Be the
Pride

Eric believes he can be described as having the spirit and strength of a lion, because of his unwavering commitment and dedication to bodybuilding – he won Mr. Tanzania after nearly two decades spent perfecting his body. To him, lions are not just important to the environment, but a source of inspiration that people should look to for strength and ambition.

Dr. Kigwangalla is a medical doctor, author and MP for Nzega constituency since 2010. He was deputy Minister of Health from 2015 until his current appointment. As Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, he has expanded the number of National Parks in the country from 16 to 21, started the "Pori Kwa Pori" campaign to tackle illegal logging in forest reserves, and has initiated a campaign to increase domestic wildlife tourism.

Mohammed is the president of MeTL, a pan-African conglomerate with interests across multiple industries, and the owner of the Simba Sports Club football team. In 2016, Mohammed signed the Giving Pledge, a commitment to donate at least half his fortune to philanthropic causes. In Tanzania he has donated to several causes such as education, health and community development. As a WildAid ambassador he has also lent his voice to supporting wildlife conservation.

Renowned in the field of lion conservation, Dr. Kissui started the Tarangire Lion Project as a PhD student and continues to run it to this day. Having worked for years in the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongro Conservation Area, he is passionate about understanding the drivers behind human-lion conflict and works closely with pastoralist communities to help reduce lion depredations through various mitigation measures.

A tech whizzkid who graduated from Stanford in the USA, Benjamin is something of a youth icon, having left the lucrative US job market to return home to Tanzania to start his own award-winning financial services company called NALA. He is not only an advocate for visiting Tanzania's National Parks, having hosted nearly 1,000 guests there, but was also inspired to name his company after a lioness because of the role female lions play in providing for their families.

Neria is one of only two female conflict officers working for the Ruaha Carnivore Project, a job that comes with its shares of challenges. Neria is often the first responder after any carnivore – not just lions - has attacked cattle in communities fringing Ruaha National Park. Despite the high pressure situations she must often defuse, Neria loves her job and has become a figure of respect and authority in her community because of it.

Often called an "R & B prodigy", Ben uses his unique voice to not just sing chart-busting songs, but also to speak out against the illegal wildlife trade and impress upon his millions of fans the importance of visiting Tanzania's National Parks. A long-time WildAid ambassador, Ben has starred in video messaging and mini-documentaries on lions and elephants.

Ten-year-old Samarah has loved lions pretty much her entire life. She remembers seeing a lion taking a stroll in the Ngorongoro Crater and thinking they deserved to have the freedom to walk around, breathe fresh air and be with their families. "Lions are magnificent," she says "and unique and God's creation" and hopes they will still be around for her children and grandchildren for generations to come.