PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WildlifeDirect and KBC Wildlife Warriors TV Series Partnership

Nairobi, June 22, 2021: WildlifeDirect is thrilled to announce a partnership with Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), the national broadcaster, to air Season One of the Wildlife Warriors TV Series. This partnership will allow viewers from all corners of the country to have access to the show that provides an African perspective on conservation through the stories of Africa’s own conservation heroes, front line soldiers, and cutting edge scientists.

Wildlife Warriors aims to excite, entertain, wow, educate and inspire viewers to care about nature and wildlife, and take actions that save it and the natural habitats. It is scheduled to premiere on KBC Channel 1 on June 26^th, 2021 at 6:30 PM EAT. “We are pleased to partner with WildlifeDirect in this wildlife series. It is our expectation that this is going to ignite interest in our heritage that is wildlife in Kenya and for this, we commend WildlifeDirect in a very big way as we look forward to wider areas of collaboration beyond wildlife.” Dr. Naim Bilal, Managing Director of KBC.  

This partnership with KBC allows WildlifeDirect to further its mission of connecting people to their wildlife and nature and inspiring them to treasure it and act to conserve it. The series is intended to change the narrative of conservation in Africa by producing African positive films, and developing the capacity of African storytellers.

“Documentaries about wildlife made in Kenya have touched and moved people around the world for decades leading them to fall in love with our iconic animals and places, and inspiring them to visit the country. But none of these films have been made by Africans or for African audiences where they are needed the most. WildlifeDirect is breaking this trend by creating documentaries that will not only thrill African audiences but will create a new economic opportunity for saving wildlife by investing in wildlife filmmaking and creating jobs. I am so excited that Wildlife Warriors will now be carried on KBC which means it will be able to reach Kenyans from all the corners of the country. We are really looking forward to feedback from viewers to know if our series is changing hearts and minds, as well as actions on the ground. We congratulate KBC on their relaunch and look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with them”.  Dr. Paula Kahumbu, Chief Executive Officer of WildlifeDirect.

Wildlife Warriors has done extremely well in Kenya, Africa and around the world. Two episodes from season one of Wildlife Warriors were selected for screening at the New York Wildlife Conservation Film Festival in October 2019 and one film was shortlisted for a prize in the Latin American Nature Awards in 2020. The series has been seen by over 50 percent of Kenyans via Citizen TV, has aired in 26 African countries through EbonyLife TV and Kenya’s youth station, Switch TV. It is also currently available on the Waterbear Network (waterbear.com).

Wildlife Warrior is the first wildlife documentary series made by Africans.  The making of the series was the subject of a major article in The New Yorker by journalist Jon Lee Anderson, A Kenyan Ecologist’s Crusade to save her Country’s Wildlife, published in the February 2021 issue.

The series is produced by Paula Kahumbu who is also the host and is shot and edited by Nairobi based production house Vivid Features Ltd. Dr. Paula Kahumbu is a renowned Kenyan conservationist who won the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year on 15^th June 2021, and the Whitley Gold Award in May 2021. She is the Chief Executive Officer of WildlifeDirect.

The production of this series was funded by the U.S. Government, through USAID and in partnership with the U.S. Department of the Interior, The Wild Lives Foundation, and National Geographic.

Notes for editors:

For more information or interviews please contact Trish Sewe at psewe@wildlifedirect.org Images and videos are available on request.

About WildlifeDirect:

WildlifeDirect is internationally recognized as a high impact Kenyan based organization that seeks to change hearts, minds and laws so that Africa’s wildlife endures forever. The mission of WildlifeDirect is to connect people to their wildlife and nature and inspiring them to treasure it and act to conserve it.

The strategy of WildlifeDirect is organized around three pillars of work:

1. Legal – Defending the integrity of protected areas, seeking justice for wildlife and people, and campaigning to secure critical wildlife buffer zones, dispersal areas and corridors. We work to ensure that every citizen can use their right to public participation in matters related to wildlife and the environment.
2. To change the narrative of conservation in Africa by producing African positive films, and developing the capacity of African storytellers. To inspire our own people, we produce Wildlife Warriors, a popular wildlife TV series about our wildlife heroes and heroines, and the animals that they are saving. We aim to transform and catalyze the wildlife film making industry in Africa.
3. Education and Outreach, through Wildlife Warriors Kids Clubs in schools. We partner with schools to give children hands-on knowledge, life-changing experiences, and opportunities to make a difference.

Visit us here https://wildlifedirect.org.