Elephant conservation pioneer Iain Douglas-Hamilton dies at 83

British-born zoologist Iain Douglas-Hamilton has died at age 83, his Save the Elephants group said in a statement.

Douglas-Hamilton was known for decades of conservation work, which included pioneering trackers and collaring to protect elephants against poaching.

He died Monday in Kenya, the statement said Tuesday.

“Iain was instrumental in exposing the ivory poaching crisis, documenting the destruction of over half of Africa’s elephants in a single decade, leading up to a crucial intergovernmental decision to ban the international trade in ivory in 1989,” the statement said.

“Whether sitting quietly among elephants, poring over maps of their movements, or circling above a herd in his beloved aircraft, that glint in his eye was there. He never lost his lifelong curiosity about what was happening inside the minds of one of our planet’s most intriguing creatures,” said the group's CEO, Frank Pope.

The Uganda Conservation Foundation eulogized Douglas-Hamilton as someone who “generously shared his knowledge and expertise with the conservation community, inspiring action and collaboration. We honor a life that didn’t just protect elephants, but empowered the people protecting them."

Douglas-Hamilton is survived by his wife, Oria, their two daughters and six grandchildren.