Tony Pooley
Tony Charles (Mashesha) Pooley (1938โ2004) was a South African naturalist, award-winning conservationist and one of the world's foremost authorities on the Nile crocodile.
Born in
Pooley published numerous papers and chapters in books on crocodile behaviour, made pioneering discoveries on crocodile maternal care, and croc-rearing techniques (see Further Reading, below). He assisted in drafting new regulations changing the status of Nile crocodiles from 'vermin' to 'protected', and was a founder member of the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group.[1]
He travelled to Italy, Australia, America, Papua New Guinea, Zambia and Zimbabwe advising on crocodile conservation and farming. Several films were made about his work, including The Ndumu Story, and the BBC's award-winning Gently Smiling Jaws, narrated by Sir David Attenborough. Pooley set up two crocodile research facilities, one at Ndumo Game Reserve, and the St Lucia Crocodile Research Centre, where he also set about educating visitors about crocodiles and their place in the ecosystem. He earned his MSc degree, on the "Ecology of the Nile Crocodile in Zululand", from the University of Natal in 1982, despite never having completed high school.
After leaving the
Pooley is widely credited as being one of the leading defenders of the dunes at
Pooley's best-known publication is probably Mashesha - The Making of a Game Ranger, first published by Southern Book Publishers in 1992. "Mashesha" can be basically translated from
Pooley died in late 2004. He is survived by his wife,
References
- ^ "Crocodile Specialist Group - Top page". Archived from the original on 24 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
- ^ Natural World (TV series)
- ^ "Albums by Dick Reucassel & Tony Pooley". Rate Your Music. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
- ^ ISimangaliso Wetland Park
- ^ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage. "iSimangaliso Wetland Park". whc.unesco.org. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Staff Reporter. "Crops to be grown in wetlands heritage". The M&G Online. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ Upfold, Guy. "Elsa Pooley โ botanical artist, tour guide, author and landscaper". www.pooley.co.za. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- ^ "BAASA Gallery". Baasa.co.za. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2011.
External links
- Obituary of Tony Pooley, David Blake, Crocodile Specialist Group Newsletter, Vol 23 No.4, October 2004-December 2004
- Discoveries of a Crocodile Man 2nd edition
Further reading
- Pooley, Tony, Discoveries of a Crocodile Man (1982) and 2nd edition 2018
- Pooley, Tony, Mashesha - the Making of a Game Ranger (1992)
- Chapters in Ross, C. A. and Garnett, S. (eds.), Crocodiles and Alligators, (Facts On File, Inc., New York)
In addition to numerous scientific papers, articles in popular magazines and newspapers, and the poster The Tony Pooley Guide to the Nile Crocodile and other African Crocodiles (with John Visser) Tony also wrote Kwazulu/Natal Wildlife Destinations (A Guide to the Game Reserves, Resorts, Private Nature Reserves, Ranches and wildlife Areas of Kwazulu/Natal) with an introduction by Ian Player, (Southern Book Publishers, 1995).