In the first of two conversations, renowned conservationist (and personal conservation hero) Ian Redmond OBE discusses the interconnectedness of life – from the elephant, gorilla, and chimpanzee gardeners in the rainforests of the Congo Basin to a loaf of bread in England!

Ian has been in love with East Africa since 1976 when he first travelled to Africa to study and protect the mountain gorillas of Rwanda and the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly known as Zaire). In 1978, he was part of the team that filmed Sir David Attenborough’s famous encounter with the mountain gorillas for the BBC’s “Life on Earth” series. Such was the impact of that recording that in 1999, British television viewers placed Attenborough’s gorilla sequence at number 12 out of 100 in the “Greatest TV Moments,” ranking it ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation and the wedding of Charles and Diana. More importantly for the mountain gorillas, this intimate moment with a great ape was one of the catalysts for a turnaround in their (then) critically endangered status.

During the past four decades, Ian has advised in the making of more than 100 documentaries for the BBC, Nat Geo, and the Discovery Channel. He even coached actress Sigourney Weaver on how to grunt like a gorilla for the 1988 film “Gorillas in the Mist.” 

Listen to the first part of our conversation to learn about:

• Ian’s role in the mountain gorilla story
• His unusual approach to securing a job with Dian Fossey in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda
• Turning points in his life, such as the murder of his friend Digit, the young silverback gorilla
• How Fossey might view gorilla conservation now
• Rebalance Earth and the ecosystem services value of an elephant far beyond its tourism value
• In part two (episode 16) Ian talks about western lowland gorillas, bonobos and Kahuzi Biega National Park in the DRC, along with more entertaining insights from his amazing career

Ian Redmond OBE is a man of many hats! These include:

• Chair of Trustees, The Gorilla Organization
• Co-Founder, Rebalance Earth, which is developing a global ecosystems platform for valuing and funding a living nature to combat climate change, protect biodiversity and lift communities out of poverty
• Head of Conservation, Ecoflix the first not for profit global streaming platform dedicated to saving animals and the planet
• Senior Wildlife Consultant and Policy Adviser, Born Free Foundation
• Ambassador for the UN’s  Convention on Migratory Species 2010-2024
• Co-founder and former Envoy, UN-GRASP.org
• Founder and Chairman, Ape Alliance (linking 95 organisations)
• Fellow, Linnean Society, Royal Geographical Society and previously Zoological Society of London
• Ambassador and consultant, www.vEcotourism.org Connecting and empowering conservation projects by integrating state-of-the-art immersive digital technologies with traditional storytelling
• Follow Ian Redmond on X

Welcome to my world! 

Tune in every week to The East Africa Travel Podcast for the dawn chorus, travel advice, chats with award-winning conservationists, safari guides, birders, lodge owners, and wacky guidebook writers.

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