Page 25 - link magazine

Swindon Wide 25
Photographer swaps weddings for wildlife

A Swindon based photographer is the first professional to work for the Born Free Foundation which is famous for its wildlife conservation work
in East Africa.
Chris Lowthian from Pembroke to change the attitudes of local
Park, who runs Photo Elevations people whose crops are often de-
and also takes on weddings from stroyed by elephants. What they’re
time to time, said he had wanted to trying to do is reduce territorial
try his hand at wildlife photogra- conflicts between humans and
phy. When he mentioned this at animals by encouraging villagers
the Born Free stand at the to put up electric fences to keep
Knebworth Festival, they jumped elephants off the crops.”
at the opportunity to commission Staying for two weeks on remote
him to record their work in Kenya. BFF research camps off the tourist
“Now that ivory poaching is trails in November, Chris visited a
largely under control, the focus of tree planting scheme to re-estab-
BFF has shifted. They are working lish forest destroyed by elephants.
He also recorded
Echo, the famous elephant matriach who featured building work at a
on TV recently, with her latest offspring Esprit BFF sponsored
boarding school for
children who live in
remote villages. He
said, “Born Free Males showing off their assets in Amboseli National Park
are battling against
the odds, making Chris found elephants grazing out-
progress for hu- side his tent one morning and, on a Born Free Foundation
mans as well as trip to observe female buffalo, a exhibition at
animals.” hasty retreat was called for when North Swindon Library
Of course there two angry males arrived on the See Chris’s images from
were plenty of op- scene. 17 to 31 January and from
portunities to pho- Now bitten, Chris hopes to de- 14 to 28 February, during
tograph wildlife, vote more effort to wildlife photog- normal library open times.
and on some occa- raphy. Another trip to Kenya is in Information about how
sions the animals the pipeline and he is hoping to to help the foundation
were a little too visit Vancouver to photograph will also be available.
close for comfort. whales and dolphins early this year. www.bornfree.org.uk

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21 January 07 25 14/12/06, 11:14 am