From Africa to Britain: The Real Crocodile Hunter® Becomes Britain's Crocodile Hunter
From the crocodile-infested rivers of Malawi to British citizenship, my extraordinary journey has entered a new chapter. After a lifetime of African adventure, wildlife conservation and personal challenges, I am proud to embrace my new identity as Britain's Crocodile Hunter.
By Ian Bartlett | British Author, Conservationist and Former Licensed Professional Crocodile Hunter
11/2/20266 min read
A New Chapter in an Extraordinary Life
On 14 October 2026, I stood at my British citizenship ceremony in Richmond upon Thames and formally pledged my allegiance to His Majesty King Charles III.
It was a moment I will never forget.
After more than five years of building a new life in the United Kingdom, navigating immigration requirements, submitting applications and meeting the necessary legal obligations, I had finally achieved something deeply meaningful.
I was officially a British citizen.
For many people, citizenship is something acquired automatically at birth. For others, including myself, it represents a long journey involving determination, patience, considerable expense and the willingness to begin life again in another country.
Receiving my certificate of British citizenship was an emotional milestone. When my first British passport subsequently arrived, it brought an overwhelming sense of achievement, security and freedom.
But this was about much more than obtaining a passport.
It represented the beginning of another chapter in a life that has already taken me through some extraordinary experiences.
I was born in Ndola, Zambia, raised in southern Africa and spent much of my adult life in Malawi. My background is deeply rooted in Africa, and those roots will never disappear.
Today, I am proudly British. But the African wilderness will always remain part of my soul.
From the African Bush to Britain
My journey to British citizenship was certainly not a conventional one.
Long before arriving in the United Kingdom my life revolved around the rivers, forests and wildlife of southern Africa.
For nearly a decade, I worked as a licensed professional crocodile hunter in Malawi, specialising in problem animal control.
This was not recreational or trophy hunting. My work involved responding to dangerous crocodiles that posed serious threats to people living alongside the Shire River and its surrounding waterways.
In many rural communities, rivers are essential to everyday survival. People depend on them for fishing, washing, collecting water and transporting goods.
Unfortunately, those same waterways are also home to some of Africa's most formidable predators.
Working under difficult and sometimes dangerous conditions, often at night, I tracked crocodiles responsible for attacks on people and livestock.
Armed with my trusted .375 Holland & Holland rifle and accompanied by experienced African assistants, I encountered situations that demanded patience, precision, courage and a thorough understanding of crocodile behaviour.
The work took me through remote villages, dangerous river channels and the vast Elephant Marsh in southern Malawi.
Some encounters remain as vivid in my memory today as when they happened.
These experiences eventually became the foundation of my first published book, Memoirs of a Real Crocodile Hunter.
It is a firsthand account of a profession that very few people will ever experience.
I didn't research these stories. I lived them.
Twenty Years Fighting for Africa's Wilderness
Although crocodile hunting became an important part of my identity, my relationship with African wildlife was never limited to dangerous predators.
For more than 20 years, I dedicated myself to wildlife conservation at Mpatamanga Wildlife Ranch, situated along the spectacular Shire River gorge in southern Malawi.
What began as an ambitious conservation project developed into a long-term commitment to protecting indigenous woodland, wildlife habitats and the natural environment.
Managing such a property was far from easy.
There were constant challenges involving illegal tree cutting, poaching, bushfires, land management and the financial realities of maintaining a conservation area with limited resources.
Nevertheless, I remained committed to protecting the land.
One of the greatest rewards was watching nature regenerate.
Areas that had previously suffered from human disturbance gradually recovered as indigenous trees grew, vegetation thickened and wildlife habitats improved.
It reinforced something I had learned through years of working in the African bush: given protection, time and the opportunity to recover, nature possesses an extraordinary capacity for regeneration.
My conservation journey was not without personal sacrifice, disappointment or conflict.
Those experiences became the subject of my second published book, Mpatamanga: My Twenty-Year Fight for Africa's Wild Places.
The book documents the challenges of protecting a remarkable piece of African wilderness and the determination required to continue when circumstances become increasingly difficult.
For me, conservation has never simply been a fashionable cause or an attractive slogan.
It has been a commitment demonstrated through years of practical involvement.
Starting Again in the United Kingdom
When I moved to Britain in January 2020, I was entering an entirely different chapter of my life.
After decades spent in Africa, adjusting to life in London presented challenges of its own.
The climate, lifestyle, employment environment and everyday routines were very different from those I had known.
Gone were the scorching temperatures of the Shire Valley, the sound of hippos at night and the extraordinary landscapes of the African bush.
In their place came the busy streets of London, British winters and the responsibilities of establishing myself in a new country.
But Britain also offered something important: the opportunity to build a secure future.
I worked, established myself within British society and followed the immigration process towards permanent residence and eventual citizenship.
In April 2025, I received indefinite leave to remain.
That was an important milestone, but my ultimate ambition was to become a British citizen.
Following my naturalisation application and the completion of the required procedures, that ambition finally became reality in October 2026.
Looking back, I am immensely grateful for the opportunity Britain has given me.
My journey has not always been straightforward, but worthwhile achievements rarely come without challenges.
The Birth of Britain's Crocodile Hunter
Becoming a British citizen has also created an exciting opportunity to develop my professional identity internationally.
For years, I have been known through my experiences as The Real Crocodile Hunter®.
Now, as a British author and former licensed professional crocodile hunter, I am proud to embrace an additional identity:
BRITAIN'S CROCODILE HUNTER. 🇬🇧🐊
This is more than a memorable title.
It represents the combination of two important parts of my life: my African heritage and my newly acquired British nationality.
Through The Real Crocodile Hunter® brand, I intend to introduce international audiences to authentic stories of African adventure, dangerous wildlife encounters and the realities of conservation.
My ambitions extend beyond publishing.
The experiences documented in my books provide opportunities for documentaries, television productions, podcasts, film adaptations and other forms of wildlife storytelling.
I believe there is an audience for genuine adventure stories told by people who experienced them firsthand.
In a world where entertainment frequently blurs the distinction between fact and fiction, authenticity remains one of the most valuable qualities a storyteller can offer.
My background is not the creation of a television production company or an invented screen character.
It comes from years of working in the African wilderness, confronting dangerous animals and experiencing the realities of protecting wildlife and natural habitats.
Those experiences are now part of the foundation upon which I hope to build an internationally recognised British storytelling and conservation brand.
British by Citizenship, African at Heart
One question often arises when people move permanently from Africa to another country.
Does becoming British mean leaving Africa behind?
For me, the answer is simple.
Absolutely not.
My birthplace, upbringing, family history and life experiences will always connect me to Africa.
The continent shaped my character, tested my determination and provided experiences that would eventually become the stories in my books.
I still remember the extraordinary beauty of the Shire River, the wilderness surrounding Mpatamanga Gorge and the people with whom I shared so many adventures.
Those memories cannot be replaced by a new passport.
But neither should embracing British citizenship diminish the pride I feel in my African heritage.
I see no contradiction between the two.
Africa shaped the man I became. Britain has given that man a new home and a new future.
Both are now part of my story.
Looking Towards an International Future
As I reflect on becoming British, I recognise that this milestone is not the conclusion of my journey.
In many respects, it feels like another beginning.
I now have the opportunity to develop my writing, conservation legacy and personal brand from a British base while reaching readers and audiences across the world.
My two published books represent the first major steps in that direction.
Memoirs of a Real Crocodile Hunter introduces readers to the dangerous and often misunderstood profession of crocodile problem animal control.
Mpatamanga: My Twenty-Year Fight for Africa's Wild Places explores the equally demanding struggle to protect the natural environment.
Together, they tell two sides of the same extraordinary African journey.
One concerns confronting dangerous wildlife to protect human lives.
The other concerns protecting wildlife and the wilderness for future generations.
Both are central to who I am.
My hope is that these stories will not only entertain but also encourage greater understanding of Africa's wildlife, its people and the difficult decisions involved in conservation.
From the Shire River to the United Kingdom
When I look back on my life, I sometimes wonder what my younger self would have thought if someone had predicted that I would one day become a British citizen and publish books about my adventures in Africa.
It would probably have seemed an unlikely future.
Yet here I am.
From the crocodile-infested waterways of Malawi to a citizenship ceremony in Richmond upon Thames, my journey has been filled with unexpected turns.
There have been adventures, achievements, setbacks and sacrifices.
But through it all, I have learned that determination, adaptability and a willingness to embrace change can open doors that once seemed impossible.
On 14 October 2026, I became British.
And with that achievement came a new sense of belonging, opportunity and purpose.
I remain immensely proud of my African roots, grateful for my new British nationality and optimistic about the possibilities ahead.
Born in Africa. Proudly British. Forever connected to the wilderness.
I am Ian Bartlett — The Real Crocodile Hunter - Britain's Crocodile Hunter.
And the story is far from over.
About the Author
Ian Bartlett is a British author, conservationist and former licensed professional crocodile hunter who spent much of his life in southern Africa. He is the author of Memoirs of a Real Crocodile Hunter and Mpatamanga: My Twenty-Year Fight for Africa's Wild Places, and the creator of The Real Crocodile Hunter® brand.
Explore his books, adventures and conservation legacy:
EXPLORE
Ian Bartlett The Real Crocodile Hunter ®
Discover
Follow my Journey
© 2026. All rights reserved.