Kenya appoints 'The Incredible Hulk' actor as elephant naming ambassador

Elephant conservation has received a major boost with the appointment of American actor, filmmaker, and producer Edward Norton as the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival ambassador.

Edward Norton, who is a star in prominent Hollywood films including American History X, Fight Club, Incredible Hulk, Primal Fear, among others, will help raise the profile of the festival, an annual activity to support the conservation of elephants in the country.

The inaugural Tembo naming festival, which was held last October, saw a total of Sh16.5 million raised from individuals and corporates. The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife targets to raise Sh100 million within this financial year.

Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife Najib Balala while announcing the appointment said that Edward Norton’s global appeal and passion towards the protection of nature and species will take the conservation efforts to the next level.

“We have chosen to work with Edward because he has a passion for conservation and biodiversity and his social status will help us to realise our goals in raising awareness and solving the problems that face our wildlife. His interests extend to areas that include habitat loss, deforestation, species extinction, and the need for sustainable consumption patterns among people in industrialised countries. These are critical elements in conservation which are important to us,” said Mr Balala.

Edward was appointed first Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity by the United Nations Secretary-General, in 2010, a role which is meant to help improve people's understanding of biodiversity and its importance to human wellbeing.

Speaking his unveiling that was preceded by a morning game drive at Nairobi National Park as well as a briefing at the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) command centre that aids the research and patrol teams with targeted wildlife data, Edward said that is an honour to be named the Magical Kenya Tembo Naming Festival Ambassador.

“I am passionate about conservation and the preservation of our environment which includes nature and wildlife as we know it. It is, therefore, encouraging to see such initiatives aimed at boosting the protection and conservation of species like the else” he said.

Edward noted that appealing to human goodwill alone to drive the conservation agenda was not enough and that the world needs to confront the reality that biodiversity is interwoven with the wellbeing of our economies.

Proving the economic viability of conservation, he explained, would go a long way in ensuring sustainable conservation practices.

The Chyulu forest carbon offsetting project, for instance, he referred, is set to raise the unprecedented value soon for the community involved in her conservation in economic dividends.

Leishan (Edward Norton’s adopted Maa name) who has a long-standing relationship with Kenya, with some of his family living here as well as his wedding having been conducted in Maa fashion, further commended Kenya for her strides in conservation noting it was in the DNA of Kenyans to conserve.

He referred to how the once impressive American bison migration had dwindled to a few vestigial herds while the wildebeest migration still thrives.

Kenya, Edward asserted has the enviable opportunity to showcase a viable conservation model for the world, especially how she has been able to involve and draw inspiration from her community custodians.

Norton added “Kenya is a shining example of integration in the way life should be, we must be able to address sustainability within the context of human activity in the world. Kenya has led the way in showing this. A huge need for tourism in Kenya is the need for people to come and see which they don’t have in their countries”

In 2021, the Ministry of Tourism and KWS conducted the first-ever wildlife census geared towards understanding the number of wildlife resources in the country.

Through the census, it was established that Kenya is home to a total of 36,280 elephants, representing a 21 per cent growth from 2014, when poaching was at its peak.

This increase has been thanks to the sustained government crackdown on poaching and the illegal ivory trade. To show his support for the cause, Edward adopted a five-month-old female elephant while pledging to adopt the rare Amboseli Park twins calved in June 2021 after his children Atlas and Evaline.

He also encouraged mass engagement/ grassroots funding explaining that the crowdfunding model had been proven to not only be sustainable but match and even beat corporate sponsorship.

The Kenya Tourism Board CEO Dr Betty Radier said; “Today, conservation is an important element, it is encouraging to see that more tourist destinations have embraced the concept of sustainable tourism and are now implementing various initiatives in this regard.

The aim is to promote sustainable tourism and find a balance between communities, travellers, and conservation to ensure that we sustain the wild for as long as possible,” said Dr Radier.

She added that the appointment of Edward Norton would be important in setting in motion the conversation around the conservation of wildlife and natural resources in Kenya and across Africa.