Quote from a Wildlife Conservation Explorer Simba Oloshorua (Qiang Zhuo):
On April 19, 2025, I returned to Elsamere. I can no longer recall how many times I have visited this lovely place, but I will always remember that it was once the home of George and Joy Adamson—and of Elsa the lioness. In tribute to George Adamson, I have written a letter expressing my deep respect and admiration.
Transcript逐字稿
Machine transcription with names checked by hand. Small errors may remain; the audio is the record.机器转写，人名地名已人工校对，可能仍有少量误差，以音频为准。
0:00A letter of tribute from Simba Oloshorua Qiang Zhuo to George Adamson. Dear George, I hope this letter finds you well. It will travel across two different worlds. You do not know me in person, but I know you more than most people in the world today, through so many incredible bonds that have connected our paths across time, species, and spirit. I knew your name because of the story of Elsa the lioness when I was very young. That tale of love, freedom, and the wild left a lasting impression on me.
0:40I later came to understand more about your life's work after watching the film Born Free and reading the book Christian the Lion. You became one of the quiet but powerful inspirations that eventually led me to pursue my own path. a journey from China to Africa, driven by the dream of saving lions. I still remember wandering the streets of Nairobi, unsure where to begin or how to contribute. It was then that I watched the film "To Walk With Lions" and the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. It was that night that I took a chance and wrote an email to the George Adamson Wildlife preservation trust. To my great surprise and encouragement, Tony Fitzjohn replied shortly after. "In 2012, I had the honor of meeting Tony in person. We became good friends, united by our shared devotion to the wild. Tony later invited me to Cora, where I took part in a memorial ceremony honoring your extraordinary legacy in Kenya. Standing at your old camp, surrounded by the spirit of lions and the silence of the bush.
1:57I climbed that same rocky hill where you once called out to your lions. And in that moment, I felt the enduring presence of your life's work. Your courage, humility, and unwavering belief in coexistence continue to echo through the savannah. I also had the privilege of visiting Meru National Park, where you and Joy gave the world one of its most enduring stories, the story of Elsa. I climbed Elsa's copier, and from its summit I could almost see her, moving freely across the open plains, a lioness not bound by cages, but by bonds of trust and love.
2:42In that place, I could feel your joy, your pride, and joy's unbreakable faith in the possibility of reunion between wild and human worlds. I often visit El Samir by the shores of Lake Nyvasha, where you and Joy once stayed. The house remains filled with memory, the drawings, the books, the personal artifacts, all of them quietly testifying to a time when a couple dared to walk beside lions, not as masters, but as fellow beings. Each visit brings me closer to the past, and I leave with a renewed sense of purpose.
3:23It was at Elsemere that I came to know Anthony Caringe, who, like you, has devoted his life to protecting what others overlook. We became good friends, his tireless efforts to educate communities about the vital importance of the Lake Nivasha ecosystem have left a deep impression on me. Through Anthony, I also came to know Simon Thompson and Dr. Manir Virani, two of Africa's foremost raptor conservationists. On one memorable day, they invited me to join them on a boat excursion to track African eagles. We glided silently across the water, scanning the skies and shoreline, a tune to the sharp echoing cry that so vividly captures the spirit of the African wild.
4:13Later, Simon welcomed me to his bird rescue center near Lake Elementaita, where I witnessed the extraordinary care and unwavering dedication he and his team devote to rehabilitating injured birds of prey. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Simon Munir and Anthony, the skies of Kenya still resonate with the haunting call of the African Fish Eagle, a sound not only of survival, but of enduring hope, reminding us of what has been saved and what must never be lost. Please accept my sincere gratitude and admiration, to you, to Tony, to Joy, and to all who have walked this path before us, for your pioneering contributions to wildlife conservation in Africa.
5:02You walked a path few dared to take, and in doing so, lit the way for others like myself. I will continue my efforts to help lions roar and eagles soar freely beneath the African skies. Your legacy is alive, and I carry it forward with honor. With deepest respect, Simba Oloshorua Qiang Zhuo, Nairobi, April 12, 2025. Kang Jua, also known as Simba in Swahili, and Oloshorua in Maasai, is a wildlife conservation explorer and an expert member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN, serving on both the World Commission on Protected Areas and the Species Survival Commission.
5:53He is a visiting research fellow at the Eastern Himalaya Institute of Dali University, and the central figure in the History Channel documentary Lionheart, as well as the China Central Television, CCTV documentary, The Return of the King, Episode II, Heart in the Wilderness. He also served as a guest commentator for CCTV's first live broadcast of The Great Migration in East Africa. Simba has spent decades living in the wilds of the Maasai Mara in the company of lions and remains deeply dedicated to the protection and restoration of wildlife habitats.