Project Officer
Adellah's story begins where wilderness meets community—in the villages bordering Queen Elizabeth National Park. Raised by a single mother within sight and sound of Uganda's iconic wildlife, she didn't just grow up alongside lions, elephants, and buffalo; she grew up determined to protect them. That childhood fascination with the animals roaming near her home has turned into a career most only dream of. Today, Adellah works as a lion monitoring scout for the Uganda Conservation Foundation, standing on the front lines of one of Africa's most critical conservation battles. Her days are spent tracking collared lions across the savanna, collecting vital data through the Earthranger system that reveals movement patterns and emerging threats. She patrols vast territories, responds to wildlife rescue operations, and handles the difficult work of carcass disposal—unglamorous but essential tasks that keep ecosystems healthy. Beyond fieldwork, Adellah trains fellow rangers on tracking technology and serves as a wildlife informant for the Uganda Wildlife Authority, providing intelligence that can mean the difference between a lion's survival and its demise. Perhaps most importantly, she bridges the gap between conservation and community, leading sensitization programs that teach her neighbors how to coexist peacefully with the predators they share the land with. Adellah isn't just protecting lions—she's proving that local people, especially women, are conservation's powerful champions.