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If Gordon Buchanan ever writes an autobiography, the Scottish filmmaker behind NATURE's LEOPARDS OF YALA could title it "From Dishpan Hands to Distant Lands." As a teenager on the rural island of Mull, Buchanan took a job in an eatery owned by a woman whose husband, Nick Gordon, was a wildlife filmmaker. "I'd be scrubbing pots and pans and I'd answer the phone -- he'd be calling in from these exotic locations in deepest Africa," he recalls. "It made quite an impression." Soon, Buchanan was accompanying Gordon to West Africa on a lengthy assignment -- and the beginning of a career in the field.
LEOPARDS OF YALA photographer Gordon Buchanan. |
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Today, the 31-year old Buchanan is one of the field's rising stars, filming human and animal subjects around the world, from South American jungles to Africa's Serengeti. He's hung from ropes and hid out in blinds to capture a shot, and filmed from moving cars and soaring aircraft. In the last few years, he's become known for his work with big cats, capturing the secret lives of lions, tigers, and leopards -- particularly at night, when the large felines are often most active and special equipment is required.
Buchanan recently spoke with NATURE, just days after he returned to Scotland from a lengthy sojourn in India filming tigers.
NATURE: What was that first trip to West Africa like?
Well, we left in January of 1990 and spent almost a year in Sierra Leone, then were evacuated [due to civil unrest]. We were on an uninhabited island in the middle of rainforest in the southern part of the country. But we had a chance meeting with [an aide official] in the middle of the forest, and he advised us to leave due to increasing rebel activity. We weren't really convinced, but managed to get our short wave radio working and heard that the rebel activity was getting worse jut about 40 miles away. We left, thinking we'd be back in a couple of weeks, but I never went back. I would dearly love to, but every time [there has been an opportunity] things have always flared up.
What did you think of that experience?
Culture shock doesn't describe what I went through. I come from a very small place -- there are maybe 1,000 people in Tobermory, my town, and the entire island has 2,500. I had never really traveled. So it was quite strange to go from this island community to the middle of West Africa. It was very difficult at first. I was 17 and all my close friends were just finishing school and going to university. They had an apartment together -- and I was out in the middle of nowhere in a tent.
But I had always enjoyed the outdoors, and I loved watching wildlife documentaries. I had no in-depth knowledge. Still, I just thought that it would be a great job [to make them]. I love wild places and wild animals, and would like to think that I have a creative side, and there are not many jobs where you can combine those things.
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Leopard Poaching
How serious is this practice? |
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Interview
Discover adventures in leopard filming |
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Resources
Web links and books about leopards |
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