Richard Leakey, Paleoanthropologist well known for his fossil-finding and conservation work in his native Kenya, has died at 77.
The death of Richard Leakey was announced on Sunday evening by President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenyan, who also did not share the cause of death.
Richard Leakey, the son of globally known anthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey, also held a number of public service leadership roles including director of the National Museums of Kenya and what became the Kenya Wildlife Service, Kenyatta’s statement said.
“We are deeply saddened to learn about the news of the death of our founder,” the conservation group WildlifeDirect said.
The group’s CEO, Paula Kahumbu, said Leakey had “a natural sense of leadership, old-fashioned but straightforward. His memory was super sharp and his ability to hold many ideas in the air at once to find common threads was phenomenal. He will be dearly missed.”
The Tribute By WildlifeDirect For Dr. Richard Leakey Reads:
“When Richard Leakey started the Kenya Wildlife Service he ignited a new approach to conservation in Kenya. He created a proud visionary organization led by Africans that sought to provide excellence in conservation that had never been seen before. Indeed the institution has gone on to become globally recognized and a source of many of Kenyan top conservationists.
He stood for integrity, hard work and excellence in all areas – be it his work in paleontology, civil service, politics or wildlife conservation.
He was a mentor to dozens of Africans in diverse fields and had played a key role in shaping the world’s view on Africa’s place in the human evolution story, on the development of multi party democracy in Kenya, and on influencing climate change dialogue.
He was an icon and a national hero whose face graced Time magazine many times.
Leakey started WildlifeDirect in 2004 as a powerful conservation entity to catalyze the movement in Africa. He remained on the board for over a decade and remained close to the team encouraging us to pursue the use of digital media to transform knowledge, attitudes and behaviors.
Despite losing both legs, and enduring three organ transplants, Dr. Richard Leakey remained active and vocal in many important conversations. He was our advisor and a champion for the conservation cause.
We are deeply saddened by his passing and we send condolences to his wife Meave and daughters Louise and Samira. May he Rest in Eternal Peace,” the statement added.