One-man tusk force

Dr Iain looks back on his amazing 60-year battle to save elephants

- BY MARC BAKER

HE is the world's real life Elephant Man, who has spent the past 60 years battling to save the planet's most delicate species of gentle giants from extinction.

During his long career, Dr Iain Douglas-Hamilton has faced a range of mortal threats including full frontal assaults by the elephants themselves, being trampled by a rhinoceros, various plane crashes and even attacks from poachers' bullets eager to cash in on the precious ivory trade.

But just two years ago, it was a much smaller creature than his beloved elephants that nearly cost him his life.

For the dedicated conservationist fought back from his own brink of extinction when he and his wife Oria were attacked by a swarm of African bees at their farm on the shore of Lake Naivasha in Kenya's Rift Valley.

Douglas-Hamilton, now 82, tried in vain to protect his wife, who is 10 years his senior, but as he sought to shield her he was stung over and over and went into a life threatening anaphylactic shock.