(Posted 19th June 2026)
Dr. Paula Kahumbu Honoured at National Geographic Museum of Exploration as Her Life’s Work Is Featured in Washington, DC
Kenyan conservationist, National Geographic Explorer and 2021 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year, Dr. Paula Kahumbu, is in Washington, DC this week attending the National Geographic Explorers Festival 2026, where her photograph currently appears on the entrance doors of National Geographic headquarters as the organization opens its new Museum of Exploration. The photograph on the doors was taken by renowned National Geographic photographer Charlie Hamilton James and is connected to Dr. Kahumbu’s role as a presenter in the acclaimed four-part National Geographic series Secrets of the Elephants, filmed across Africa and Asia and premiered in 2023. For visitors entering the museum, the image serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of storytelling in connecting people to wildlife and inspiring conservation action.
Inside the museum, an exhibit celebrates Dr. Kahumbu’s work and career, beginning with the powerful “Hands Off Our Elephants” campaign and tracing the extraordinary impact of her conservation leadership over decades. For Dr. Kahumbu, this moment is not only personal. It is a tribute to Kenya, to Africa, and to the growing global movement of people determined to protect nature in the face of unprecedented threats. “This is an overwhelming honour,” said Dr. Kahumbu. “To see my photograph on the doors of National Geographic in Washington, DC, and to know that inside the museum there is an exhibit about my life’s work, is deeply moving. But this story is not mine alone. It belongs to millions of Kenyans whose voices, hands, courage and belief helped defend our elephants when they were being slaughtered for ivory and their tusks trafficked to markets half a world away.” The exhibit reflects a career shaped by curiosity, courage and collaboration. Dr. Kahumbu’s work has confronted some of the most difficult conservation challenges of our time: wildlife crime, habitat destruction, climate change, poor governance, short-sighted development decisions, environmental injustice and the consequences of public disengagement from nature.
Across Kenya, Africa, the Global South and the world, biodiversity faces existential threats. Forests are disappearing, rivers are polluted, wetlands drained, land transformed for agriculture, wildlife habitats are fragmented and shrinking, and climate change is accelerating the loss of species and ecosystems that sustain life. Yet Dr. Kahumbu believes that these challenges can be overcome through informed citizens, courageous leadership and collective action. At the centre of this work is WildlifeDirect, the Kenyan conservation organization Dr. Kahumbu leads as CEO. Together with an extraordinary team, a dedicated Board of Directors, committed partners and supporters around the world, WildlifeDirect continues to champion wildlife conservation, environmental education, justice and storytelling. “Our team at WildlifeDirect is undefeated in spirit and determination,” said Dr. Kahumbu. “Every day we work alongside communities, educators, scientists, filmmakers, rangers, government agencies and young people to protect Kenya’s incredible biological heritage. We are deeply grateful to our supporters and Board members who continue to stand with us as we tackle some of the greatest conservation challenges of our generation.”
The success of “Hands Off Our Elephants” and other campaigns led by Dr. Kahumbu and WildlifeDirect was made possible by an unprecedented coming together of the Kenyan public, media, conservation organizations, agencies, private companies and government institutions. Together, they helped transform national awareness, strengthen public resolve and build pressure against elephant poaching and ivory trafficking. Today, WildlifeDirect’s work is increasingly focused on mobilizing young people and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to experience nature firsthand. One of the organization’s most important initiatives is in conservation education reaching tens of thousands of school children, thousands of whom have visited the WildlifeDirect Kids Field Lab, a unique outdoor learning space adjacent to Nairobi National Park, where children can explore nature directly and free of charge through their schools.
At the Kids Field Lab, children do not experience nature through a glass window or a screen. They touch, smell, observe and investigate the natural world around them. They can collect leaves, examine fallen feathers, study dead insects and learn directly from nature through immersive, hands-on experiences that inspire curiosity, wonder and stewardship. WildlifeDirect has also been working to remove financial barriers that prevent children from visiting protected areas. Encouragingly, recent announcements by the Kenya Wildlife Service have made it easier for schools to bring children into national parks, a development that reflects growing recognition of the importance of connecting young people with nature. These efforts are already producing measurable results. Increasing numbers of young Kenyans are pursuing careers in conservation, environmental science, wildlife management and related fields. At the same time, a new generation of conservation leaders is emerging across the country. Young people are no longer simply accepting poor decisions affecting national parks, forests, rivers, lakes, marine ecosystems and wildlife habitats. Across Kenya, citizens are organizing, speaking out and taking action to protect the places they love. New conservation champions are emerging everywhere, defending forests, safeguarding rivers, protecting marine ecosystems and advocating for wildlife.
“I call on the government to welcome this emerging environmentally conscious public,” said Dr. Kahumbu. “These citizens care deeply about our natural heritage and our connection to wild places. Their voices should be embraced as part of the solution.” What Kenya is witnessing today is the result of decades of investment in public awareness and conservation education. Through Wildlife Warriors, WildlifeDirect’s flagship television series, conservation stories have reached audiences across the country. In the last eleven months alone, Wildlife Warriors content has been viewed more than 212 million times in Kenya, helping inspire a new generation of environmental stewards. At the heart of Dr. Kahumbu’s work is the spirit of exploration, not simply as travel or discovery, but as a way of being. To be an explorer is to remain perpetually curious, to ask difficult questions, to follow evidence, to collaborate across divides and to step into uncertain and dangerous spaces when something precious is at risk.
“Exploration is not only about going to remote places,” said Dr. Kahumbu. “It is about refusing to look away. It is about asking why, asking who benefits, asking what is being lost and asking what we can do together. It is about taking on difficult things even when they seem hopeless, and not allowing fear to stop us from doing what needs to be done.” Dr. Kahumbu is attending Explorers Festival 2026 alongside many other African and global explorers whose work is expanding the meaning of exploration in the 21st century from science, storytelling and technology to conservation, justice, education and community action. Her presence at the festival comes at a time when conservationists across Africa continue to face increasing pressure as wildlife habitats, national parks, forests and natural systems come under threat from development, crime, climate change and weak governance. Dr. Kahumbu’s recognition at National Geographic is therefore also a reminder that African conservation leadership matters and that Kenya’s story has helped shape global understanding of what citizen-led conservation can achieve.
Looking ahead, WildlifeDirect is expanding its work through education, storytelling, youth engagement and partnerships that connect people to nature including a family nature festival in Laikipia in December. Among its most ambitious current projects is a major feature film focused on elephants and human-wildlife coexistence in Kenya.
“Elephants have always held a special place in my heart,” said Dr. Kahumbu. “They are intelligent, emotional and deeply connected to the landscapes they inhabit. Our new feature film will explore the realities of coexistence between people and elephants and help audiences understand why protecting these magnificent animals matters for all of us. This recognition belongs to Kenya,” said Dr. Kahumbu. “It belongs to every child who learned to love elephants, every journalist who told the truth, every ranger who stood guard, every citizen who spoke up, every company that supported us, every agency that acted and every Kenyan who believed that elephants are not just wildlife, they are part of who we are.”
Dr. Kahumbu continues to champion conservation through advocacy, education and storytelling. Her work has helped shift public awareness, influence policy, inspire young people and build a stronger conservation movement in Kenya, across Africa and beyond.
The National Geographic Museum of Exploration opens with Dr. Kahumbu’s story featured among the lives and achievements of explorers whose work has changed how the world understands nature, science, people and the planet.
Members of the public, educators, schools, partners and supporters interested in learning more about WildlifeDirect’s work are encouraged to contact the organization at Damaris@wildlifedirect.org.
Together, we can ensure that future generations inherit thriving wildlife populations, healthy ecosystems and a deeper connection to the natural world.
