Perez olindo and biography
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Perez commanded everyone’s attention. Richard Leakey merely took credit.
Widely blamed for the poaching of elephants and rhinos in the 1970s and 80s, he explained to me in a past interview that most of the poaching occurred outside national parks, where he held little or no control.
Olindo wasn’t good at working the press, so only Kenyans of an older generation may know of him or of his exploits.
Perez Olindo: Kenyan Wildlife Ecologist Who Pioneered Marine Parks
Pioneer Kenyan wildlife ecologist, wildlife pilot and Chief Game Warden, Dr Perez Olindo, is dead. Why, I wondered. But when his university sent leading game wardens from the United States where he studied to review his work with the national parks, his peers, certified his thinking worthy of a philosophy doctorate.
Other than his work with the national parks, Olindo was the founder of the mobile wildlife conservation education unit (while a university student), a precursor to the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya.
We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. Olindo pioneered marine parks globally.
Olindo never stepped into an A Levels or master’s degree class. Olindo's legacy will continue to inspire and guide us. As a founding trustee of Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust, Dr. Olindo served with unwavering dedication from 1991 to 2024.
Rest in peace, Dr. Olindo. Dr. Olindo's legacy will continue to inspire and guide us. We have lost someone very special. The young people who care so deeply about nature and wildlife, and will do a far better job of looking after it than we have.”
As usual, Perez was being far too modest. We sat together at Elsa’s Kopje, the beautiful lodge which lies in the heart of Meru National Park, and discussed our hopes and fears for wildlife.
Your work will never be forgotten.
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I knew Dr Olindo for more than 25 years.
He was also pioneer ecologist for the Lake Basin Authority.
See > A Game Changer in Kenya’s Real Estate Industry
Contrary to what most folks think, the policy framework behind the establishment of Kenya Wildlife Service was his brainchild. He is, in my view, one of the most consequential Kenyans to have ever lived.
Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust's Post
Perez Olindo, a true pioneer in wildlife conservation. Although increasingly less mobile, he was visited on his farm by our Country Director, Tim Oloo, in the Spring of 2024, and I was honoured to share a few words with him briefly, soon after that.
Dame Virginia McKenna, Born Free’s co-founder, remembers:
“I recall meeting up with Perez when making a documentary, ‘Elsa: The Lioness That Changed The World’ (2011).
His contributions earned him a place on UNEP's Global 500 Roll of Honour, among many other accolades. He was a fearless advocate for compassionate conservation, a champion for youth empowerment, the winner of the J.Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize (1988), the recipient of the Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the Golden Ark, and named as one of UNEP’s Global 500 Roll of Honour, amongst many accolades.
He was also Born Free’s Honorary Patron (Kenya) for many years – we were lucky to have him.