BY SIR DAVID ATTENBOROUGH

Catching sight on television of a wildlife cameraman in the wilderness was once not an easy thing to do. But then, quite suddenly, that changed. Natural history programmes were followed by short films where directors turned to the camera to explain the huge problems they were facing; blizzards confined the team to their tents for days on end; cameramen in jungles sat dejectedly having failed once again to catch a glimpse of their quarry. And then at the last minute, just as the team are starting to pack up, the difficulties vanish, the animal appears and all is well.

From such films, viewers were able to see proof of what I have known for many years – that if you are going to get into difficulties when travelling in some remote and hazardous part of the world, your ideal companion would be a natural history cameraman or woman. They have powers of persuasion to soften the hearts of armed border guards. They can produce meals from the most unpromising ingredients. They can cure almost any problem involving a vehicle of any kind and drive it with imperturbable aplomb.

Gavin Thurston is one such cameraman. I have worked with him, on and off, for more than 30 years and I can vouch for the fact that he has all these talents and more. He is a most knowledgeable and perceptive naturalist. He has endless patience and that invaluable ability to anticipate what an animal is about to do before it does it, so that the camera is ready to follow it. But now I realise he has one talent I had not previously suspected – he is also a vivid writer, as you shall see…