Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua isn’t the type of guy to see a bad situation and sit around hoping someone else will take care of it, he does something about it himself.
When the Kenyan native saw how desperately in need the animals of Tsavo West National Park were because of a severe drought, he decided to bring water to them. That sounds a lot simpler than it actually is. He brought the water to the animals by filling a truck with 3,000 gallons of fresh water an driving it to them. Every day.
“There is completely no water, so the animals are depending on humans,” Mwalua says. “If we don’t help them, they will die.”
He shows us you don’t have to be a part of some massive organization to make a difference. Mwalau is a pea farmer, who’s doing this on his on, except for some donations that have helped him along the way. His GoFundMe page has been the biggest help to his water delivery, collecting $115,000 in the last 5 months.
Animals have been suffering in the incredibly dry climate, especially over the last year. This never ending drought is the reason why Mwalau took action.
“We aren’t really receiving rain the way we used to,” he says. “From last year, from June, there was no rain completely. So I started giving animals water because I thought, ‘If I don’t do that, they will die.'”
The incredible thing about his saving the animals is how the animals are fully aware of what he’s doing for them. They no longer keep a distance from his truck out of fear. Often times, they come right up to him and start drinking.
“Last night, I found 500 buffalo waiting at the water hole,” he says. “When I arrived they could smell the water. The buffalo were so keen and coming close to us. They started drinking water while I was standing there. They get so excited.”
If that’s not enough, Mwalau also runs a conservation project in his spare time the teaches kids about wildlife.
“I was born around here and grew up with wildlife and got a lot of passion about wildlife,” he says. “I decided to bring awareness to this so when they grow up they can protect their wildlife.”
