Provided by Linda Lanzl

Lanzl lays on the ground next to a group of meerkats. Lanzl has traveled to Africa several times to visit with SAFE Worldwide’s partner groups and aid in conservation efforts.

Linda Lanzl sits motionless among the dense greenery as a mountain gorilla slowly approaches her. She remains completely motionless among the dense flora and slowly extends her arm towards the creature. When the mountain gorilla tenderly takes Lanzl’s hand, the world falls away. It’s just Lanzl and the animal she’s studied and admired from a distance, now just inches apart.

“It was such an emotional moment,” Lanzl said. “I was looking in her eyes, and she was looking in mine. I just felt this incredible connection to this sentient being. I remember telling myself after that experience that somehow, I would find a way to work with mountain gorillas and be a part of their conservation efforts.” 

As a young adult, Lanzl worked as an employee in Bay Area high-tech companies, but found little purpose in managing accounts and sales. While still working, she watched the 1988 drama film “Gorillas in the Mist,” a biography of wildlife expert Diane Fossey and her conservation efforts in Africa. Fossey’s journey sparked Lanzl’s interest in wildlife conservation, leading her to found her nonprofit, Saving Animals Facing Extinction Worldwide (SAFE) Worldwide. 

Lanzl embarked on a solo trip to Africa in 1997 for five weeks, traveling through Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda to experience all the wildlife in the regions firsthand, meeting several wildlife conservationists there who lacked funding to continue their projects. Back home, she gathered donations through SAFE Worldwide to fund these projects and partner with smaller often-overlooked conservation groups like J.A.C.K. Primate Sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Painted Dog Conservation in Zimbabwe and Umubano Wildlife Conservation Initiative in Uganda. 

“What’s really different about our organization is that we work with very small organizations, ones that get no attention whatsoever from the outside world but still do really critical work,” Lanzl said. “We’re one of the very few organizations that’s willing to put ourselves out there and go into countries that other organizations are not willing to do.”

Every year, Linda hosts an annual Wildlife Conservation Camp to teach Ugandan students about the endangered wildlife and encourage them to participate in environmental activism. By reaching out to the younger generations, Linda hopes to educate them about local wildlife and inspire them to join conservation efforts to protect those endangered species. She especially wishes that her own story can empower young women to pursue careers in conservation and biology.

“It’s to not only teach the kids about poaching and deforestation and why biodiversity is so important, but it’s also to give them pride in their animals,” Lanzl said. “We want to remind them that this is one of the only places left in the world that has mountain gorillas or golden monkeys and that these are animals that are iconic and need to be saved.” 

Despite living in the Bay Area, Lanzl frequently travels to visit her conservation partners in Africa, even playing an integral role in risky missions while there. She has carried hidden cameras into illegal bush meat markets, helped rescued animals from poachers and aided in the rehabilitation and eventual release of these animals. 

“I have decided that if I’m really going to be serious about the work that I’m doing, I have to be able to put myself in the position to do undercover work when I’m there.” Lanzl said. “No one ever said it was going to be easy, but it is one of the most rewarding when you’re able to have an impact.”

Lanzl helped manage the JACK Primate Sanctuary while the owners took a break during a three-week stay in the Congo this February. She supervised the transportation of rescued baby chimpanzees into a forest facility and was reunited with Sana, a chimp she personally rescued from poachers ten months ago. 

“When they go into your arms and look you straight in the eyes, and they remember how much you cared for them and how much you loved them, it makes the 40 hours of traveling there worthwhile,” Lanzl said. “It makes getting sick worthwhile. It makes all the hardship worthwhile. Every moment becomes worth it. You remember why you do what you do.”