I was born in 1977 in West Pokot district of Rift Valley Province near the border with Uganda. I come from a pastoralist community who depend on livestock as their main source of livelihood. I started schooling at Nasokol primary school from 1984 to 1991 where I obtained my primary education certificate before proceeding to Chewoyet High School for my O levels from 1992 to 1995. I studied Bachelor of veterinary medicine at the University of Nairobi from 1997 to 2002 where I successfully graduated in October 2002.

I began my work as an intern veterinarian at Kenchic limited, a private company dealing with large scale breeding and sale of day old chicks, broilers and layers within the eastern Africa region. My responsibilities were vaccinations, advice to contract farmers, disease surveillance and quality supervision at every level of production. I later got employed by the Kenyan government Mounted unit of the Kenya Police based at Gilgil town, as a veterinary surgeon. My responsibilities included equine breeding, equine training, vaccinations, routine management and training of new riders, a task I did diligently until the year 2008when my passion to work with wildlife saw my entry into Kenya Wildlife Service, veterinary department.

At Kenya Wildlife Service the scenario was quite unique unlike previously where I was used to handling tame animals, my love for wildlife and the experience I obtained from police ensured that I was certified to handle all wildlife species on my own within a short period. I was moved to the Tsavo mobile veterinary unit in April 2010 after my colleague Dr David Ndeereh who started the unit was transferred to the Kenya Wildlife Service, veterinary department in charge of laboratory and field diagnostics. The unit funded by VIER PFOTEN through the David Sheldrick wildlife trust is critical in prompt response to wildlife cases which include injuries, snares, disease outbreak investigation and surveillance within Tsavo ecosystem, Amboseli, chyulu and the coast region. Wildlife work has many challenges but the feeling of saving this precious and dwindling heritage gives me a lot of satisfaction.

My hobbies are watching football, playing football, swimming, reading nature magazines and listening to music.

I was born in 1979 in the Homa Bay District in Nyanza Province, near Lake Victoria. I went to Wachara Primary School and then onto Mbuta High School. Later I studied a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nairobi. Having completed my studies I worked as a poultry farm supervisor, at Sigma supplies, Ltd. Kitengela just outside of Nairobi. My responsibilities there was monitoring health conditions and productivity of more than 100,000 birds that included breeders, broilers and layers. Instituting vaccination programs at various stages required.

Supervising all other poultry housekeepers while developing proper guidelines and protocols for their use, technical advisor to the farm management on issues of poultry feeding and treatments including ways and means of improving poultry production. In 2004 I realised a dream and began working with the Capture and Veterinary Unit at Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Since then I have been working as a field veterinary officer charged with the management of sick and wild animals in all parts of the country gaining invaluable experience. I have had to respond too to wild animal desease outbreaks, wildlife desease surveillance, wild animal translocation and wildlife reasearch activities. I have also been involved in the handling and care of orphaned wild animals.

In 2007 KWS nominated me for secondment to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust who had obtained a grant from the Minara Trust to stablish a permanent veterinary presence in the Central rift. The area of operation for this second mobile veterinary unit covers the Maasai Mara, Lake Naivasha area, lake Nakuru National Park and Ruma National Park. Previously, cases of animal injury and sickness were attended to from the KWS headquarters in Nairobi, which inhibated rapid response. Having a fully equiped veterinary unit specifically dedicated to this area now makes an enormous difference. I have always had a life long ambition to work with wild animals and now thankfully find myself in a unique postion today.

My hobbies are surfing the Internet, watching football, reading News papers, listening to music and playing volley ball.

My name is Bernard and I was born in August, 1980 in Kericho County in western Kenya. I studied for a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nairobi graduating in October 2005. In 2006 I enrolled for a Master of Science degree at the same university and joined a research group at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) that aimed to develop and evaluate a vaccine for control of pneumonia in cattle. Part of the research was conducted in the Mara ecosystem where I first interacted with wildlife and developed an interest in wildlife health.

In January 2009 I was employed by the government department of veterinary services in arid northern Garissa County. Here I worked with communities to implement disease control programs for livestock mainly under the pastoral production system. My responsibilities included surveillance programs for diseases, which are important at the human/livestock/wildlife interphase, such as monitoring rinderpest and rift valley fever. In the course of my duties I networked with wildlife veterinarians and was inspired to join the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) in February 2010 as a veterinary officer.

At the KWS, I found a unique experience in wildlife veterinary practice. I had to quickly learn how to handle different species of wildlife, their behavior and demeanor and how to approach these animals. During the past three years I have had an opportunity to work with a diverse range of tropical wildlife species including elephants, rhinos, lions, giraffes and many others. My duties include rescue of orphaned wildlife, treatment of injured animals due mainly to human wildlife conflict or poaching, and translocations to manage wildlife populations in habitats. I also support research groups in wildlife health for disease outbreak investigation and surveillance whilst collecting wildlife samples for research.

Now having launched the Meru Mobile Veterinary Unit in February 2013, I have the exciting opportunity to work as the unit’s team leader and head field veterinary officer. The unit which is financed by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, with generous support from a private donor, provides wildlife veterinary interventions in the larger Meru National Park as well as wildlife dispersal areas in the eastern and northern conservation areas of Kenya. I derive great satisfaction in contributing to save wildlife species for our future generations and I am eager to make a difference to the wildlife of this area.