In honour of his friend Mark Jenkins, who perished in a plane disaster along with his son Peter, Prince William presided over memorial services.
The pilot crashed above Kenya’s Tsavo National Park while conducting a regional patrol.
The Prince of Wales had a good friendship with the wildlife expert, who stated on his website: “Yesterday, I lost a friend who dedicated his life to safeguarding animals in some of East Africa’s most recognised national parks.
“Mark Jenkins and his son Peter sadly died while performing an aircraft patrol over Tsavo National Park.
Who was Pilot Mark Jenkins?
The first initials of William and Kate Middleton have been used to sign off personal social media posts. According to PEOPLE, the prince and Jenkins got to know one another while taking a year off after the prince graduated from Eton College in 2000. Jenkins monitored Prince William’s work with the African wildlife protection group Tusk during the ensuing years.
Mark and Peter were on an aerial patrol for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, according to the Frankfurt Zoological Society, when the plane went down. Mark is a seasoned bush pilot and has been an environmentalist. Former employers of his include the Frankfurt Zoological Society and the Kenya Wildlife Service.
In his obituary, it is written that Mark was “passionate, principled, and strong-willed; He was never afraid to speak his thoughts and defend his convictions; he was a dominating presence who left a lasting influence wherever he went.”
What happened to Prince William’s friend Mark?
A friend of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s, pilot Mark Jenkins, was on board the jet with his son Peter when it crashed over Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, sparking an investigation.
In a tweet from the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Twitter account, the future King described pilot Mark Jenkins as “a guy we all liked and admired.”
When their aircraft collided with the wildlife refuge, Mark and his son Peter flew over Kenya’s Tsavo National Park. According to authorities, the couple was travelling in a fixed-wing Cessna Sky Wagon when it went down on Thursday at 11 a.m.
The friends first linked during William’s gap year and have kept in touch ever since. The conservationist was motivated by the royal’s involvement with Tusk.
Mr Jenkins was a famous Kenya Wildlife Service warden who loved flying and was committed to protecting the wildlife of East Africa.
Statement from Prince Williams:
“Yesterday, I lost a friend who had devoted his life to animal conservation in some of East Africa’s most well-known national parks,” William said in a statement released today.
Tonight, I’m thinking about Mark Jenkins’ wife, family, and coworkers who have cruelly lost a man we all liked and appreciated while conducting an aircraft patrol over Tsavo National Park. An investigation has been started in the wake of the sudden crash.
Plane crash: Explained
The incident reportedly occurred when they attempted to move cows, camels, and goats out of the area. This morning there were unfounded rumours that shots were fired at the jet from the ground.
Herders and authorities have previously fought in the National Park. However, officials claimed in the statement that it is still too early to pinpoint the catastrophe’s cause.
Teams from the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) and the Kenya Wildlife Service are reportedly on the scene looking into the circumstances behind the crash. KWS sends its deepest regrets and condolences to the families of the dead.
The Frankfurt Zoological Society paid tribute by saying:
Mark spent his professional life preserving wildlife in some of East Africa’s most well-known national parks. He was also an accomplished bush pilot. Mark’s father worked as a game warden for the Kenya Wildlife Service, and he spent much of his childhood in Kenya’s Meru National Park.
Following a successful career with KWS and other organisations, Mark joined FZS as a Project Leader in 2014. He spent his first year in Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve before moving to the Serengeti National Park in 2016. Mark, a seasoned pilot, contributed to the expansion of the Serengeti National Park’s airwing by bringing two Aviat Husky aircraft used for surveillance and anti-poaching missions.
Additionally, he played a crucial role in creating the first de-snaring teams inside the park, which helped lessen the adverse effects of snares on animals while also creating jobs for locals.
Mark wasn’t hesitant to speak his mind and stick up for his convictions because he was passionate, principled, and strong-willed. Thanks to his dominating presence, he left a lasting impact everywhere he went.
The people who worked with him will never forget him for his tenacity, thoughtfulness, vigour, mischievous smile, and abiding passion for nature. We will miss his friendliness, humorous tales, and occasionally somewhat irreverent remarks that always made us grin. Mark was a loving husband and father who his wife and kid survived.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark’s family, who tragically lost two beloved family members, as well as with his friends and all the other conservationists who knew and worked with him. Additionally, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the NGO for whom Mark conducted the patrol flight yesterday, have our deepest regrets.
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