“It was then that Linorio became famous. An accidental hero,” said Molly proudly. “It was suddenly announced that African lions in the wild were extinct. It was a total shock to all but the few who had been warning about it for years.
“Lions were the only big cats that weren’t protected as an endangered species. The experts said that lions had ‘slipped under the endangered species radar’. They suffered such loss of their natural habitat and were still hunted by trophy killers. They lived in some of the poorest countries in the world, and they were being killed by the locals to protect their livestock; locals who had rifles and poisons.
“The king of the beasts, and the symbol of Africa, was lost in the wild.
“When it hit the international news, the whole question of big cats became huge. The whole world wept for the loss, more with shame than anything else. How could we have let this happen? But, finally, people were prepared to make sweeping changes.
“I have a theory, Jonathan,” she paused to let Jonathan nod his agreement that she could share one of her theories. Molly was always careful when it came to express her opinions. She knew it was impossible to prove or apply reasoning behind many of the things she believed. They were simply her theories. But Jonathan always wanted to hear them.
“The great king of all beasts sacrificed itself. Sacrificed itself to save other species,” she sighed.
“Anyway, a feisty young reporter had read an article about Linorio and how the number of jaguars in his area had been increasing. You remember I told you about the first time I saw a jaguar with Linorio and Viktor? It was me who spotted the magnificent creature, I’ll always remember it. My heart was pounding so fast I could hardly shout out to Viktor to stop the boat. There it was, standing on the shore. It was so very magnificent.”
Molly’s voice started to fade as she remembered that day and many more that followed in that beautiful jungle. Viktor nodded and continued the story.
“So, the reporter from this huge news corporation tracked down Linorio and interviewed him. The community and the reserve were doing well by this time and they were a wonderful example to show the world. The reporter arranged for Linorio to speak at a huge international conference.
“Linorio told the conference the story of our little jungle community that had once been part of the deforestation and depletion of wildlife. He said that, financially, we were only a little better off than before, but the community was stronger and happier. The villagers worked together and shared resources rather than acting as individuals who were only out for themselves. There was unity and people liked being part of it. He told how we had taken our ideas to other communities and helped them. We showed it could be done.
“He spoke well. He always has such a calm demeanor, so relaxed and patient. He simply told the conference what we had done and took none of the credit for himself. But we all knew that he had been the driving force behind everything we had achieved.
“He’s not a big man. But with those steady eyes and his constant smile, he captivated the audience. He told them about the small lodge that we’d built for visitors who wanted to see the more remote jungle. And how 10% of all the income from this paid for the gasoline to run a boat that patrolled a huge stretch of the river, to help protect the forest and its animals. There were so few rangers, only 50 in an area the size of Belgium. We had taken it on ourselves to be caretakers, even though we had little in the way of material possessions. He asked how many there gave 10% of their earnings to protect their environment.
There were people at the conference with the influence and power to make changes. And Linorio gave them a working example to follow.”