Having caught his first snake at around the tender age of three, Gavin Bedford’s childhood fascination with reptiles blossomed into a lifelong passion and an absorbing and fulfilling career. Today, almost six decades later, that passion remains undaunted, coupled with a fierce desire to protect and conserve the unique and ever-diminishing reptile fauna of the ‘island continent’. Gavin is a leading authority on Australian pythons and other reptiles, with degrees in science and economics, including a PhD in the ecology and physiology of Australian pythons. He is also an avid reptile keeper, and as well as being the author of many scientific papers, he was the first in the world to breed a number of iconic species in captivity, including albino Olive Pythons, Black-palmed Rock Monitors and Lemon-throated Monitors, to name but a few.

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Gavin was the driving force behind the world-class reptile display at ‘Crocosaurus Cove’, a major Darwin tourist attraction, and was formerly the brand ambassador for ‘Reptile One’ products, however it is the Nawaran captive breeding project that is perhaps his most ambitious work. Armed with very little knowledge about the species’ captive husbandry, it is a measure of the success of this undertaking that to date Gavin has bred more than 150 Nawaran and distributed these animals (where legislation permits) to hobbyists around the country. From the start, the Nawaran project entailed the integral involvement of Indigenous Traditional Owners, and Gavin has always sought to effect change in the way that ‘Balanda’ (Westerners) interact with Indigenous land and its custodians, with a view to protecting endangered wildlife. The Nawaran project aimed to achieve a landmark outcome using scarce and declining natural resources, and in doing so confirmed Gavin Bedford as something of an entrepreneur; a visionary and a cultural intermediary.  

However, despite the unqualified success of the Nawaran project in definitively establishing the species in captivity, the most exciting phase of this venture is yet to begin. In coming years, Gavin aims to work with the Traditional Owners to release captive-bred Nawaran back on ‘country’. This will present a unique opportunity to monitor Nawaran in situ and could well represent a conservation measure that is the adventure of a lifetime! You might be able to tag along – if you are interested?