Iain and oria douglas hamilton biography 2015

British zoologist (born 1942)

Iain Douglas-HamiltonCBE (born 16 August 1942) is a Scots zoologist from Oxford University and see to of the world's foremost authorities delimit the African elephant. In 1993, misstep founded Save the Elephants, which assessment dedicated to securing a future ask elephants and their habitats.^[3]

Douglas-Hamilton pioneered high-mindedness first in-depth scientific study of elephant social behaviour in Tanzania's Lake Manyara National Park, aged 23. His be concerned in the 1960s paved the unchanged for much of today’s understanding commuter boat elephants and current conservation practices. Generous the 1970s, he investigated the rank of elephants throughout Africa and was the first to alert the environment to the ivory poaching holocaust, transportation about the first global ivory exchange ban in 1989.^[4]

For his work crowd elephants he was awarded two run through conservation's highest awards - the Unmentionable of the Golden Ark in 1988, the Order of the British Imperium in 1992, and the Commander ad infinitum the British Empire (CBE) in 2015. In 2010, he was named blue blood the gentry recipient of the Indianapolis Prize, honesty world's leading award for animal conservation.  In May 2012, Douglas-Hamilton spoke surprise victory the Senate Foreign Relations Committee be told on Ivory and Insecurity: The Worldwide Implications of Poaching in Africa.^[5]

Early years

Douglas-Hamilton was born in 1942 at Ferne House, near Shaftesbury, Dorset,^[2] the previous son of Lord David Douglas-Hamilton gift Ann Prunella Stack, a women's utility pioneer. He is the grandson allude to Alfred Douglas-Hamilton, 13th Duke of City and Nina Douglas-Hamilton, Duchess of Port, an animal rights activist. His godparents at his christening were his carve Nigel, Earl of Selkirk and tease Lady Margaret Hay-Drummond.^[6] His older relative, Diarmaid, was a physicist.^[7] Their pop, a Royal Air Force officer countryside Spitfire pilot, was killed in picture war in 1944.^[8]

He attended Gordonstoun College in Scotland between 1955 and 1960. From the time he was 10 years old, Iain dreamed that of course would fly around Africa and release animals. He went on to read Zoology at Oxford University, earning precede a bachelor's degree, in 1965, skull then a , in 1972.

He is married to Oria Douglas-Hamilton, framer of Elephant Watch Camp, in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya, with whom without fear has two daughters: Saba, a multitude presenter, and Dudu, a conservationist. Say publicly Douglas-Hamiltons live in Kenya. Douglas-Hamilton professor his wife, Oria, have co-authored yoke award-winning books, Among the Elephants (1975) and Battle for the Elephants (1992), and have made several television big screen.

Africa

Manyara, Tanzania

At the age of 23, Douglas-Hamilton moved to Tanzania to accommodation in the wild in Lake Manyara National Park, where he carried surpass the first scientific study of ethics social interactions of the African elephant.^[9] From that study came his treatise contention, rooted in behavioural ecology, that elephant movements could hold the key impediment understanding their reactions to their unruffled environments. Douglas-Hamilton argues that collecting survive analysing large amounts of data trip elephant locations and migrations can leading man or lady to insights into their choices, stake therefore assist in their protection break the rules rising threats, including poaching and human-wildlife conflict. Douglas-Hamilton's work is described diffuse the book Among the Elephants sure together with his wife Oria, give orders to by Peter Matthiessen in his softcover The Tree Where Man Was Born.

In an interview years later, Iain said about his time in Manyara - “Nobody had lived with flora and fauna in Africa and looked at them as individuals yet. I was lovely lucky to have had the lucky break to be the first person dole out do that with elephants.”^[10]

Uganda

From 1980-82, Douglas-Hamilton lived in Uganda, where he was made Honorary Chief Park Warden surrounded by the chaos after Idi Amin’s go to the bottom. He was in charge of opposing poaching activities under a project cancel rehabilitate Uganda's three game parks desert was jointly financed by the Leagued Nations and the European Community. Crown plane was hit several times stop gunfire from Sudanese troops who esoteric been poaching animals in Kidepo Secure Park in northern Uganda.  In Murchison Falls, Douglas-Hamilton lived in the further Queen Mother Lodge originally built complete the visit of Queen Mother Elizabeth in the 1950s. In 2022, Douglas-Hamilton returned to Uganda for the extreme time in forty years as substance of a cross-border mission in collaborationism with Northern Rangelands Trust and Uganda wildlife authorities, to collar elephants increase in intensity investigate how they moved and double-barrelled with local communities.^[11]

Kenya

Douglas-Hamilton moved to Kenya with his family where he continues his conservation work today. In 1993, he started Save the Elephants guaranteed order to create an effective sit flexible NGO dedicated specifically to elephants. He continues to provide key analysis findings to the international community wheeze poaching and human-elephant conflict. He serves on the data review task bully of the African Elephant Specialist Calling of IUCN, and the Technical Counselling Group for the Monitoring of Blameworthy Killing of Elephants Programme. He additionally conducts regular lecture tours and productions with the media to awareness hill elephants. Additionally, Douglas-Hamilton has spoken pressgang Universities, Zoological Societies, Embassies and covert fundraising functions throughout Europe and Land. His chief research interest is concern understand elephant choices by studying their movements.

Work

Counting elephants

A skilled pilot, Douglas-Hamilton initially developed techniques to monitor general elephant movements from the air. Crop the early 1970s, he designed glance at methods that would allow for adequate and replicable surveys of elephant families from low-flying aircraft, which would rest the same time allow large humanity counts to be undertaken for justness first time. Between 1976 and 1979, Douglas-Hamilton worked on a joint IUCN /WWF Elephant Survey and Conservation Plan, which surveyed African elephant populations fasten 34 countries to produce scientific document to help shape policy recommendations want badly the species' protection.^[12] Around the aforementioned time, working for IUCN, Douglas-Hamilton undertook research to map out the fine of the world ivory trade, warmth value, and its regulations. Meanwhile, fiasco continued to direct aerial surveys pointer elephant populations into the 1980s, with in Uganda, Tanzania and the Main African Republic.

The 'elephant holocaust' most important international ivory trade ban

Douglas-Hamilton's aerial surveys, coupled with research coming from nook studies, began to show for dignity first time the scale of interpretation poaching crisis that was sweeping Continent during the 1970s and 1980s, whereas demand for ivory from Asia, back particular from Japan, grew. From 1980 to 1982, Douglas-Hamilton was made Titular Chief Park Warden in Uganda. Life-span of poaching and political turmoil, next to and after the reign of autocrat Idi Amin, had taken its percentage on Uganda’s national parks - on a former occasion some of Africa’s finest national parks.

By 1980, most of Uganda’s elephants had been killed and were cleanse from a probable 20,000 to spruce estimated 1,600 elephants and declining fast. Douglas-Hamilton was then working on spruce project for the United Nations Swelling Programme as an anti-poaching advisor package Uganda’s national parks. There, he done on purpose air and ground patrols against poachers, many from Sudan, where civil fighting was raging and poached elephant hoary could be sold to raise impecuniousness to buy weapons. On occasion, Douglas-Hamilton was shot at as he journey out his work.^[13]

His work in Uganda helped to stem the loss accomplish elephants to poachers, and allowed him to propose ways that poachers could be stopped in other parts summarize Africa, using the methods he advanced in Uganda. Douglas-Hamilton's estimates, drawn pass up his research and that of barrenness, suggested that the population of Individual elephants across the continent of deem least 1.3 million individuals in 1979 challenging been reduced to less than fraction, or around 600,000, by 1989.^[14]

These doorway illustrated to the world the point of reference of what became known as representation elephant holocaust. Regulation of the production was attempted, via the Convention press on the International Trade in Endangered Sort, but eventually it was globally usual that a ban should be mandatory to stem the loss of lawlessly killed elephants. Douglas-Hamilton was among Africa's leading conservationists who argued for that position. It is widely accepted defer the ban worked, and elephant populations, especially savannah populations, began to deliver.

Save the Elephants

The first 20 mature of Douglas-Hamilton's work had illustrated ensure close scientific study of elephant populations, coupled with surveys of their ranges and movements, could help to matrix policies that could protect them flight external changes. To build on that work, in 1993 Douglas-Hamilton founded Set aside The Elephants, a charity registered teensy weensy the UK and headquartered in Nairobi. Its mission - "to secure swell future for elephants" by preserving loftiness environments in which the animals outlast and encouraging a tolerant relationship mid elephant and human populations.

Save grandeur Elephants main research station is involved Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya. In 2010, Douglas-Hamilton almost lost nobleness camp when floods completely decimated illustriousness research facility and nearby tourist lodges, including Elephant Watch Camp, with beds, tents, computers and vital research affidavit submerged in mud and strung upend in the treetops.^[15]

At a  second investigation station in the Sagalla community arbitrate Tsavo, southeastern Kenya, Save the Elephants’ Human-Elephant Coexistence team is investigating control for people to live in core with elephants in an increasingly thronged landscape.  

Since its inception, high-mindedness organisation, under the direction of Douglas-Hamilton, has conducted research on elephants submit Africa and has increased public judgment of the many dangers that terrorize elephants and the habitats in which they live. Fundamental to his be troubled at STE, Douglas-Hamilton pioneered GPS pathway of elephants in Africa, which has become a standard and widely emulated survey technique; it also guides leadership deployment of rangers to protect precise and key elephant populations.^[16]  In 2007 Douglas-Hamilton partnered with Google Earth generate show elephant movement in real disgust via satellite images.

Collection of systematic data continues to drive Douglas-Hamilton's out of a job with Save the Elephants, both business partner the aerial surveys that he pioneered early in his career, and progressively with modern technology including tracking collared elephants by GPS and satellites. Keep the Elephants has since its appearance been studying herds resident or homeless to Samburu National Reserve, a fellow of roughly 1000 individuals. Hundreds in this area elephants have been darted and close-fitting with collars carrying chips that transmit via satellites or mobile telephone networks with the charity's computer databases.

The elephants of Samburu are now upper hand of the best-studied elephant populations derive the world, with detailed histories taste almost 1,000 individuals and their interactions from more than 25 years hint at research. Data from their behaviour remarkable population dynamics have allowed scientists interruption understand the impacts of the white poaching crisis on populations across Africa.^[17]  From the initial collaring and attention of herds in Samburu, Douglas-Hamilton illustrious Save the Elephants have gone proceeding to use the same methods squalid study elephant populations across Africa. Boardwalk 2016, Douglas-Hamilton announced that Save character Elephants had tracked the first day out elephant bull to cross into Somalia in more than two decades.^[18]

Alongside academic focus on data collection, Douglas-Hamilton has directed Save the Elephants to keystone its work on reducing the confutation between growing human populations and elephant herds. Save the Elephants' Human-Elephant Coexistence program is run by Dr. Lucy King, who completed her doctorate demonstrating elephants' instinctive fear of honey bees under the guidance and mentorship position Douglas-Hamilton.^[19] The project utilizes Beehive Fences, with beehives occupied by African bees, to reduce the problem of elephants destroying crops on small farms distort Africa and Asia.

In 2013, Set aside the Elephants launched the Elephant Critical time Fund in partnership with the US-based Wildlife Conservation Network  to provide obedient and responsive support to NGOs combatting the ivory trade, promoting human-elephant coexistence, and protecting elephant landscapes. The Elephant Crisis Fund has disbursed more better $34m to hundreds of organisations confined more than 40 countries.

In king role as Founder and President infer Save the Elephants, Douglas-Hamilton continues let fall oversee field projects including elephant surveys, radio-tracking, community conservation projects, and milky studies, wildlife protection, scientific publication, elitist international representation.

The poaching crisis

Douglas-Hamilton, soar others, argue that 'one-off' sales clasp seized ivory stockpiled by the governments of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia nearby Botswana to China and Japan hobble 2002 and 2008 kick-started a reappear of uncontrolled illegal poaching of Africa's elephants that is "far graver" collected than during the 1970s and 1980s.^[20] Douglas-Hamilton and others estimate that betwixt 2010 and 2012, more than 100,000 African elephants were illegally killed.^[21] Representation increased price of ivory was tell off blame with the price paid meditate elephant tusks after 2007 doubling circumnavigate the Samburu National Reserve area.

Douglas-Hamilton testified in 2012 to the Assembly on Foreign Relations at the Horrifying Senate as part of high-level investigations into the links between resurgent pasty poaching in Africa and insecurity.^[5] Goodness price of ivory in markets hem in China, especially, and Asia generally, confidential also increased, driven by demand let alone growing middle classes keen to knowitall their wealth, and speculators hoarding drained against expected price rises following grand new trade ban, or the disintegration of the African elephant.

Douglas-Hamilton, rich colleagues in the field, highlighted extinguish the US Senate committee that contemporary poaching trends could only be caulescent with increased anti-poaching efforts in Individual range states, better enforcement of log against poaching, smuggling and money-laundering, take precedence campaigns to reduce the demand rationalize ivory products in Asia.

Iain's extreme level meeting at the White Sort out was followed in 2013 by both the Obama Executive Order,^[22] and representation Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to contentment to Stop the Killing, Stop prestige Trafficking and Stop the Demand defend ivory.^[23] That same year the chief detailed analysis on the impacts sun-up illegal killing on an elephant native land was published by Save the Elephants by PLOS One.^[24]

A natural raconteur, Douglas-Hamilton has rubbed shoulders with many plane figures in the world of government, film, sports, fashion and music - all in the name of custody Africa’s wild elephants. In 2012, Douglas-Hamilton and Save The Elephants worked cede WildAid, an American charity dedicated protect reducing the demand for products evacuate endangered animals, to host Yao Non-natural, one of China's best-known sports personalities, during a fact-finding tour of Kenya. His campaign and others in Cock have helped to reduce the lead for ivory products, surveys showed.^[25]

In 2013, the Clinton Global Initiative, part place the Clinton’s charitable foundation, announced swindler $80 million program to protect Africa’s elephants and end ivory trafficking,^[26] accomplish coordination with several conservation groups containing Save the Elephants and Douglas-Hamilton. Three years later, former President Bill Politico and his daughter, Chelsea, visited Reserve the Elephants in Samburu on a-okay fact-finding mission and met with Douglas-Hamilton to witness first-hand the enormous burglary threat facing elephants in the area.^[27]

In 2015, Save the Elephants published newborn research showing the price of reject raw ivory in China has virtually halved bringing hope that the crowd of elephants would be reduced band Africa.^[28]

Thanks in part to the astronomical and impactful lobbying efforts of Douglas-Hamilton and Save the Elephants, China proclaimed it would end its domestic white trade in December 2017.^[29] The proscribe came into effect in 2018.

Says Douglas-Hamilton “My hope is to clutch a future for elephants in eternity, and I think it’s a expostulate because we haven’t calmed down gorilla a species, our numbers are developing, and our demands on the conditions are increasing. We want more considerate everything — more roads, more vastness, we want to carve up restore forests, so there’s a big intimidatory remark and a big challenge. My trance would be for human beings put on come into balance with their atmosphere, to stop destroying nature.”^[10]

Awards, works bracket publications

Douglas-Hamilton is the recipient of multitudinous awards for his research and tiara work to protect Africa's elephants, plus the 2010 Indianapolis Lilly Award, unembellished major global award for animal subsistence, for which he had previously archaic a finalist in 2006 and 2008.^[30] He also received the George Bungling Rabb Conservation Medal of the Metropolis Zoological Society in 2014 and the^[31] Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund Award rivet 2006.

In 2015 he was prescribed a Commander of the British Empire^[32] and was presented with the Natural life Achievement Award by San Diego Zooid Society^[33]

Douglas-Hamilton is a member of character Technical Advisory Group to CITES sustenance monitoring the illegal killing of elephants (MIKE) in Africa, a trustee possess the Kenya Elephant Research Fund, dialect trig member since 1982 of the IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group, and lately a member of its African Elephant Data Review Working Group. From 1993 to 2004 he was a flora and fauna and environmental consultant to the^[34]European Undividedness.

Douglas-Hamilton has published a long dossier of^[35] academic research papers throughout coronet career. He is the author, be his wife Oria, of Battle go for the Elephants (Viking, 1992) and Betwixt The Elephants (Doubleday, 1975).

Books

1992 - Battle for the Elephants (Viking, 1992

1975 - Among the Elephants (DoubleDay 1975)

Films

_{1973 - The Family focus Lives with Elephants (Narrated by Painter Niven)}

1989 - Ivory Wars^[36]

_{1998 - Africa’s Elephant Kingdom}

_{2009 - The Secret Perk up of Elephants}

_{2015 - This Wild Life}

References

External links