An environmental campaigner from Norfolk who has spent decades trying to protect the world's oceans has been honoured with a prestigious award.
Jennifer Lonsdale, OBE, from Great Ryburgh, near Fakenham, has been awarded the Schweitzer Medal from the Animal Welfare Institute.
Born and raised in Uganda, she moved in England in 1963 and began volunteering with Greenpeace in the 1970s, as it took on the whalers of Russia, Norway and Japan.
In 1984, Mrs Lonsdale co-founded the nonprofit Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) to protect the world’s oceans from environmental crimes and abuses.
She sailed on a trawler to obtain the first-ever documentation of the Norwegian minke whale hunt, garnering international attention and travelled to the Faroe Islands to investigate the Faroese pilot whale hunt.
While serving as director and oceans campaigner at EIA, she advocated effective protection for whales, dolphins and porpoises.
In 2016, she was made an OBE in recognition of her environmental advocacy.
The Schweitzer Medal, established in 1951 by USA-based AWI, recognizes outstanding achievement in the advancement of animal welfare.
Mrs Lonsdale said: "I am quite overwhelmed to be awarded this medal and thank the Animal Welfare Institute for choosing me.
“It is particularly precious to me because founder of AWI Christine Stevens was a mentor to me for many years.
"She was a champion for animals all her life and never shied away from making her voice loudly heard on animal welfare abuse."
DJ Schubert, wildlife biologist for AWI, said: "Jenny’s three decades at EIA have focused almost exclusively on cetaceans, their conservation and their welfare, and she has built a remarkable depth of expertise and wisdom.
"Jenny is a joy to work with — measured, knowledgeable, generous with her time, always willing to pitch in and always ready to speak her mind, but never seeking to be the centre of attention.
"She has been a rock, a role model and mentor, as well as a friend, for so many of us over the years.”
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