I am always interested in Jackson's stories about growing up Maasai, so below is a wonderful little story from him (personal correspondence, January 7, 2010), with Birth of my career in the subject line. The tension remains today between cattle herders and what Jackson gives that great term wildlife enthusiasts.When I was about 8, my older brother Nterere used to take me along to chase wild animals grazing by our flock of sheep. He thought that wild animals were taking too much grass and the sheep had nothing to eat. One day, a ranger caught us. With green bushy-like clothing, he walked toward us and asked, "Why are you threatening wild life?" I quickly ran back toward home. Unfortunately, the ranger was faster than me. He caught me. The ranger did nothing bad to us but he explained about the importance of wildlife in the area. Because I was afraid of the ranger, I had to listen very carefully. This is one of the very first instances that introduced me to loving wildlife and realizing their importance, and now I am a wildlife enthusiast!!
