Dr Richard Hoare is a wildlife veterinarian with a later PhD in interactions between humans and African elephants. He formed the first working group on human-elephant conflict in the IUCN /SSC African Elephant Specialist Group and over 30 years has overseen many of its outputs to assist wildlife managers with HEC mitigation and to help African elephant range states to develop national management plans. He has published numerous scientific papers on the behaviour and management of ‘problem elephants’ and on other taxa involved in HWC.

He has worked in many African countries, including almost a decade in the Serengeti, Tanzania and is a member of four IUCN Specialist Groups (African Elephant; the HWCCSG; Wildlife Health; and Giraffe). He is active in the fields of elephant research, human wildlife conflict with mega-herbivores and large carnivores, wildlife disease issues, wildlife capture and veterinary training.