There’s a common saying that a picture is worth a thousand words. This is the saying behind the efforts on Tony Wild, a conservation platform founded by Anthony Ochieng Onyango.
Having witnessed the solace that comes with being around nature when he was a boy, Anthony felt naturally inclined to the outdoors. The endless wonders that lurked in the different corners of his surroundings piqued his interest. First in Nairobi and thereafter Kisumu where he completed his primary education. Beyond this interest, he had a good memory and took to a sketchpad to draw the wildlife he’d come across. Surely enough, nature became a safe space for him as he went through different life transitions.
Anthony took time to absorb himself in conservation matters at school – from tree planting to cleaning the school compound. When he joined Mbita High School, his passion for the environment shone through. This was so much so that he became one of the youngest prefects, spearheading environmental matters, in form 2.
Even with this passion, Anthony followed a more formal path with his tertiary education. He joined Strathmore University to study Accounting, but his heart’s calling was too strong to ignore. He decided to transfer to Moi University in 2008 to study Wildlife Management. The aim was to get upskilled on what it truly meant to protect the environment. Here, once more, his interests pushed him towards leadership roles. He chaired the school’s Wildlife Club – and soon felt motivated to look for paid work in the same sector.
In his first years of work, Anthony found himself fully immersed in the scientific side of things. He learned about waste management, data collection, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) work. It was in the M&E role that he realised two challenges: grantees inability to take pictures, and a gap in the public’s understanding of what conservation entails.
Then came an itch: Anthony felt the strong urge to work more in the communication side of conservation. A question soon followed: how could he bridge the gap between his understanding of conservation science and public knowledge that would then incite positive public action?
Reflecting on his love for nature and after taking time to research, Anthony considered using photography as his way of communicating. In 2016 he joined a class to better equip himself. While the investment left a dent in his pockets, his instincts settled any worry that tried to creep up, assuring him that this investment would reap impactful results.
Fortunately, that year he was able to buy his first camera. But he soon realised he needed a good lens to capture wildlife. He gave himself a year, working as he saved up, and practicing along the way. Through this process, he also looked into how he could become a conservation photographer.
In 2017 he made a big leap and quit his job to focus on growing as a conservation photographer. For two years, Anthony kept building even when freelance work became tight. With his eyes on his intended goal, he kept pushing. During this time, he developed Tony Wild. His mission was to develop a brand that would showcase an amazing work of photos from Kenya. In 2019 he got his first major job which proved to him his dedication was paying off. Soon came awards for his work. And since then, Anthony – or Tony Wild as he is now known – has established a platform that combines stills, motion images and blog posts on conservation matters and wildlife.
Evidently, this trajectory is one to be inspired by. Through pictures, Anthony has now become an advanced ambassador of conservation. In his words: “Whatever career you’re in, nature is the backbone of our daily lives, and if we can all appreciate nature, we can achieve most of the Sustainable Development Goals.”
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