A Wild Romance – 50 Years Studying and Photographing Wildlife Around the World

Following a brief introduction to each author’s life prior to their meeting, A Wild Romance opens with the unusual circumstances of their meeting as biologists on a remote coral atoll. They then spent a year in England writing their Aldabra Atoll research followed by four years of biological work on Phuket Island, Thailand, before intensively studying and photographing wildlife in tropical Australia, New Guinea, and around the world. They spent half a century together as widely-travelled and -published freelance biologists and photographers deeply appreciative of and committed to nature as kindred spirits. Such a life as a couple of biologists involved exciting, unusual, colourful, humorous, and dangerous experiences.

Several of their tales include the making of exciting novel biological discoveries, including some remarkable animal behaviour. Others involve near-death misadventure; active volcanos; a poisonous snake bite; living with hornbills, cobras, a monkey, and an otter in the home; dodging holdups and tribal warfare; close encounters with African Lions, man-eating crocodiles, and other animals; visiting Qatar at the invitation of a Sheik; and using an inflatable life-size male sex doll as a stand-in for Sir David Attenborough. More than 200 photographs illustrate their experiences.

Locations visited and detailed herein involve Australia (including Tasmania, Macquarie, and Lord Howe Islands), Papua New Guinea, the UK, Europe to Turkey, Africa, Middle East, Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, Seychelles, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, China, Japan, South East Asia, Indonesian Java and Bali, Philippines, Borneo, New Zealand, Australasian Subantarctic Islands, South Pacific Islands (Solomons, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, Hawaii), Easter Island, Galapagos Islands, North America (including Alaska, Kodiak Island, Pribilof Islands), Canada, South America (Argentina, Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia), Falkland Islands, and Antarctica.