Oman
Waiting for the camel race to start. Photo: John Hatt/Eye Ubiquitous. Oman This article was first published by Harpers & Queen, October 1995. In the late 1960s there was student…
Kerala
Travel in India has entered a golden age. It has always been exceptionally interesting, but when travellers left the main destinations they often faced difficulties and discomfort.
A Long Walk in Tanzania
Although there were only two clients and myself on our Tanzanian safari, we were accompanied by a staff of forty, thirty of whom were porters.
Elephants in India
Behind the world’s back, elephants are still being bought and sold in the small town of Sonepur near the Ganges.
Gorillas
Gorillas are mostly gentle, but one of them kept me in my place. Until the pioneering studies of George Schaller in the 1950s, the gorilla was considered a terrifying and savage beast, rumoured to have a propensity for raping women.
Syria
During my background reading on Syria, I discovered that all the millions of hamsters that have been kept as pets are descended from one single pregnant animal, which was trapped near Aleppo in 1930.
Namibia
A quarter of the world’s remaining cheetahs live in Namibia. It is a crucial population, for throughout the rest of the world their numbers have been fast diminishing.
Fishing with cormorants in China
A cormorant fisherman in China earns more than five times as much as a university professor. The professor’s pay is £7 a week, whereas just one of a fisherman’s birds can produce an income of…
Dolphins
When I began investigating dolphins, I heard an almost unbelievable tale. Jojo, a dolphin who has taken up residence next to the Club Mediterranée in the Turks and Caicos Islands…
The Honey Guide
During a walking safari in Zambia my guide pointed to a small sparrow-like bird, then told me an incredible story. He said that this nondescript little creature, the Greater Honeyguide, uses a…