The Houston Zoo has named Peace Irigabiza of Rwanda and Raveloarisoa Hermano of Madagascar as its 2025 Wildlife Warrior Award recipients, honoring their hands-on efforts to preserve endangered species while strengthening conservation efforts in their home countries.
Two conservation leaders working thousands of miles from Houston are being recognized for protecting some of the world’s most vulnerable wildlife and ecosystems.
The Houston Zoo has named Peace Irigabiza of Rwanda and Raveloarisoa Hermano of Madagascar as its 2025 Wildlife Warrior Award recipients, honoring their hands-on efforts to preserve endangered species while strengthening conservation efforts in their home countries.
Established in 2015, the Wildlife Warrior Award supports emerging and established conservation leaders by funding professional development and specialized training. The program is fully supported through the sale of conservation bracelets at the Zoo, with 100 percent of proceeds going directly to conservation partners working in the field.
Irigabiza, a field ecologist and bat project coordinator with the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, has played a pivotal role in elevating the importance of bat conservation in Rwanda. Her work includes the rediscovery of the Hill’s Horseshoe Bat—previously believed to be extinct—and the identification of a new bat species, both considered major milestones in national conservation research.
Beyond fieldwork, Irigabiza trains wildlife rangers, leads bat conservation clubs in schools, and is developing Rwanda’s first acoustic library of bat calls. Through the Wildlife Warrior Award, she will pursue additional training in conservation leadership, project management, and scientific writing to strengthen her capacity to guide national conservation initiatives and mentor future conservationists.
Hermano, a nursery manager with the Groupe d’Étude et de Recherche sur les Primates de Madagascar, has spent more than 15 years safeguarding Madagascar’s Maromizaha Forest from deforestation and bushfires. His leadership has helped keep the forest fire-free since 2018 and restore more than 62 hectares of native habitat.
With support from the Wildlife Warrior Award, Hermano plans to pursue advanced training in botany, project management, and community engagement. His long-term goal is to establish a botanical garden in Maromizaha, aimed at preserving Madagascar’s biodiversity while educating future generations about conservation.
Zoo guests can directly support conservation work around the world by purchasing a Wildlife Warrior conservation bracelet during their visit. Each bracelet helps fund training, education, and capacity-building for conservation leaders working on the front lines to protect wildlife and ecosystems.
Over the past decade, the Wildlife Warrior Award has helped numerous conservation partners strengthen their skills and expand their impact—demonstrating how local support in Houston continues to fuel global environmental protection efforts.
