Ambrose Letoluai is a leopard scientist and researcher who started working with the San Diego Zoo in 2016, after being introduced to the team by Tom Silvester, CEO of Loisaba Conservancy. He was one of the first to confirm the spectacular sightings of black leopards in Laikipia and with his team, has recently published a scientific paper on black leopard presence at Laikipia Kenya.

Previously, Ambrose started as an apprentice guide with Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp. Having studied wildlife management and conservation and thanks to his great love of wildlife, he saw the incredible potential of community-based conservation efforts first-hand while living in the local community and keeping livestock, including goats and sheep.

Today, Ambrose’s work is to help connect research with communities in the area, playing a crucial role in helping to curb poaching, enhance the ecosystem, reduce biodiversity loss, and support sustainability efforts. Along with being a research consultant for Mpala Research Centre and Loisaba Conservancy, Ambrose has been instrumental in two important projects to help save the leopards and support livelihoods in the communities. He co-founded Chui Mamas (which means Leopard women) whose mission is to help empower women and girls in the local community to attain the highest possible standards of living by engaging in income-generating activities, as well as help teach locals about the importance of leopard conservation. He also founded the Wildlife Conservation Resource Centre where local children have access to wildlife literature and participate in his Wildlife Kids program, which organizes trips to see wildlife within Loisaba conservancy.