I started working for the park in 1996 – initially I was clearing paths in the forest. But before that I was simply working the fields as I came from a poor family and I could not find the means to study. I even ended up doing some poaching in the park. But it is not a comfortable life when you live in an illegal way. You always feel unsafe, and actually guilty.

So in the mid-1990s my father was doing maintenance work at Bukima patrol post but he had become old. So he asked me if I wanted to replace him… and that is how it all started. I quickly worked my way up to become a Guide.

I thank nature every day – it is thanks to nature that I have become an honorable man. I am now useful to society, and not a destroyer. Today I respect the park, and I encourage others to respect it too. I put all my efforts into preserving the flora and fauna that is seriously threatened. But you must realize that the life of a Ranger can be dangerous. Just a few months ago I was charged by a buffalo but I was very lucky because the horn just caught me in the arm. And then my colleagues came to help me.

You just always have to remember that there are many surprises in nature… but this does not affect my resolve.