Iain Douglas-Hamilton

If I [Iain Douglas-Hamilton] ever needed advice on my work I could now have stimulating discussion with my official supervisor Hugh Lamprey and the other scientists who lived at Seronera, 130 miles away by road. Hugh, a pioneer in the study of big game ecology, was director of the Serengeti Research Institute which had succeeded the Serengeti Research Project. He was happy to return to research after heading the Mweka College of Wildlife Management for training young Africans to become Park Game Wardens.

I flew back to Tanzania with Douglas-Hamilton, who had brought his new plane to the elephant conference. Iain's plane is twenty years old, and looks it, but it 'came with all sorts of spare parts - ailerons and wings and things. I shan't be able to use them, I suppose, unless I crump it'. We took off from Voi at a very steep angle- a stalling angle, I was told later by Hugh Lamprey, a veteran flyer who once landed his plane on the stony saddle, fifteen thousand feet up, between the peaks of Kilimanjaro.

[Iain Douglas-Hamilton] presents thesis at 'Elephant Conference' in Ndala.

John Owen, flew in;

Desmond Vesey-Fitzgerald, by Land-rover from Arusha;

Harvey Croze, and Nani came in a Combie;

Mike Norton Griffiths, and Annie, senior ecologist of the Serengeti;

Dennis Herlocker, an American in charge of forestry in the Serengeti;

David Western, from Amboseli, studying the ecology of the Maasai and wildlife drove in from Kenya;

Hugh Lamprey, Director Serengeti Research Institute flew his glider from the Serengeti

'Somewhat more dated, but equally interesting, Iain and Oria Douglas-Hamilton’s Among the Elephants which covers their research at Lake Manyara and their romance and life together on Safari.'

The park in fact has the highest density of elephants in Africa, about eight to the square mile. Despite being harried by neighbouring farmers, their numbers are increasing - 613 of them were counted in 1981. In Iain Douglas-Hamilton's study of them, Among the Elephants, he observes that these intelligent and co-operative animals show grief at the death of a relative and even bury their dead. Although he claims to have been accepted by them, many of the Manyara elephants are bad-tempered and charge without hesitation.

Just finished reading Among the Elephants. Because of the span of time and projections from 1975, curious about few outcomes:

Chapter 15: What has happened to the home ranges of the Manyara elephants. Did it tighten or loosen and what was the phase that occurred?

Chapter 17: What was finally decided about the correct management of elephants all over Africa, judged by each individual park's merits? Culling? Noninterference?

Postscript: Only 40% of ID-H's marked trees were still alive at writing. Predicted that by 1980 there would be none left. True? Story & comments?

Postscript: Overcrowding crisis at Manyara solved? Marang Forest as promised, happen? Conversion of corridor of farmland to wildlife conservation occur for larger elephant ranges?

Are there any photos of Iain, Oria, Mhoja from the 1960s and currently? Some in book dark and hard to see.

Site and links good, but a little difficult to navigate, at least for the questions/info I was searching for…