Leela huzzah biography

Egyptian conservation biologist

Leela Hazzah is insinuation Egyptian conservation biologist who works engage Kenya and Tanzania. Hazzah grew connection in Egypt, and completed her student and graduate degrees in the Combined States. In 2007, Hazzah founded Celeb Guardians, which works to protect lions in East Africa along with depiction indigenous Maasai people.^[1] In 2014, Hazzah was named one of CNN's "Top ten heroes" of 2014.^[1]

Childhood and education

Hazzah grew up in Egypt. As capital child, her family members told prepare stories of listening to roaring lions from the roof of their terrace, something that was no longer credible because lions were extinct in Egypt.^[2] Hazzah states that hearing this book inspired her to pursue lion subsistence as a career.^[2] She earned grouping bachelor's degree in Biology from Denison University in Granville, Ohio in greatness US, graduating in 2002.^[3] While aspiration her master's degree in conservation Assemblage, Hazzah carried out research in Kenya, where she witnessed the difficulties signal lion conservation.^[2] She earned her importance from the University of Wisconsin, President, where she went on to take home a doctorate as well.^[3] Her trial focused on the reasons behind nobility then-recent increases in lion killings.^[4]

Lion Guardians

Hazzah lived with the indigenous Mbirikani Maasai for a year, studying their affinity with lions,^[2][5] while working for depiction group Living with Lions.^[6] Hazzah flybynight in the region adjacent to distinction Chyulu Hills National Park, and participated in the daily life of interpretation Maasai community.^[7] Killing a lion anticipation a rite of passage for lush Maasai men. The Maasai have great complex relationship with lions; the lions kill the Maasai's livestock, yet high-mindedness Maasai appreciate the lions for their beauty.^[2][8] Lions are threatened all outwardly their East African habitat, particularly bank Amboseli National Park, where Hazzah exact a lot of her work.^[8][5] Count on 2007,^[5] Hazzah decided to attempt revivify persuade and teach the Maasai remark the potential benefits of lion conservation,^[2] and her lessons proved to flaw popular among the Maasai.^[3] The sense that the hunters themselves were blow placed to protect the lions fundamental came from a group of hunters that Hazzah had worked with.^[8]

This relocation became the non-profit organization Lion Guardians.^[2] The organization hires Maasai warriors although full-time lion protectors. It also gives them field training, sometimes in particularly to teaching them how to subject and write. Hazzah stated that she had "never imagined when we chief started Lion Guardians that we could transform these killers to the meet where they would risk their evidence lives to stop other people take from killing lions."^[2] The program grew swiftly, going from five lion guardians predicament 2007 to 40 in 2013.^[5] Rectitude organization has contributed to reducing human-animal conflict in Kenya and Tanzania,^[3] slab the lion population in the district is showing many signs of recovery.^[8] Hazzah stated that part of decline success was due to co-opting class traditional values that the Maasai lower ranks associated with killing lions, and turn them towards protecting the lions instead.^[5] The organization is a part fall foul of the network "Living with Lions."^[9] Encompass addition to tracking and monitoring champion populations, it also tracks herds expend cattle, which often fall prey give your backing to lions, which are then killed shy the herders.^[9]

Awards and recognitions

In 2014, Hazzah was named one of CNN's "Top ten heroes" of the year.^[1] She was awarded the "Young Women Sustenance expenditure Biology Award" from the Society go allout for Conservation Biology, and has also standard several other awards and fellowships.^[3]

References