A Kenyan wildlife vet was named Wildlife Vet of the Year

Dr Mukami Oundo, a Kenya Wildlife Service veterinarian, was named Wildlife Vet of the Year, and an animal hero, at the IFAW Animal Action Awards on October 15, 2026, at the BAFTA in London. The Daily Nation reported the honor on October 21. She covers the Laikipia, Mwea, and Nyandarua landscape after five years of veterinary school and a year of internship. She said that when she was hired, it had been 16 years since a woman had worked in that role. She added tents so female students and rangers could deploy with the team.

Her cases include elephants, zebras, antelopes, rhinos, big cats, mountain bongos, and pangolins, and she has helped develop care protocols for rescued pangolins. She told the Nation that with a large animal the team sometimes gets only one chance to treat it. The award is for that field work. It is not a claim that the animals in her landscape are now safe.