Author(s): David Ireland

Biography & Memoir

'In my line of work, knowing when to obey fear and when to ignore it is often the difference between life and death.' David Ireland has handfed bull sharks, filmed inside the jaws of a saltwater crocodile, looked into the black eyes of a great white shark and felt the breath of a lion devouring a wildebeest. In working with the most dangerous animals on the planet, he's contracted double pneumonia and dengue fever, had his back broken by a whale and his ribs shattered by a wild boar. This wildlife expert and filmmaker has been bringing nature into people's lounge rooms for over thirty years. He knows his animals inside out, and they, in turn, have helped him to understand human nature, sense danger and trust his instincts. The Wildlife Man, who has stared down a charging elephant, stopping it in its tracks, is a far cry from the sickly asthmatic kid who suffered at the hands of schoolyard bullies. This is an edge-of-your seat adventure. It's one man's story of how he learnt to live by the law of the jungle: those who adapt, survive.