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“He never lost his lifelong curiosity with what was happening inside the minds of one of our planet’s most intriguing creatures.” - Frank Pope

The elephant expert and conservationist has died aged 83.

Tributes are being shared to Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton CBE, the founder and president of Save the Elephants, following his death at the age of 83.

The charity has shared that the renowned Scottish zoologist and conservationist passed away at his home in Nairobi on Monday, 8 December 2025.

Dr Douglas-Hamilton has been credited by the charity for revolutionising understanding of African elephants and their behaviour. He was just 23 when he started the first scientific study into the social behaviour of wild elephants.

However, when the herds he was following were getting killed for ivory, Dr Douglas-Hamilton turned his focus to elephant conservation.

He played a key part in exposing the ivory poaching crisis and, in the decade leading up to the ban of the international ivory trade, documented the destruction of over half of Africa’s elephants.

In 1993, Dr Douglas-Hamilton founded Save the Elephants, with a mission to secure a future for wild African elephants through research and safeguarding. He introduced the use of GPS tracking technology and aerial survey techniques to transform elephant monitoring and protection strategies.

When an estimated 100,000 elephants were killed by ivory poachers between 2010 and 2012, Dr Douglas-Hamilton testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. His science-based advocacy contributed to the closure of domestic ivory markets around the world, including China in 2018.

In 2013, he co-founded the Elephant Crisis Fund, which has supported 120 partners across 44 countries to carry out over 500 projects to protect elephants worldwide.

Frank Pope, Save the Elephants CEO and Dr Douglas-Hamilton’s son-in-law, said: “Iain changed the future not just for elephants, but for huge numbers of people across the globe. His courage, determination and rigour inspired everyone he met. Whether sitting quietly among elephants, poring over maps of their movements or circling above a herd in his beloved aircraft, that glint in his eye was there.

“He never lost his lifelong curiosity with what was happening inside the minds of one of our planet’s most intriguing creatures.”

Prince William, who is a royal patron of African wildlife charity Tusk, of which Dr Douglas-Hamilton was an ambassador, described him as "a man who dedicated his life to conservation and whose life's work leaves lasting impact on our appreciation for, and understanding of, elephants".

Meanwhile, Born Free co-founder and executive president Will Travers OBE and his mother Dame Virginia McKenna wrote: “Iain’s was a lifetime of service, and his legacy lives on through his family and the work of Save The Elephants.

“He was a true gentle man, an inspiration, and a friend whom we saw too infrequently but who was never far from our thoughts. We owe him a great debt of gratitude. His vision, bravery and compassion helped save the lives of countless individual elephants and changed the course of elephant conservation forever.”

Image © Indianapolis Zoo

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