“I really hope that there will be more Chinese conservationists coming and settling here. But so far, nobody,” Zhuo said, though he added that there were “more Chinese communities supporting our work”.

Zhuo, 50, could be about to see more interest, after hosting the first China-Kenya Wildlife Conservation Cooperation Forum last month. Hundreds of Chinese citizens and organisations attended the event aimed at showcasing what was being done and exploring ways to provide support.

“We have set up a platform to encourage and inspire Chinese communities living in Kenya as well as Chinese tourists who visit Kenya to join our conservation efforts,” Zhuo told the Nairobi event.

Several Chinese companies – from logistics to real estate – made donations at the forum to support those efforts.

Gao Wei, chairman of the Kenya Overseas Chinese Association, said the group would urge Chinese businesses and citizens in Kenya to support conservation activities.

“We are looking at how we, the Chinese, can do something for society [in Kenya] in the area of conservation,” Gao told the forum.

“Kenya is known for its wildlife, and these treasures attract a lot of interest from across the world. We believe if we can promote better conservation of wildlife in Kenya this will be good for the country.”

Zhuo’s conservation journey in Africa started in 2004, when he first visited the scenic savannah plains of Maasai Mara and saw a pride of lions. It was a life-changing trip.

“When I was eight years old, I watched the TV cartoon the King of the Jungle. After that, I began to dream about becoming a lion – to go to Africa to become a lion, stay with the lions,” Zhuo said.

After seeing the lions in Kenya, Zhuo quit his job of 15 years with the Chongqing government. “I moved to Africa with my backpack,” he said.

At the reserve, he lived with lions for several years in search of the best way for humans and lions to live in harmony.

He realised lions were endangered, their number having dwindled to about 20,000 globally. Kenya had less than 3,000.

“My mission is to inspire Kenyans to save lions and to encourage more Chinese to join me in these conservation efforts,” Zhuo said.

In 2011, he set up the Mara Conservation Fund to source financing to protect lions and other wild animals in Maasai Mara.

A year later, he built a camp at the reserve’s Ol Kinyei Conservancy, which spans about 73 sq km (28 square miles).

It was there that Zhuo pioneered a community-led model for wildlife conservation. The idea is for the Maasai people to drive conservation efforts through anti-poaching initiatives, by reducing conflict between humans and wildlife, and with community welfare projects.

Some 1,200 families are involved in what Zhuo describes as “the first community-based conservancy in Maasai Mara”.

Zhuo said he convinced them to contribute land to establish protected areas for the environment and wildlife. They receive part of the visitor entry fees to the conservancy and sell products they make to tourists.

“We have seen the local community increase their yearly income, family income, from US$500 to US$3,700 per family,” he said.

“Many people came to learn our model and went back to set up more conservancies around Maasai Mara.”

The drive has paid off, with donations of vehicles, motorcycles and other equipment as well as financial support that Zhuo said had helped to build 59 lion-proof enclosures to reduce conflict between the animals and local communities.

“It’s my strong belief that without the active participation of local communities, we cannot achieve any success,” Zhuo said.

Zhuo said the illegal wildlife trade continued to be the main factor affecting conservation efforts but progress had been made, especially after China banned trade in ivory and other wildlife products.

He said educating tourists was also important, adding that more Chinese were travelling to Kenya and going on safari in its national parks.

China is the sixth biggest source of tourists in Kenya, and the Kenyan tourism board has been running marketing campaigns to attract more as it seeks to diversify beyond the traditional US and UK markets.

Some 52,000 Chinese travelled to Kenya last year – more than double the number in 2022.

“As the first Chinese wildlife conservationist working in Africa, I believe that we have done very pragmatic work to inspire and encourage Chinese people to realise the critical importance of wildlife conservation,” Zhuo said.