Two of the world’s finest protectors passed away this week. Mark Jenkins and his son Peter perished on December 8 when their jet crashed as it was patrolling Tsavo East National Park. Our thoughts are still processing this dreadful calamity. Mark Jenkins is a conservation giant. Conservationist Mark Jenkins belonged to a unique generation. He spent his entire life working to preserve East Africa’s wilderness areas, and he demonstrated the same commitment in all of his roles as a father, husband, friend, and leader. Peter was already a force of nature in his own right and was following in his father’s footsteps. Before starting his training at Sandhurst in April, he had finished his conservation degree and was working in the field.
He had a promising future in front of him. A man like Mark may have had an unjustly short life, but he never truly leaves us. His legacy is carried on through the wilderness areas he helped to improve, including parts of Kenya, where he was born and raised, the Selous and Serengeti in Tanzania, Uganda, and other nations. Peter Jenkins, his father, established Meru National Park as its first warden. There, Mark spent a large portion of his youth until rising to the position of Meru park warden. Later, when his job led him across East Africa, he made his mark on some of the most stunning landscapes there. Mark Jenkins is a conservation giant. Conservationist Mark Jenkins belonged to a unique generation.
He spent his entire life working to preserve East Africa’s wilderness areas, and he demonstrated the same commitment in all of his roles as a father, husband, friend, and leader. Peter was already a force of nature in his own right and was following in his father’s footsteps. Before starting his training at Sandhurst in April, he had finished his conservation degree and was working in the field. He had a promising future in front of him. A man like Mark may have had an unjustly short life, but he never truly leaves us. His legacy is carried on through the wilderness areas he helped to improve, including parts of Kenya, where he was born and raised, the Selous and Serengeti in Tanzania, Uganda, and other nations. Peter Jenkins, his father, established Meru National Park as its first warden.
There, Mark spent a large portion of his youth until rising to the position of Meru park warden. Later, when his job led him across East Africa, he made his mark on some of the most stunning landscapes there. Peter Jenkins is an extraordinary young man. Mark was a fantastic storyteller, and what a collection he had! Action was what made up his life. He was never one to watch from the sidelines; instead, he was always the first to don his work clothes and start a task. Mark saw countless opportunities when others would only see impossibilities. Working with his crew on the field made him the happiest. Mark was admired by all. He was both a gentleman and a bushman, passionate, moral, and realistic in equal measure. Mark was a true team player who never sought attention or attention for himself. Those who had the good fortune to work with Mark will concur that he was only concerned with doing the task at hand and thoroughly enjoying the entire process.
