Spike was born into the world of ecology – his father worked as an ecologist in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe. Thus, Spike experienced wildlife at close quarters at a very early age, often accompanying his father on field trips, camping at waterholes among the elephants or exploring the bush on his own searching for birds nests and eggs. Spike achieved his professional guides licence in 1988 and since then has worked extensively throughout Zimbabwe, managed a private wildlife estate, run mobile tented safaris and rebuilt a lodge in southern Tanzania where he was head guide and manager for five years. Spike has visited several major safari regions, such as Zambia’s Luangwa Valley, most of the national parks in Tanzania, several parks in Kenya, Northern Namibia and Rwanda to name a few. He is currently doing relief work in Ethiopia. Spike’s knowledge of wildlife, his reputation as a birder and his personable nature are well known. He often advocates that safaris are as much about people as about the wildlife and he is never happier than when he is in his beloved African bush showing people Africa’s rich diversity