An Honorary Zambian: David Shepherd

an Honoraryzambian A tribute to the late David Shepherd, CBE 25th April 1931 – 19th September 2017

Writer: Sport Beattie, Game Rangers International Photography: Courtesy of the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation

First of all, allow me to say that it is a real privilege and a great honour to write this article about David Shepherd, CBE and a giant amongst men, whom I shall never forget. I hope these few words may do justice to his amazing legacy.

I first met David and his beautiful wife, Avril, at their wonderful Brooklands Farm in the English countryside. I had just left the British Army and by a small twist of fate’s kind hand I found myself as David’s volunteer driver. Like anyone who has ever been fortunate enough to visit this wonder-filled home, I was immediately welcomed like an old friend. If you had time—which I did—you were afforded a personalised tour of David’s studio-cum- gallery, which could be reached via an underground tunnel, accessed down a flight of steps leading from a ‘secret’ door in the pantry!

Lit by the dim glow of World War II lanterns, the tunnel had the effect of creating mystique and intrigue. As you negotiated the stairs into the gallery your senses were on high alert— they needed to be, for all around you the walls and easels were filled with David’s works of art. And here, in this ethereal, grand old room, one could see and almost feel a summary of David’s life, captured by his own brush strokes on canvas, of all the passions which were dear to him.

No matter how many times you visited the Shepherd family home you would always see something new... for instance, the model railway set which filled most of the attic and was enough to make any boy or avid collector green with envy. Aside from elephants, David’s other great love was steam engines. The walls and mantelpieces were adorned with relics and memorabilia from all around the world. They were not simply curios bought in a shop—each one of them had a story attached to it and if you cared to listen, David would recall them for you. He was a gifted storyteller—a talent he used to great effect to raise awareness and millions of dollars for wildlife conservation.

During the six months that I drove David around to his many public speaking events, I had a unique, front seat opportunity to listen and learn from one of the world’s greatest ambassadors for wildlife. Through this friendship, if I may be so honoured to call it that, I came to appreciate the amazing and relentless journey he had embarked upon to save endangered species. It was a journey whose end he knew he would probably never see, but one he undertook anyway—such is the DNA of a visionary. In my own words, I share some of it with you here...

From a tender age David had always wanted to become a game ranger in Africa. Soon after finishing school, he sailed to Kenya and marched up to the Kenya Wildlife Service chief warden and promptly announced that he was ‘Reporting for duty, sir!’. He was ‘politely’ told to go back home. It was one of those ‘sliding doors’ moments—had he been accepted I would certainly not be writing this article. In fact, all of us who have ever benefited from the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, including the Kenya Wildlife Service itself, owe a great deal of thanks to the lifechanging decision that warden made.

So David returned home and was faced with the prospect of becoming a bus driver...or joining art school. He chose the latter, but the Slade School in London unceremoniously rejected him for a lack of talent. At every event where I saw David speak he always carried with him the artwork that got him ‘discarded’— it was of a seagull flying above an ominous-looking sea. Many years later David relished recounting the story of his failed application to one of the ‘top’ art schools.

Following rejection, and at one of the most deflated points in his life, the kind hand of fate dealt him an opportunity disguised as luck. A friend of his had invited David to accompany him to a function in London. Unwillingly he obliged, and by chance he met the artist Robin Goodwin. Not one to give up easily, David asked this amazing gentleman if he would be willing to teach him, to which Robin replied emphatically, ‘No!’. Undeterred, David sought him out in Hyde Park a few days later and presented to him for his opinion the infamous seagull painting. Mr. Goodwin remarked, ‘Anyone with such poor artistic flair surely does need a bit of help!’ and so, begrudgingly, he allowed David the chance to watch him work for a little while.

David was told not to talk unless spoken to—perhaps Robin thought David would lose interest after a few hours and leave him in peace; but David had other plans! A few hours became a few days, became a few weeks and finally Mr. Goodwin relented. The only speaking though that David was allowed to do was to ask questions about art. You can imagine how hard this must have been for someone who had a natural talent for talking.

Through this unique and informal apprenticeship, which spanned many years, David learnt to paint on the streets of London, eventually becoming an accomplished artist in his own right. David and Robin Goodwin remained life-long friends. During his talks you would always hear David express his deepest gratitude for the leap of faith this wonderful man took with him. Perhaps it was because of this gesture afforded to him that David spent the rest of his life helping others to achieve their dreams and aspirations— myself included.

However, it was whilst painting on the apron at Heathrow Airport that David was spotted by an RAF officer, who invited him to Aden to paint a scene for the Officer’s Mess. Whilst out in Aden, David was spotted by another RAF officer, this time from Kenya, who invited him to fly to a remote airstrip in the African bush, where he was commissioned to paint a delinquent black rhino that had become renowned for charging an old Dakota as it took off from the grassy runway. David expressed concern to the officer that he had never painted wildlife before, but eager for the opportunity to return to the African bush, he accepted the commission—and the rest, as they say, is history. It’s almost ironic that the painting of that black rhino (then not an endangered species) would catapult David’s work into stardom and allow him eventually to establish his own foundation to raise much needed funding for endangered species protection.

Just as David’s fame was really beginning to soar, he was commissioned by the British Government to commemorate the lowering of the Union Jack for the last time in Northern Rhodesia and the raising of the Zambian flag for the first time when independence was granted to this great nation on 26th October, 1964. During that historic visit he was hosted at State House by His Excellency the (first) President of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda. Therein began a 50-year love affair with Zambia, its people and its wildlife. Since then, David has returned so many times to

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SPORT BEATTIE

Sport is the founder and chief executive officer of Game Rangers International (GRI). Originally from Zimbabwe, he has a conservation and military background. Following a two- year stint in Cambodia training former Khmer Rouge fighters to become operational rangers, Sport established the GRI Elephant Orphanage Project in Zambia. A decade later this entity has grown into a fully fledged non-governmental organisation (NGO), which currently employs 85 full-time staff and empowers 125 frontline rangers.

GRI embraces a holistic approach to conservation. It works across three key thematic areas: resource protection, community outreach and wildlife rescue.

Sport’s goal is to empower 500-plus rangers to secure 50,000 square kilometres by 2020. His long-term vision is to grow the organisation into a truly global entity, capable of deploying the replication and expansion of the GRI ranger empowerment model across multiple conservation landscapes beyond the current footprint in Zambia.

Photo Captions:

Left, top: David, by his daughter Mandy Shepherd, who has inherited her father’s artistic talent

Left, bottom: Young David Shepherd in his studio

Right: David is most amused by the antics of Phoenix, a very cheeky little elephant

Photo Captions:

Top: David, with one of his best known elephant paintings entitled The Ivory is Theirs

Bottom: David with the writer of this article, Sport Beattie

6TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA8 TRAVEL & LEISURE ZAMBIA Zambia that, much to his pleasure, he was once described by the Fourth President, His Excellency Mr. Rupiah Bwezani Banda, as a Zambian living in the UK!

Little did I know when driving David all those years ago that I would be working with him to establish Zambia’s first elephant orphanage project—an initiative which remained very dear to his heart throughout his life. In addition to this, David also helped to support the establishment of Zambia’s Special Anti-Poaching Unit (SAPU), now one of the most successful anti-poaching and anti-trafficking units fighting wildlife crime in the region.

His artwork and support to conservation education has inspired tens of thousands of school children to become the next generation of wildlife guardians. His legacy is truly immense. It reaches far and wide on a global scale—from boots on the ground to ‘planes and helicopters in the sky and the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation has made a significant contribution to wildlife conservation, which now runs into tens of millions of dollars.

If you ever wanted to see a happy man, you only had to be present at a ceremony where David was handing over a cheque for wildlife protection and conservation. It gave him the greatest of joys to know that he was helping to fight the good fight.

I have had the great privilege and honour to drive David both in the bush and in England. I can safely say he was always happiest in the African bush. Just before David died I had the good fortune once more to visit him at his Brooklands home. Ever charismatic, he joked about his old age and his frailty, but he was adamant that he would come to visit us again at Camp Phoenix in Kafue National Park to see his beloved elephants and to greet the Zambian keepers who loved him like their own grandfather.

Sadly, David never did make it back to Zambia, but on the very same day when he quietly slipped away, a big bull elephant walked right into Camp Phoenix—something which had never happened before. He sought out the matriarch of the orphan herd, Chamilandu, and mounted her in full view of all the keepers. The old bull elephant stuck around for a few days, staying close to his new-found love. His uncanny presence caused much speculation amongst the staff that David’s spirit had in fact returned, albeit in the shape of the bull elephant. It warms my heart to believe this to be true.

Nowadays, whenever I see an old bull elephant I think of David and I remember all that he has done for wildlife and the great leap of faith he took with me. He was an amazing man and I will never forget him.

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation continues David’s incredible legacy to fight wildlife crime, protect endangered species and engage with communities on the ground. To find out how you can support its vital work in Zambia visit www.davidshepherd.org

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