The Final Battle of Richard Leakey, Africa’s Elephant King

CAMPAIGNER Richard Leakey has returned to the Maasai Mara, and one of the first social calls he makes is to the local Maasai elders.

He says it is traditional in African society that if a known elder – the Swahili word is mzee – travels into other elders’ territory, he should meet with them.

“When I ran [the Kenyan Wildlife Service] I had a reputation for being on the side of the Maasai, so they know me well,” he says. “When we arrived this morning, word went out that I was here.”