A twenty-two-year-old Maasai entrepreneur Richard Turere has won the Young Inventors Prize for his light system to protect livestock, livelihoods and wildlife.
Turere was announced as the winner of the European Inventor Award 2023 after beating two other finalists.
Turere invented the Lion Lights system at age 11.
He was distinguished for developing a system to ward off lions and other predators from livestock using light sequences in order to protect his community’s livestock without harming the endangered lions.
Using changing sequences of flashing lights mounted on fences, the lions cannot become comfortable with the patterns and are discouraged from hunting livestock.
The simple and innovative system of flashing lights has been successfully adopted across Africa, India and Latin America.
“Today, my team and I might seem too young for people to take us seriously. But we are going to compel them to believe in us through our achievements and recognition like the Young Inventors Prize is part of that journey,” Turere said.
The winner will receive Sh3 million (EUR 20,000) while the second and third-placed finalists will receive Sh1.5 million (EUR 10,000) and Sh766,000 (EUR 5,000) respectively
Turere grew up near the Nairobi National Park where prey animals seek shelter in communal lands to escape the threat of predators.
As a result, lions have been drawn to hunt livestock in areas where humans live, which put the local communities' food and income at risk, leading to human-wildlife conflict.
The conflicts have seen the community kill lions hence impacting their population, the area’s biodiversity and tourism.
After testing several ideas, Turere’s invention, known as Lion Lights is based on a simple concept; visually replicating the human presence that keeps lions away.
The system typically runs on solar energy but can also be coupled with wind power when the weather is cloudy or there is little sun.
It has attracted international attention and has been implemented in several other countries, including Tanzania, Botswana, Namibia, Argentina, and India, where it has helped deter various species of animals, such as hyenas, leopards and cheetahs.
“I want this story to inspire the young kids that they too can do something. Anyone can make it. Anyone can change this world,” Turere said.
In 2013, he founded the Lion Lights organisation, which now collaborates with more than 50 young people in his native village.
His dedication and resourcefulness earned him the attention of Wildlife-Direct, a charitable organisation led by Dr Paula Kahumbu.
The European Patent Office established the Young Inventors Prize in 2021 to inspire the next generation of inventors.
Aimed at innovators aged 30 or below from all around the world, it recognises initiatives that use technology to contribute toward the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.
Turere’s invention contributes to UN SDG 15: Life on Land, which includes protecting, restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
