildlife. He accompanied this with a campaign to put African elephants on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)--the international equivalent of the U.S. Endangered Species List. The effort was controversial, but ultimately succeeded. Since CITES prohibits commercial trade in Appendix I species, the price of ivory plummeted. Bereft of financial incentive, poaching also plummeted. The anti-poaching campaign is very well described.

Unsurprisingly, these activities did not go unopposed. Political intrigue is threaded throughout the book and led to most of the troubles alluded to above. The description of the intrigue is among both the more fascinating and the more frustrating parts of the book. The frustration comes from the fact that, although the authors "name names" in many cases, they appear reticent to do so in others. For example, although members of the Kenyan government who opposed Leakey are discussed and criticized, there is no criticism of President Moi, who must have been aware of some of these events. This is likely due to the fact that Leakey is still a member of the Kenyan government. The authors do recognize that there is a story left untold (all but promising a sequel). I shall look forward to seeing that tale told, but for the moment, Wildlife Wars will have to suffice. For those of us concerned with the "how's and why's" of the conservation of the world's living organisms, this book is a must-read.

--Gene S. Fowler,
Associate Professor of Biology and Environmental Analysis