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Rory Young

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rory Young
Rory Young working in Mali to protect Desert Elephants, 2017
Born(1972-05-21)May 21, 1972
DiedApril 26, 2021(2021-04-26) (aged 48)
Occupations
  • Conservationist
  • anti-poaching strategist

Rory Young (21 May 1972 – 26 April 2021) was a Zambian-born Irish wildlife conservationist and anti-poaching strategist. His company, Chengeta Wildlife, operates across Africa.[1]

Young was killed by jihadists in Burkina Faso, West Africa, along with the Spanish journalist David Beriáin and the documentary filmmaker Roberto Fraile[2] while working on a documentary about his work in Africa.[1]

Personal life

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Young was married to Marjet Wessels. They have two children together, a son and a daughter. The Youngs resided in the Netherlands.[3]

Young was active on the question-and-answer site Quora.[4] He was a Top Writer on the site, and his contributions galvanized people all over the world to protect wildlife.

Death

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On 26 April 2021, Young was killed along with Spanish journalists and documentary filmmakers David Beriáin and Roberto Fraile, after their convoy was attacked by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin militants in Burkina Faso, while working on a documentary about wildlife poaching.[5] After initially successfully repelling the attack, the convoy was overrun and the three Europeans tried to escape in their vehicle. At first they managed to hide, but after a few hours they were found and murdered by the terrorists.[6][7][8]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Chengeta: Who we are". chengetawildlife. April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  2. ^ "Wildlife preservationist Rory Young and two reporters killed in Burkina Faso". PBS NewsHour. 27 April 2021.
  3. ^ "Irish father of two killed by jihadis in Burkina Faso was 'wildlife hero'". Extra.ie. 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Rory Young - Quora". www.quora.com. Retrieved 27 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Jihadist terrorism takes hold in Burkina Faso". Market Research Telecast.
  6. ^ Heaney, Steven; Glennon, Nicole (28 April 2021). "'Doing what I can before it's too late': Irish wildlife champion killed in ambush". Irish Examiner.
  7. ^ Hayden, Sally. "Irish wildlife activist killed in Burkina Faso with two journalists". The Irish Times.
  8. ^ "Burkina Faso: Irish citizen shot dead in ambush named as Rory Young". The Independent.
[edit]

Rory Young: The 'Mad Max' of wildlife - Obituary, Irish Times