Austin Stevens
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| Austin Stevens | |
 Austin Stevens
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| Born | 19 May 1950  Sandton, Gauteng, Johannesburg, South Africa |
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| Occupation | Herpetologist, Wildlife photographer |
Austin James Stevens (born 19 May 1950) is a South African-born herpetologist and wildlife photographer best known for hosting a series of snake documentaries.
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[edit] Biography
Austin Stevens was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and became interested in snakes at the age of 12. By the time he finished school, his reptile collection included some of the most exotic and venomous species in the world, and was considered one of the most important in South Africa
[edit] South African Army
Austin served in the South African Army during the war in Angola, during which he was called upon to identify and remove snakes from the battlefield or anywhere where they bothered his fellow troops. During this time, he suffered his first bite from a puff adder while removing it from a machine-gun trench. As a result, he found himself in a desperate race against time to save his life that included a 480-kilometer trip through enemy territory and later a 1,600-kilometer flight, which made an emergency landing on the road at the front of a hospital in Namibia. Stevens remained in a coma for the next five days. Doctors worked for more than three months to save his hand from being removed. However he did lose part of his finger to the effects of the venom.[1]
[edit] Transvaal Snake Park
After the war Austin left the army, to take up the position as curator of reptiles from the director of the Transvaal Snake Park. Over the course of six years, Austin underwent training and became a fully qualified herpetologist.
[edit] Photographer and film maker
After Austin left the Transvaal Snake Park he became increasingly interested in filmmaking and wildlife photography. In an effort to generate funds and public interest in the plight of African gorillas, Austin set a record by spending 107 days and nights in a tank with 36 of the most venomous and dangerous snakes in Africa. On the 96th day, he was bitten again by a cobra, but to many people's amazement he refused to leave the tank and was instead treated in the tank. Although he was very sick at that time, Austin completed the 107 days and beat the record. From this experience, he authored a book entitled Snakes in my Bed.
Nowadays Austin indulges his hobby by making TV programmes about snakes. The main program Austin Stevens: Snakemaster is also known as Austin Stevens: Most Dangerous on Animal Planet, and Austin Stevens Adventures broadcasted on five in the United Kingdom. His latest book The Last Snake Man had been published in the UK by Noir Publishing [1].
Some of the cameras he uses while photographing wildlife include the Canon EOS 50E and the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT.
[edit] Personal life
Stevens lives in Swakopmund, Namibia, sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the desolate vastness of the Namib Desert.[2] Stevens stays fit and sharp by practising martial arts, in particular, nunchaku. He claims it keeps his reflexes heightened when working with venomous snakes.
[edit] Works
Some of his works:
- Dragons Of the Namib, a documentary about the life of the Namaqua Chameleon. Listed as of the Producers and Director of Photography.
- Africa's Deadliest Dozen, a documentary about the venomous snakes of Africa. Listed as Cinematographer.
Also, his photos are shown in these sites:
- Jeff Corwin's Carnival of Creatures, where a picture of a common krait was shown [2].
- Animals Animals/Earth Scenes [3], where he has submitted images of not just snakes, but dozens of other animals such as birds and lizards(search for "Austin Stevens").
- He is a media donor on ARKive [4] and his photos used in the site are shown here.
