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Dr Ian Cedric Player (March 15, 1927 – November 30, 2014)

A m o s t outstanding conservat ionis tby Fiona Zerbst

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It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of the grandfather of nature conservation in South Africa, Dr Ian Player, who passed away after a stroke on 30 November.

Born in 1927 in Johannesburg, Dr Player had a long, illustrious career protecting and conserving wildlife. Based in KwaZulu-Natal, he began working for the Natal Parks, Game and Fish Preservation Board in 1952 and worked his way up to become senior warden of iMfolozi Game

Ian Player Is well known as beIng the InItIator and team leader of an InnovatIve Project ‘oPeratIon rhIno’.

Reserve. It was here that he made two vital contributions to conservation: he founded Operation Rhino (it is largely thanks to Player and his right-hand man, friend and mentor Magqubu Ntombela, that we have rhinos to save at all), and he established wilderness areas in iMfolozi and St Lucia (the first such areas to be zoned in South Africa). In 1964 he became Chief Nature Conservator for Natal and Zululand.

During Operation Rhino, which was a hands-on,

heroic effort, a dart burst and hit him in the eye and he lost the sight in that eye. As a result, he quipped: “I am conscious of the rhinos every moment of the day.”

His pioneering efforts were many – he founded the World Wilderness Congresses (WWC) in 1977, the Wilderness Leadership School (the first organisation in Africa dedicated to providing a pure wilderness experience for people of all backgrounds, races and nationalities), the Wilderness Foundation in the UK and the Magqubu Ntombela Foundation; he also initiated the first-ever Dusi Canoe Marathon, which is going strong today.

Passionate about environmental projects of all kinds, Dr Player lectured and raised money for such projects in both South Africa and abroad, and even travelled to the US as a technical advisor to Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer for the making of the movie Rhino! In an effort to save the white rhino as a species, Dr Player sold breeding colonies to many zoos and safari parks outside of

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South Africa, including the San Diego Zoo and Orange County Zoo in the US and Whipsnade Zoo in the UK. He established an anti-poaching network in South African game reserves which resulted in a reduction in poaching and predation. During the 1960s, he conducted eco-surveys of crocodile and hippopotamus populations as well as avifauna at the Ndumu Game Reserve. He also conducted ‘Operation Crocodile’ at Lake St Lucia, during which crocodiles were airlifted by helicopter from the Mkuze River to fresher, less saline regions of

the southern part of the lake. Dr Player served on several

parks boards, including that of SanParks. Something of a visionary who believed that communities are an integral part of nature conservation, he believed people should be brought into conservation to ensure the survival of protected areas. He received many awards, including South Africa’s highest civilian award, the Decoration for Meritorious Service, and the Spirit of Africa award from the Game Rangers Association of Africa, in 2004.

the dusI canoe marathon Is one of the world’s toughest and most PrestIgIous canoe races. the fIrst ever dusI canoe marathon was organIsed by Ian Player and began on 22 of december 1951. the race was held wIth a non-stoP format and no tIme lImIt.

scan the Qr code to watch dr Ian Player’s message to the youth In one of hIs last IntervIews.

Let us not look back in anger, but forward in fury.- Dr Ian Player

Photo by Quintus Strauss

We at WRSA consider Dr Ian Player as one of the founders of our great industry. His visionary work and

faith in the concept of private ownership and sustainable use are the foundations of our industry.

Photo: www.dusi.co.za

- (Dr Peter Oberem)