Conservation heroes honored at 2019 African Ranger Awards

Future Hoko, the head game scout at Zimbabwe's Sentinel Ranch Limpopo Safaris, was out in the bush on his daily routine of conserving the wildlife. He was fast asleep at around midnight when he was awakened by a lion scrabbling at his feet.

Within a second, the lion was dragging him as he shouted for help. Fortunately, he broke loose from the animal, reached for his gun and shot in the air several times. The king of the jungle scurried away.

Hoko then braved the painful injuries on his leg and climbed a nearby tree until the following morning when he was rescued. He spent a month in the hospital, followed by two more months to recover fully, after which he returned to his duty of protecting nature.