biography

Ian McCallum

Dr Ian McCallum is a psychiatrist, analytical psychologist, writer and poet.

He is a former adjunct professor at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University Graduate School of Business in Port Elizabeth and an honorary lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cape Town.
He is the author of two anthologies of wilderness poems: Wild Gifts (1999), Untamed (2012) and a novel Thorns to Kilimanjaro (2000). His award winning book ECOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE – Rediscovering Ourselves in Nature won the Wild Literary Award at the World Wilderness Congress in Mexico 2009.
In collaboration with renowned sculptor, Dylan Lewis, he was the writer/poet for the Mail and Guardian award winning ‘UNTAMED’ exhibition at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens (2010-2012).
At the Poetry in McGregor Festival (2022), he was bestowed with the unique award: The Wilderness Poet of Honour

In 2012, together with friend and journalist Ian Michler, he completed a 5000 km journey through six southern African countries walking, kayaking and cycling. Following ancient elephant migration routes and clusters, one of the priorities of the expedition – In the Tracks of Giants – was to highlight the importance of elephants as keystone species in Africa’s wild ecosystems … “if we can’t protect something as big as an elephant, how on Earth can we be expected to look after the little things?” The ecological insights and reflections gained from this journey are presented in their co-authored book (2023): LIVING IN TWO WORLDS – Addressing Humanity’s Greatest Challenge.

A former rugby Springbok McCallum’s other interests include evolutionary biology, astronomy, the art of tracking and wildlife photography (he won the Agfa Wildlife ‘Man and Nature’ category in 2001). For more than 25 years, intertwined with his work as an analyst, he has been a specialist wilderness guide and facilitator. His work has taken him to the Antarctic, the Galapagos and in Africa – to Chad, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Malawi and South Africa.
His guiding and teaching focusses on what he refers to as the ‘rewilding of the human imagination … an acknowledgement and a reminder of our deep connections to the natural world – to rivers, forests, oceans, animals and not least, the universe itself.

His work has taken him to the Antarctic, the Galapagos and to several countries throughout Africa. His guiding and teaching focusses on what he refers to as the ‘rewilding of the human imagination’ … a reminder that “We can learn a lot about ourselves from the wild, if we are prepared to listen, to watch, to be still and to wait. The animals and the wild landscapes are in our blood and in our psyche. Who and what would we be without them?”.
He is a long-time associate of the Wilderness Leadership School, a trustee of the Cape Leopard Trust, co-founder and associate of the safari company INVENT AFRICA and a foundation member of the Tracker Academy (2010).
He is a 2016 recipient of the Wildlife and Environmental Association of South Africa Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award.