Daniel Kobak is the son of a respected Yali elder. He is passionate about Papua and is especially concerned about preserving Papua for Papuans who are seeing their way of life lost as various enterprises, from palm oil plantations, timber extraction and mining, are causing a loss of habitat at an alarming rate. Daniel has been assisting GWC with camera trapping in remote areas of Papua.

Dan was born into the Yali tribe and was raised by his father to learn the life skills that are required to survive in the mountainous, jungle wilds of Papua. He later moved to a town outside of the Yali territory where he completed high school. From there Dan moved to Timika where he played rugby and represented Indonesia in international competition.

Dan has worked for the national telecommunications company (TELKOM) as a security guard from 2003 until 2008. He has also worked as a driver for different companies including operating his own private chauffeuring car for many years.