Saba was born in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya on the 7th June at 7pm on the seventh day of the week, and became the 7th grandchild in the family. Her name means “seven” in Kiswahili.

Saba’s first job was with Save the Rhino Trust in Namibia, working in the hinterland of the Skeleton Coast on a Crafts for Conservation project. In 1997 Saba joined her father’s charity Save the Elephants (STE) as Chief Operations Officer to help build up their research center in Samburu National Reserve, north Kenya. It was here that she was talent-spotted by the BBC and began her life as a TV presenter and producer of wildlife documentaries.