Our breaking news on the mountain gorilla slaughter in the Virunga National Park on July 27 was a story that was also picked up by hundreds of news agencies around the world. It even made the cover of Newsweek magazine. The tragedy resonated very deeply with readers of this blog and millions of people globally who were appalled that anyone would murder such a charismatic, human-like animal out of spite.

On Thursday I gave thanks for the fact that Eugène Rutagarama, one of the key conservation leaders who lead the conservation communities response to this crisis, was nominated as CNN’s hero of 2007 www.cnn.com/heroes. The African Wildlife Foundation gives this brief biography:

“For bravely protecting the mountain gorillas during the Rwandan genocide, Eugène received two prestigious awards: the Getty Prize for Wildlife Conservation in 1996 and the Goldman Environmental Prize in 2001. Eugène received a Charlotte Conservation Fellowship in 2002 to pursue a master’s degree in Applied Ecology and Conservation at the University of East Anglia in the U.K.

In 2005, Eugène became the first African Director of the International Gorilla Conservation Program (IGCP) - a coalition of the African Wildlife Foundation, Fauna and Flora International and the World Wide Fund for Nature. He is internationally recognized for his mountain gorilla conservation efforts and undoubtedly a hero for the remaining mountain gorillas.”

As an African conservation biologist, I am proud of Eugène’s achievements, because he is a home-grown African conservationist. To me this is an important change in fortunes for Africans who are routinely out-shone in Western media by foreign conservationists like Dianne Fossey and Jane Goodall. Don’t get me wrong, I am a big fan of many American and European conservationists who have made daunting personal sacrifices, and put their own lives on the line to save Africa’s wildlife. Their achievements have been a monumental advance for African conservation. However, in my experience, the brightest most talented Africans often look for African role-models to emulate, rather than outsiders. And Eugene is a rare home-grown example that will hopefully help to inspire Africa’s next generation of leaders. This is why I ask you to take a moment out of your day and vote for Eugène as CNN’s hero of the year www.cnn.com/heroes.

Brian Gratwicke is our wildlife/environment contributor