Beth Cruse speaks with BBC wildlife presenter Saba Douglas-Hamilton about her conservation work, love of the natural world, and upcoming tour of the UK.
Having been introduced to wild animals from just six weeks old, and working with them ever since, do you still find it surreal to be surrounded by such beautiful animals?
Each morning I wake up to the dawn chorus of woodland birds, Vervet monkeys scrambling across the roof of my tent, or the low hubbub of owls chatting in the acacias close by, I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I watch my children play by the broad river on whose banks we live – heedful of crocodiles so keeping a careful eye on the water – and thank the universe that I still need to be wary of large predators in a world largely dominated by mankind. But at night when the calls of elephants rumble through my dreams or hyenas cackle in the distance, I am reminded of how vulnerable these creatures are, increasingly at our mercy. These thoughts spur me on each day to continue my work in conservation.
When your father began Save the Elephants, did you know immediately you wanted to get involved?
Save the Elephants evolved out of my family’s long term commitment to understanding how elephants think and act in the wild, protecting them from the brutalities of the ivory trade. From the moment I was born, elephants were a huge part of my world and we saw them as an extension of the family. I’ve always believed that you fight for what you love most. In hindsight it was entirely natural that I would join the conservation cause. I see the same passion now in my own children, whom I’m bringing up among elephants in much the same way that I was raised myself.
Do you think your series, This Wild Life, allowed watchers to understand the Kenyan way of life?
What I loved most about This Wild Life was how it portrayed the many layers of life in the northern wilderness of Kenya. It’s not often that stories from Africa are told with such authenticity or in the indigenous languages, so to have English, Kiswahili and Maa all swirling about together was also absolutely authentic to real life!
What originally gave you the idea for A Life with Elephants?
I’ve watched my father over the years inspire people across the world [with] his battle to save Africa’s elephants. So mixing what it was like growing up wild with my little sister amongst Africa’s wildlife, with rather eccentric but passionate parents, with some of the amazing discoveries our team at Save the Elephants have made about the minds of these fascinating giants, seemed like a way to reach out to a younger generation who might also feel passionately about the natural world. Too often, we forget that we are totally dependent on a healthy planet for our survival. Nothing has brought this home to me more clearly than the increasing hostility we’re seeing towards the environment in the current political tide. The more people that can vote in favour of wildlife today, the better it will be for our children tomorrow. Being a mother, that’s key to everything.
You’re taking your tour all around the UK, what will you be discussing?
Anyone who‘s interested in wildlife conservation will find the experiences we’re having in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa substantial food for thought. I’ll also be talking about some of the crazy stuff that happens in remote places filming wildlife, and how one patches together solutions to deal with it! But underlying it all is a deep love for wild creatures and a feeling of profound reverence for life on Earth.
Thinking towards the future, do you have any other projects planned?
At the moment, there’s nothing planned filming-wise beyond the odd project on elephants. But my greatest passion right now is working with the nomadic people in the Samburu National Reserve to catalyse a movement to protect wildlife, rehabilitate the integrity of the landscape, and empower the local people to become leaders in conservation and eco-tourism.
Saba Douglas-Hamilton: A Life With Elephants, Riverfront Theatre Newport, Sat 11 Nov, Taliesin Theatre Swansea, Tue 14 Nov. Tickets: £15.50/£18. Info: 01633 656679/01792 602060 https://sabadouglashamilton.com/
