Guess who is in the hot seat with us this time? None other than, the multitalented and brave, Austin Stevens.

Being a wildlife photographer and a proud author of 4 books, Austin Stevens speaks his heart-out with Austin Macauley. We are honoured to be the publisher of his latest book, Running Wild in which Stevens gives a vivid description of his autobiography. An accomplished wildlife photographer, filmmaker, adventurer and author, Austin Stevens hails from South Africa. The herpetologist and naturalist, Stevens gained popularity with his most daring and crazy stunt show where he shared a glass cage with 36 venomous snakes for one-hundred and seven days. Through this show, he earned himself a place in the Guinness Book of Animal Records.

Stevens received stardom with his hit TV Shows  Snakemaster, Austin Stevens Most Dangerous and Austin Stevens Adventures which were aired on Animal Planet, Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel and Channel 5 UK. 

His latest book Running Wild is a personal account in which Stevens shares the happenings of his personal and professional life covering his early days at Hartbeespoort Snake and Animal Park, to his recruitment in the military during the late 70s.

In his book, Stevens takes you through the exceptional and extraordinary encounters with some world’s most lethal creatures like Black Mamba. Each encounter is described with such enthusiasm in the book that leaves you thrilled and amazed.

Through his autobiography, Stevens makes you walk in the shoes of a man who evolved from a curator of reptiles to an ace wildlife photographer, an author and a filmmaker.         

We had a chance of catching up with Austin Stevens. We hope you’ll love reading his interview as much as we did.
 

Austin Stevens - Running Wild

1. What inspired you to write your fourth book, Running Wild?

My first three books each shared a piece of my life and adventures with the readers, concentrating on specific periods and incidents reminiscent of the time. Snakes in My Bed – covering the time of my world record snake live-in and my subsequent relocating to the reptile park in Germany. The Last Snakeman – a picture-filled book covering the time of my relocating from South Africa to Namibia and everything that I learned there in the fields of wildlife photography and film making. And, Snakemaster – a book strictly aimed towards those interested in reptile adventures, which I was contracted to write for the American market.

Having had these three works published over a period of years, I was contemplating, ‘what next’, when my wife, Amy, reminded me of the many questions regularly forwarded to me by my thousands of Facebook followers and fans, asking for more personal information, concerning my background history and behind the scenes life not showcased in my books and/or films. With this thought in mind, I began to assemble years of long-forgotten notes and writings that had never seen the light of day, and steadily I began to recover memories spanning some fifty years of accumulated life story, the good and the bad. It was the first step to the eventual launching of Running Wild. And as I wrote, it soon became clear to me, as memories were rekindled and emotions resurrected, that there was much ground to cover - and not all of it allowing for humorous connotations. Nonetheless, I had heard the call, and once having committed myself I felt there should be no holding back. This was to be the story of my life, in total, not just that read about in previous books or viewed on my Animal Planet film series. (Austin Stevens Most Dangerous and Austin Stevens Adventures)

2. Why was it important for you to write about more personal aspects of your life in Running Wild?

I have always, where possible, guided my writing towards the more humorous aspects of my experiences, as I am naturally inclined towards seeing the funny side of any situation, in retrospect at least. However, having in recent times been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and not being able to accurately predict the future or how long I will be able to continue on the path I have chosen, I saw no reason not to pull out the stops and divulge all that might be of interest to my readers. What you see on screen or read in books usually reveals little of what and/or who a person really is. I have many times been surprised by questions asked and statements made, concerning my life and history, be it through private communications or the media in general. For example, on numerous occasions over the years it has been reported that I have been killed. (This I strongly disputed.) Also, on a website dedicated to revealing the earnings of TV stars, my net worth was claimed to be in the region of no less than three hundred million US dollars!  Oh, how I wish. It appeared that the Charlie Sheens of the world, demanding millions per TV episode, automatically categorised all on-screen performers in a similar bracket. Some people were shocked to learn that as a wildlife adventure presenter I received no more than an average everyday wage. We do it because we love it, and the exotic travel locations that inevitably go with the position. I found so much of the general information about me to be quite confusing, semi-accurate, and often far off the mark. On my Facebook page I share as much as is relevant when answering questions posed by my followers, but one is restricted to minimal communication, often not satisfying those wanting to know more. Thus, as I came to view the problem, the answer lay in the possibility of an all-encompassing book, from the ‘horse’s mouth’, so to speak, to be available for anyone interested to read.

3. Out of all your publications, which was your favourite to write?

My first experience with writing for publication was, naturally, an article about snakes, supported by my own photography (The Nature of the Snake). This seemed to go down well with the magazine in question, and its readers, and they asked me to write more. I was thrilled and will never forget the excitement of seeing my work in print for the first time. By the time I started working on my first book many years later, I had been published over 100 times in a variety of wildlife and travel magazines around the world.

Seeing my first book, Snakes in My Bed, displayed on shelves in book shops was another moment of proud, emotional achievement that will stay with me always. Over the years that followed I had two more books published, in the UK and USA, designed around my experiences filming in the wilderness with reptiles and other wild animals. The release of each publication has been equally exciting, but somehow my latest venture, Running Wild, emotionally overshadows all else. I think because it is a rounding up of all that is passed, a complete fifty or more years of history if you like, reliving not only the good times, but the bad as well, as indeed life dictates.

4. Do you have any advice for someone hoping to get into Wildlife Photography and TV Presenting?

The action of getting into wildlife stills photography is entirely up to the individual and needs little more than a camera of choice, and a driving desire to pursue a subject that is of interest. Establishing a career out of wildlife photography is a different matter, and as in my case at least, consists of years of trying to find a niche in an overly competitive market. Assuming you have the funds and something unique, unusual, or never-before-seen to work with, wildlife documentary film making is, in my opinion, a more satisfying and productive challenge. If you are somewhat artistically inclined with a vision of what you expect of your work, you might go a long way. Make no mistake though, whatever format you decide upon, stills photography or movie/video, there is no easy way. The competition is overwhelming, especially where the big TV and film companies are involved in the market. One would have to compete against an overwhelming amount of opposition.

As for wishing to be a wildlife documentary adventure presenter, I cannot offer much in the way of advice. Something extraordinary must take place, and/or one must somehow be seen to have some unique or unusual ability that might attract attention or interest. As I personally have experienced, here luck plays a part, and it is only by chance that some of my earlier work was spotted by someone in the TV documentary business, and brought to the attention of a colleague, who knew a director in the upper circles of the business, who knew someone who was looking for a project, who thought to send someone to contact me for a meeting. Even then, after being subject to days of interviewing, scrutiny and testing was I offered a contract to make just one film. Luck was with me, however, and the results of that film (Seven Deadly Strikes) led me to a further contract to do three more films … then a few more, until finally, over a period of some eight years I completed 29 films in total. It was a long run of good luck.

5. What is your favourite animal that you have worked with?

Throughout the years of my interest in wild animal behaviour, I have worked with many animal species in zoos and in the wilderness. When just 19 years old and fresh out of military training, I was fortunate to be offered the position as curator of reptiles at a then budding privately owned reptile and animal park, which over the years grew to be the biggest privately-owned park of its kind in Southern Africa. Here, I became familiar with the ways of a variety of wild animals, as far as could be documented under captive-bred and raised conditions: lions, cheetahs, tigers, leopards, chimpanzees, bears, hyaenas, baboons and monkeys and an endless array of other species, including, of course, snakes, lizards and frogs. These were the learning years, and exciting as they were, when first I began adventuring into pristine wilderness areas, to view and photograph wild animal behaviour, in the wild, I was totally blown away by what there still was to learn.

I had of course encountered elephants many times during my bushveld travels, and, as always, found myself awed in their presence. But it was my encounters with the so named ‘desert elephants’, surviving along the Skeleton Coast regions of the Namib Desert, that emotionally affected me, not only by their plight, but their incredulous adaptation to their forced isolation in as harsh an environment as is imaginable.

Their age-old migratory routes severed by human encroachment and years of political mismanagement of the region by the South African government presiding at the time, forced the original few isolated elephants to escape being hunted by venturing further into the western fringe of the inhospitable desert where few humans cared to follow. And against all imaginable odds, they adapted to the conditions, somehow learning to quell their hunger and thirst enough to maintain their 5 tonne bodies in a region of relentless shifting sand dunes, permanent drought and sweltering heat. Even more astonishing, now many years later, having been granted status as a ‘protected species’, their numbers have increased significantly. My wife, Amy, and I have spent countless hours in the presence of these amazing giants, knowing many of them by locally given names, and emotionally tied to each and every one of them, basking in the miracle of their very existence. The desert-adapted elephants of the Namib remain forever the most wonderful animals I have ever had the privilege to study, photograph, film and spend time with.

6. What has been the most memorable experience within your career?

A difficult question to answer, - there have been so many. But as always, there are a few that notably had a more profound and lasting effect on me, - in one case, almost spiritual.

Going back many years to the day of my exit from my 107 day live-in with 36 venomous snakes, for which I earned a place in the Guinness Book of Animal Records, was an experience never to forget, nor ever to attempt again. Stepping out of the four-by-three metre glass enclosure I had shared with my venomous companions for over three months, and having achieved my goal (in spite of a near fatal snake bite), to the resounding applause of the gathered spectators, journalists, TV personal and the general public, was an emotionally magic moment, impossible to describe. (Full story available in my free eBook, Snakes Have Right of Way).

At another time, many years later, while filming my encounter with the biggest venomous snake in the world, the magnificent Indian king cobra, I was somewhat spiritually affected by the presence of this amazing creature. I had worked with and handled countless cobras of many different species, and was familiar with their tactics, defensive reactions, and their lethal potential. The fact that the king cobra lays eggs rather than giving ‘live birth’ sets it apart from other cobras. Furthermore, it is the only snake known where the female actually constructs a two chambered nest in which to incubate the eggs, while the male remains in close proximity throughout this time, presumably to protect the nest. All factors that suggest a higher intelligence, by cobra standards at least. And when finally I came face to face with this magnificent hooded creature, it raised its head as high as I was crouched down on one knee, and looked me straight in the eyes, unwavering and unafraid. And I was awed by the presence projected by this great snake, which left me in no doubt that I was in the presence of a king.

Although it had originally charged at me in fearsome fashion, the snake showed no aggression, but instead remained completely calm, though watchful of my every move. As I reached for my camera, to my astonishment, the snake followed my every action with head and eyes focused rigidly on the movement. It was obviously conscious thought, trying to figure out my purpose, was I a threat or not. Something I had never experienced with any snake before. Even when I became more emboldened and began to move slowly around the snake for different camera angles, the king’s raised head swivelled with me, watching, and curious. Once I tripped on a chunk of fallen bamboo, lurching forward to regain my balance. To this unexpected action, the great raised head rushed toward me, ready to defend itself, but did not strike out even though I was well within its range. The snake just stopped short and starred with rigid concentration, cautious, but curious, waiting for my next move. It was intelligent enough to recognise the difference between threatening movement and non-threatening movement. I was astonished, and even more so when later, once the five metre snake had decided I was more nuisance than threat, and had tolerated this ‘man-thing’ long enough, and began to move away, it allowed me to place my hand gently on the back of its head, as a token of my respect, before it slipped away into the bamboo forest, never to be seen by me again. Crazy as this might seem to anybody else, it was something I had always imagined doing, and I like sometimes to believe, just a little, that king cobra, greatest of all venomous snakes, had paid me homage by granting me my wish. A few moments in the presence of a king that I will never forget.

7. What are your thoughts on the damage that’s currently happening to our planet and its species?

Concerning the question of the conservation of the planet as a whole, I find myself unable to respond with moderation, or as it were, ‘political correctness.’ One of the awesome enigmas of today is how to slow the destruction of the last remaining natural environments.  I could bring up the usual assortment of ideas about saving what is left, but you will have heard it all before. My views on conservation of the planet and all its natural resources and wilderness cuts right down to the heart of the problem, the ‘white elephant’ in the room, which is seldom brought to the forefront. I am referring to human overpopulation. Each and every problem facing the world today is either directly or indirectly connected to human overpopulation of the planet.

Human overpopulation and expansion across the globe is forging ahead at an unprecedented rate, resulting in wilderness areas and natural habitats being systematically eroded, and climate change is becoming ever more evident (heat waves, bush fires, extreme temperature variations, rising seas, coral bleaching, melting glaciers, etc.). At this time our lagging space program technology does not allow us to migrate to other habitable planets (should they eventually be located), so when the last tree is cut down and the last slab of concrete poured, where do we go? Already most of our rivers are polluted, the ground poisoned, our seas have been raped and now being used as dumping grounds, while our air becomes less breathable by the day, with the ozone layer depleted to the point of it being dangerous to go outside unprotected. Where wilderness and wild animals are concerned, barely a species can be mentioned without the word “endangered” being present. We are exploiting this planet as if we already have another to relocate to!

In simple terms, human overpopulation occurs if the number of people exceeds a region’s environmental carrying capacity. The human population globally has ballooned from 2.5 billion to over 7.5 billion people since World War II. This has led to protracted ecological resource confrontations between nations, with overpopulation now becoming a leading cause of conflict. Human overpopulation of the planet persists at a fearsome, unchecked rate, bringing with it habitat destruction, pollution, global warming, extinction, human poverty and misery. Even apart from the deterioration of the quality of human and animal life, the planet simply cannot cope with the consumption and waste product produced by over seven billion people. Without drastic legislation and immediate implementation of strict measures, humanity as we know it has set itself on a downward spiraling course of self-destruction… a suicide mission of unimaginable proportions. A harsh reality, but reality nonetheless. I believe no conservation philosophy is complete without the recognition that there can be no sustainability in the long term if the human population of our planet continues to increase.

Paul Ehrlich, author of The Population Bomb, wrote…

“Basically, there are only two solutions to the population problem. One is a ‘birth rate solution,’ in which we find ways to lower the birth rate. The other is a ‘death rate solution,’ in which ways to raise the death rate – war, famine, pestilence – find us.”

8. You have been involved in Herpetology since the age of 12, what started your passion for reptiles?

I was fortunate in my childhood years to have grown up on the far outskirts of town where much open range and virgin bushveld still remained. Here I was afforded the time to accumulate my first lessons concerning African wildlife, most excitingly exhilarating, some rather painful (e.g. broken wrists, torn ligaments, cracked ribs, cuts and bruises, - and snake bite). Unfortunately, my parents had little inclination towards the deeper aspects of natural things and so when one fateful day I brought home my first snake, there ensued some consternation, a scenario that, unknown to me at the time, was to continue throughout my remaining school years. However, concerned for my safety though they were, as time passed and I persistently forged ahead with my passion, my parents capitulated somewhat and I eventually accumulated an impressive collection of reptiles, venomous and non-venomous, which I housed in glass enclosures in my room. Naturally, however, one day when I returned home from a snake collecting expedition with a swollen, oozing hand, the result of a burrowing viper bite, fresh argument was roused, and the discord renewed. For a time, I truly thought my parents had reached their limit of tolerance, but in fact they had come to terms with the matter, acknowledging that my fascination for reptiles was obviously more than just a passing phase. Thus, though naturally my safety was of prime importance to my parents, they reluctantly accepted the situation, presumably deciding that encouragement would serve more good than condemnation.

And so it came about that I was to continue on my chosen path of interest. Fortune favoured me again, when, after completing my compulsory military training, I was approached by a private reptile park to take position as Curator of Reptiles. And I loved every minute of those years spent at the park, and it sparked the flame in me that eventually guided my passion into a new realm of interest, writing, wildlife photography, and film making.

9. Are you planning on writing any other books in the future?

 My first book, Snakes in My Bed, was published in 1992 and is long out of print, with the result I am constantly asked where a used copy might be found. And indeed, some used copies do occasionally turn up for sale on such websites as Amazon, often at inflated prices. Thus I decided, for those who might be interested, I would remodel and condense the work into two separate Kindle eBooks, the first offered free of charge, so that anyone who has enquired about this adventure can  download it. I titled this Snakes Have Right of Way, a rendering of the behind the scenes activity taking place during my 107 days and nights spent in a cage with 36 venomous snakes. This I followed with my next Kindle online version of the second part of the remodelled original work, These Germans Drive Me Crazy, a humorous look at the outrageous adventures of a herpetologist working in a foreign country.

 As for future writings, I have been working on some ideas for more online Kindle books, but as yet have not brought anything to completion. Whatever I might produce in the future, however, will be different from my past works. Running Wild is the closing chapter concerning my life and adventures as the ‘Snakemaster’.

10. What has your experience been like being published at Austin Macauley Publishers?

Having researched a variety of conflicting reviews concerning active publishers who are willing to review work submitted directly by the author, I noted that the name Austin Macauley featured prominently as an expanding publisher steadily gaining influence in the world of books.

On the search for someone to view my latest manuscript, Running Wild, I decided to take a chance and sent off a copy to Austin Macauley, London, expecting to receive little or no feedback, as is so often the case. I am, of course, aware that there is an astonishingly large volume of manuscripts being submitted to publishing houses globally every day and can fully understand why so many might not be acknowledged. There is simply not enough time and not enough staff for all to be read. So, I was pleasantly surprised at the quick response I received from the Austin Macauley administration confirming that my manuscript had been received and would be reviewed and assessed by the AM Board.

Pleased, but still sceptical about receiving further notifications at any time soon, I was again surprised at the quick response, in which fortunately, I was informed that my manuscript would be taken on board. After all contractual details and signing was dispensed with, I was soon thereafter introduced to a Marketing Manager, The Digital Marketing team and the Production team. Everybody was very upbeat, positive, and supportive, and worked closely with me as steadily the design and structure of my book progressed. (Special thanks to my Marketing Manager at the time who clearly understood the underlying context of Running Wild and went out of her way to accommodate ideas.)

I had only one picture that I considered potentially suitable for the cover of Running Wild, and the digital team worked it over, and within days presented me with exactly what I had in mind, only better. This too was the case with the posters and other promotional paraphernalia that followed and accompanied the book at the launch. I did not need to change a thing. I was impressed, as I was with all the Austin Macauley group.

AUSTIN STEVENS

Running Wild