Nigel was born in East Africa and has since spent much of his life in the wilds of this wonderful continent. He still prefers to go barefoot and is immensely proud of his blend of Kenya citizenship and Irish origins (O’Dochartaigh, Donegal). The combo drives a kind of yearning for adventure that needs the backing of a sense of humour!
Trained as a zoologist (many thanks, Oxford University) and as a veterinarian with particular wildlife skills, Nigel has worked in veterinary and conservation guises – as well as in dangerous humanitarian ones – in a diversity of places both in Africa and well beyond. In so doing, perhaps some divine intervention has rescued him from the jaws of livid hippos and many a strike from Africa’s more venomous kinds of snakes., ‘Dodging the bullet’ has been more literal whilst working as a veterinarian and humanitarian in war ravaged countries like Somalia and Southern Sudan.
Nigel has reverence for the rights of indigenous cultures and for the sanctity of wildlife that is living wild and free. His greatest obsession is with all things feline (be they India’s magnificent tigers, the regal Serengeti lion or the ‘moggie’ cat sitting on our laps) and he has an utter and absolute admiration for the adorable elephant. These magnificent animals, as well as countless other creatures feature heavily in his veterinary adventure travelogue, WILD VET WALKABOUT. Indeed they also feature heavily in the wonderful work of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust – the charity which has so inspired Nigel and to whom half the book’s net sales profits are donated. Please follow, share widely and support the work of this awesome organisation at www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org
WILD VET WALKABOUT is gather some notable testimonials. Will Travers, who heads up the Born Free Foundation, talks of “intriguing photos, a naturalist’s eye for drawing and the intimate details describing what life for a bush vet is really like”. Tony Fitzjohn, author of ‘Born Wild’ and protégé of the legendary George Adamson, describes the book as “an excellent piece, in the best traditions of Jonathan Kingdon and George Schaller.”
It’s not surprising that such feedback is coming from people so committed to their conservation work, because WILD VET WALKABOUT has such a passionate and strong conservation emphasis. The travelogue promises to be a real roller-coaster, poignant and sobering one moment and entertaining and enlightening the next. What’s more, half the proceeds from it sales go towards putting a good foot forward for wildlife.
When not engaged in veterinary work, Nigel is likely to still be thinking about such work! In those rare moments of distraction from such focus, he enjoys trying out his hand in wildlife art, planning more adventure travel, and doing poorly to capture Beethoven’s expression on any nearby piano.