As a young man, David Western spent four years herding cattle and goats with red-robed Masai tribesmen in the Kenyan bush. There, he found something remarkable. While cattle grazing is believed to lead to deforestation and the destruction of wildlife, Western learned what the Masai already knew: his cattle fertilized the land and actually improved its diversity. The experience shaped Western's outlook on conservation. He increasingly believed humans (and their farming activities) and wild animals (and their habitat) could co-exist and benefit from each other.

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