January 25, 2025, marked a very happy birthday for Italy’s Claudia Tagliaferri Ricci as she was recognized for her worldwide big-game hunting pursuits by being presented with Safari Club International’s (SCI) 2025 Diana Award at its 53rd Annual SCI Hunters’ Convention in Nashville, Jan. 22-25. Sponsored by the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum, the award showcases the women of SCI who excel in international big game hunting, demonstrate exemplary ethics afield and advance wildlife conservation and education.
The prestigious award is named after Diana, the Roman mythology goddess of wild animals and the hunt. As a real, modern-day Diana, Ricci has a passion for discovering less-explored territories, and has hunted with her husband and family all over the globe. Her adventures include 30 safaris in Africa and multiple trips to Asia and North America. She has taken the Big Five, the Grand Slam of North American sheep, markor and Marco Polo argali.
Introduced to the crowd by NRA and SCI Life member and 2023 SCI Diana Award recipient Veronica Kosich, Ricci was humbled by the recognition. “Tonight, I stand here with immense emotion as a woman, wife, mother and grandmother—and I am a hunter. I don’t just gain an award. I gain new sisters,” she added, referring to the other SCI Diana award winners in the room—“women like me who have dedicated their lives to family and to preserving the values of conservation.” The icing on the cake? She said, “Today is my birthday.”
Referring to the Diana Award as a great honor, Ricci shared that she joined her husband on her first hunting adventure in 1983. Soon after, she said she got involved with SCI—to the point she is a founding member of SCI’s Italian chapter, which presented her with an award for her dedication to hunting and wildlife conservation in 2022.
Underscoring the importance of hunting to her family, Ricci explained, “Hunting was the foundation on which we raised our children.” She shared the blessings that come with having “the opportunity to travel together to remote places to hunt and to understand the basic principles of conservation.”
Understanding her family’s love of the outdoors, she said, “I began to enjoy hunting and classic car racing experiences because they [my family] would have left me at home.” Four decades after that first hunt, she says she now most enjoys going through the photographs from her hunting trips with her family. “I like to sit in front of the fire with my grandchildren and look at these books,” she said, adding, “My greatest satisfaction is to be able to walk in the woods with my grandchildren.” Proud of the fact “they have embraced the spirit of hunting with respect for nature and conservation,” she has made sure her four grandchildren understand hunting’s role in conservation and that they will carry the hunting legacy with them into the future.
As every hunter in the room could relate, Ricci also gave thanks for the places she has seen thanks to hunting. “This shared passion has blessed me with countless friendships. It [the award] is a tribute to every journey, every sacrifice made with family and dear friends.” Sharing how every expedition was unforgettable, she said, “I honor those who walked this path with me,” mentioning her family and a few of the outfitters who have guided her pursuits such as Shikar Safaris’ Kaan Karakaya and friends who are no longer with us. “May God bless you,” she added. “To my family, my deepest thanks. Your support has been the source of my strength.”
Today Ricci enjoys giving back through philanthropy, helping to build schools and wells in Namibia and Tanzania and supporting the Wheelchair Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides free wheelchairs worldwide to those in need.
As Ricci inspired every hunter in the room, I thought about how fitting it was for her to receive the Diana award on her birthday, a customary time for expressing gratitude, acknowledging growth and celebrating life and our human connections. We appreciated hearing her share her gratitude and reflect on her accomplishments as we passed along our wishes to one of our own for an evening filled with love, laughter and joy.
If a happy birthday is judged by the level of celebration, this one takes the cake. Congratulations, Claudia Tagliaferri Ricci, and “Buon Compleanno!”
About the NRA Women’s Leadership Forum
The NRA Women’s Leadership Forum is the fastest-growing community within the NRA. Uniting women of influence, it is a philanthropic society of women dedicated to protecting and defending our Second Amendment and the freedom it secures. The sole presenting sponsor of the SCI Diana Award for the past nine years, it celebrates and supports the contributions of distinguished women leaders in hunting and wildlife conservation. Visit nrawlf.org for more information or to join.
