This is Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua of Kenya. He's a pea farmer in his local village. And a year ago, he took on an additional (and maybe even more important) job.

This is Tsavo West National Park in Kenya. The area is in the midst of a tremendous drought. As a result, the park's wildlife are in danger.

And that's why, starting in 2016, Mwalua takes water directly to the animals. He loads up his truck with 3,000 gallons of water so the animals can survive. Otherwise, many animals would likely die of thirst.

“There is completely no water, so the animals are depending on humans,” Mwalua said. “From last year, from June, there was no rain completely. So I started giving animals water because I thought, 'If I don't do that, they will die.'”

Mwalua comes to the park with his truck and fills up the park's watering holes. But even upon his arrival, the animals know that it's him. When they hear the engine from his truck, they coming running to get the water.

In a recent Facebook post, Mwalua described how the animals reacted on a particular day. “I thought I could count the number of buffaloes eating around the water hole and drinking water, but my wish was not possible because it was a big herd,” he said. “The elephants today were at bay and other animals as well. Thank you everyone for your warm comments.”

Mwalua also started the organization Tsavo Volunteers. Its goal is to conserve wildlife and restore animal habitats. They work out of the Tsavo West National Park and the Lumo Wildlife Sanctuary.

Tsavo Volunteers have many projects within their organization. One is de-snaring, which is the removal of wire snares or traps that had been set by poachers. If they aren't removed, these traps can kill animals by suffocating them around the neck.

Tsavo Volunteers also give talks and tours to tourists, go on visits to schools, plant trees, and more. According to their website, “The work is huge and so our activities are open to all individuals from all walks of life who have a passion and wish care for wildlife.”

But to continue giving the water to animals, Mwalua needs some help. ”We are not expecting any rain until November,” he said. “This has got us all very worried of losing many animals from antelopes to elephants if nothing is done very urgently."

That's why Mwalua started a Gofundme project to raise money to get water to more animals. “We will be renting water trucks to deliver 12,000 liters of water at least 4 trips a week,” he said. “Every donation no matter the size is greatly appreciated and thank you for your support.”

Fortunately, Mwalua's story is getting more and more exposure, including being profiled on TV. In another recent Facebook post, he said, “What an exciting, tiresome day with German TV station taking my story in front of several elephants bulls and herds of Zebras [sic] at the water hole. This is my joy seeing wildlife drinking and they don't need to worry again. Your support has made this happen, thank you so much!!”

Mwalua's desire to raise awareness for the plight of these animals is so that the children of the area will continue in his footsteps. “I was born around here and grew up with wildlife and got a lot of passion about wildlife,” Mwalua said. “I decided to bring awareness to this so when they grow up they can protect their wildlife.” If you're also interested in helping these animals, consider making a donation to his Gofundme project.