Following the death of Cecil the lion, Prince William is doing his part to prevent the unnecessary hunting of wildlife in Africa. The royal has presented Kenyan ranger Edward Ndiritu with an award for his efforts against poaching.
William handed out the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award in collaboration with his charity, Tusk Trust. The conservation charity aims to protect African wildlife from extinction and William has been its royal patron since 2005.
In a personal letter of congratulation, the Prince thanked Edward, who is head of the anti-poaching unit for the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, for his "extraordinary contribution".
Prince William presented the award in collaboration with his charity Tusk Trust
"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," William wrote.
The area that Edward and his team protect is particularly vulnerable to poachers who hunt rhinos and elephants.
The 42-year-old ranger proudly posed with his letter from the palace, and his photo was uploaded on The Nature Conservancy in Africa's Twitter page. Edward will travel to London in November to receive his award.
Winner Edward Ndiritu happily posed with his letter from Prince William
Wildlife conservation is a cause that is close to William's heart. The Duke of Cambridge is a strong campaigner for Tusk, and shares the charity's philosophy in educating locals to preserve their natural heritage.
In 2010 William opened up about his love for Africa, calling it his "second home". "When I step off the plane I'm like, 'Yes, I'm back'," he said in a Sky1 documentary.
The 33-year-old royal has previously called Africa his "second home"
The future King has also said that his late mother Princess Diana inspired him to travel to the beautiful continent.
"She would come back with all these stories and full of excitement and just passion for what she had been doing," William told CNN. "And I sort of used to sit there, quite a surprised little boy at the time, taking it all in."
It comes as no surprise then that the Duke chose to propose to his future wife the Duchess of Cambridge, née Kate Middleton while on holiday in Kenya. He also reportedly decorated his son Prince George's nursery in an African theme ahead of the baby's birth in 2013.
