Iain Douglas-Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 Douglas-Hamilton in Samburu National Reserve | |
| Born | Iain Douglas-Hamilton 16 August 1942[2] Ferne, Shaftesbury, England |
| Alma mater | Oriel College, Oxford (BSc, DPhil) |
| Occupation | Zoologist |
| Known for | Study of elephant behaviour |
| Spouse | Oria Rocco |
| Children | Saba Douglas-Hamilton and Dudu Douglas-Hamilton |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire Indianapolis Prize Order of the Golden Ark |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | The Ecology and Behaviour of the African Elephant - The Elephants of Lake Manyara |
| Doctoral advisor | Nikolaas Tinbergen[1] |
Iain Douglas-Hamilton CBE (born 16 August 1942) is a Scottish zoologist from Oxford University and one of the world's foremost authorities on the African elephant. In 1993, he founded Save the Elephants, which is dedicated to securing a future for elephants and their habitats.[3]
Douglas-Hamilton pioneered the first in-depth scientific study of elephant social behaviour in Tanzania's Lake Manyara National Park, aged 23. His work in the 1960s paved the way for much of today’s understanding of elephants and current conservation practices. During the 1970s, he investigated the status of elephants throughout Africa and was the first to alert the world to the ivory poaching holocaust, bringing about the first global ivory trade ban in 1989.[4]
For his work on elephants he was awarded two of conservation's highest awards - the Order of the Golden Ark in 1988, the Order of the British Empire in 1992, and the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2015. In 2010, he was named the recipient of the Indianapolis Prize, the world's leading award for animal conservation. In May 2012, Douglas-Hamilton spoke at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Ivory and Insecurity: The Global Implications of Poaching in Africa.[5]
- ^ Daston, Lorraine; Mitman, Gregg (2005). Thinking with Animals: New Perspectives on Anthropomorphism. Columbia University Press. p. 193. ISBN 978-0-231-50377-8.
- ^ "Births". The Times. The Times Digital Archive. 18 August 1942. p. 1.
- ^ "Save the Elephants | Dr. Iain Douglas-Hamilton | Talks at Google". Youtube. Talks at Google. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ Perlez, Jane (17 October 1989). "Ivory Trade Is Banned To Save the Elephant". New York Times. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ Foreign Relations Committee (24 May 2012). "Ivory and Insecurity: The Global Implications of Poaching in Africa". Foreign Relations Committee.