The passing of Iain Douglas-Hamilton marks the end of an era in global conservation — a quiet giant whose life’s work reshaped humanity’s understanding of one of the earth’s most extraordinary creatures. For more than sixty years, he immersed himself in the world of African elephants, studying their social complexity, documenting their intelligence, and fighting relentlessly to protect them from the threats humans created. His research, advocacy, and courage permanently changed the way the world sees these animals. What had once been dismissed as instinct or primitive behavior he revealed as something far richer — networks of memory, loyalty, grief,...
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