Hal Brindley

Born in upstate New York, Hal was terrified of chipmunks and kittens as a child. But his mother nurtured his love for wildlife and eventually this love brought him to conservation. Following a circuitous path through an undergraduate degree in art and marketing at the College of William & Mary, Hal founded two successful extreme sports clothing brands before selling the business to pursue wildlife photography. 

Traveling the world to document the planet’s imperilled wildlife, Hal found he was happiest in the field observing the incredible creatures that fill it.  As a conservation photographer he has worked for The Nature Conservancy, RARE, Wildlife ACT, SEE Turtles, and Paso Pacifico. His photos, videos and writing have since appeared in books, magazines, newspapers, and television shows around the world. 

Along the way he has volunteered as a wildlife rehabilitator, tracked cheetah and leopards with radio telemetry in KwaZulu Natal, GPS-tagged swallow-tailed kites in Brazil, documented the illegal trade in Hawksbill turtle shell undercover in Nicaragua, and surveyed hellbender salamanders in North Carolina. 

Together with his wife, Hal founded Travel For Wildlife.com, an award-winning blog dedicated to sustainable wildlife tourism, and Truly Wild, a sustainable clothing brand dedicated to wildlife conservation. 

Hal holds the distinction of being the only human to document a leopard attacking and killing a crocodile, which happened during his very first visit to South Africa in Kruger National Park. When not studying in Cape Town, Hal lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife Cristina and his kitty Bobby. He is no longer afraid of chipmunks. 

Thesis: How black-footed cats choose and use dens. (Supervisors: Justin O'Riain, Alex Silwa).