Jim Corbett’s Great Niece And Environmentalist Joanna Stutchbury Shot Dead In Nairobi

A prominent environmental activist and reportedly the last relative of Jim Corbett, the British hunter and naturalist, Joanna Stutchbury has been shot dead near her home in Kenya.

The 67-year-old was allegedly murdered at 10 pm on Thursday while she was returning home on the outskirts of Nairobi.

United States Bureau Chief of Straits Times Nirmal Ghosh shared the news on Twitter and wrote “Environmentalist & Jim Corbett’s great-niece Joanna Stutchbury has been shot & killed today in #Kenya. The Kiambu forests surrounding her home had been a target for land grabbers for years”.

In a follow-up tweet, he mentioned, "The killers blocked the road to her home with tree branches to prevent her from driving through and was shot multiple times, and the body was seen in a pool of blood with the engine still running".

Reportedly the last relative of Jim Corbett is gone. RIP

The killers blocked the road close to her home with tree branches to prevent her from driving through and was shot multiple times, and the body was seen in a pool of blood with the engine still running.#Kenya https://t.co/8jj7rhtswb

— Nirmal Ghosh (@karmanomad) July 17, 2021

According to The Guardian, Stutchbury had been receiving multiple death threats following her campaign against the development of wetlands in a national park. She was shot four times and her neighbours found her body inside the car.

Reportedly, the environmentalist had opposed the decision of powerful local businessmen to build on the nearby Kiambu forest.

Following the death of the environmental activist, the CEO of Wildlife Direct Dr Paula Kahumbu said, “It is really awful. The conservation fraternity is very shaken. It is devastating”.

The Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta also condemned the killing of Joanna Stutchbury and said, “For the longest time, Joannah has been a steadfast champion for the conservation of our environment and is remembered for her relentless efforts to protect Kiambu forest from encroachment”.

Kenyatta has also called on security agencies to track down the killers and bring them to book.

Led by the Center for Justice Governance Environmental Action and Amnesty Kenya, the activists said in a statement, “We call for justice for Joanna and all the other environmental and human rights activists who have lost their lives while defending the integrity of our environment and natural heritage”.

Stutchbury’s alleged murder is among one of the reported violent deaths of conservationists in a few years. Another Kenya-based American conservationist Esmond Bradley Martin, who was investigating the elephant ivory and rhino horn trades, was stabbed to death in 2018 in Nairobi.