Damion Whyte: The Jamaican biologist educating the population about local wildlife

For Damion Whyte, absolutely nothing holds a candle to the beauty and brilliance that is nature and mother earth with her many facets, flora, fauna and of course the reptiles and amphibians and other critters that the population either fears or loathes but which Whyte simply chalks up to being misunderstood. He is a man for the outdoors on a mission to make local wildlife an adventure that more people will embrace and appreciate once equipped with the requisite knowledge to change their perspective on them.

For Whyte, the first question most people have upon hearing what he does for a living is what exactly is a terrestrial biologist in layman’s terms? “It’s basically one of those biologists that do land-based stuff,” he answered. “Terrestrial means ‘land base’; so just like how most people know about a marine biologist that deals with aquatic things, I look at the plants and animals on land.”

Looking back at his childhood, this has always been a passion of his growing up on a small farm in Sandy Bay, Clarendon that led him to develop a love for animals, nature and being outdoors. “At first I wanted to be a farmer but growing up, people made it seem as if only a ‘cruff’ or someone dunce went into farming so I decided to go the route of the traditional lawyer, doctor, Indian chief career so I then wanted to be a doctor. But I went to university and realised I don’t like vomit, blood or hospitals so that wasn’t gonna work. I met up with Dr. Steele and he said to me that since me chat so much I should do something with that and he guided me to the NGO Bird Life Jamaica and I loved it and have been hooked ever since,” Whyte said in an interview with Old Harbour News. “I realised that biology was cool as I don’t like being in an all-day office environment so I did my first degree in environmental biology and my masters in zoology and now I’m doing my PhD in zoology.”

Damion has been involved in the ‘wild’ for over 21 years advocating for the protection of the environment a lot through his social media handle RoostersWorld. This advocacy has him travelling the length and breadth of the island assisting people with environmental issues. Additionally, he is involved in various environmental outreach programmes in schools, with church groups and environmental clubs in Jamaica, as he is committed to safeguarding and conserving endangered animals and the natural environment through research.

While always comfortable out in what he terms as his natural environment in the ‘bush’, he also recognizes that Jamaica’s wildlife efforts need to be more recognised at a policy level, therefore he serves on several government committees in Jamaica and is a member of the Scientific Authority; the chairperson for the Endangered Species Working Group of the National Environmental and  Planning Agency (NEPA); the deputy chair for the invasive species advisory group and a member of the Jamaican Iguana Recovery Group. If that was not impressive enough Whyte volunteers with a plethora of non-government organizations (NGO) such as Birdlife Jamaica, Jamaica Institute of Environmental Professionals, Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation and Natural History Society of Jamaica (NHSJ) and PMI Jamaica Chapter.

“The thing is when I joined Bird Life, it introduced me to a whole new and exciting wild world and it introduced me to bird watching,” said Whyte who has a growing social media following in excess of 4,000 subscribers. “I also love to go looking for coneys, iguanas and lizards. When it comes to ‘herps’ which means that it deals with reptiles etc, Jamaica has several species so I like to go look for the rare ones so I go into the bush where they try to remain hidden. I love to showcase what we have in Jamaica and if you notice people nuh really like to talk about it but educating people is important.”

He continued: “A lot of the small creatures are just misunderstood. Many people are deathly afraid of snakes but Jamaica has no poisonous snakes. A lot of the animals and creatures that we are afraid of are harmless. Ask yourself this: women fear lizards but they don’t fear men, but the men they date over the years causes more harm and trauma so which one is actually more dangerous?”

The popular Jamaican scientists shared that the much-feared Jamaican ground lizard is only found here. This is a reptile that has made many women run away from their washtubs and bucket out in their yards as this long-tailed creature seems to zero in on any individual who gets a little too close to comfort. As he explains it, there is a reason why the lizard appears to be chasing you. “Yes people are deathly afraid of them,” he accepts “but what they don’t know is that is that what they think is the lizard charging at them, is the lizard actually looking for somewhere to hide and they head towards your shoes because it looks like a place or a hole that they want to hide in.”

Aside from his personal love for critters and creatures great and small, there is another critical factor that propels him to share his knowledge with the wider public. “I do it not just because I love it, but also when you go to a school and ask about a scientist, the kids tell you that it’s a white man in a lab coat,” he said. “They do not even consider that a black man can be a scientist, so I try to show them that people who look just like them can be scientists too.”

It’s among the main reasons why he does free consultancy on Jamaica’s wildlife which requires him to spend a lot of time and his own resources volunteering his services to spread public awareness. His motivation to keep sharing information he says, is to showcase how cool it is to be in the forest communing with the very creatures God put on earth for us to take care of.

“I am motivated to help people by answering their questions and when you see their excitement at learning about these creatures, that motivates me more,” said Whyte. “I love to see the snakes, lizards and catch the crocodiles. I like to show people the beauty of the crocodile. I also help people ketch the osprey which is a predator bird as sometimes they get caught in the net that fishermen have, so I then bring them to the zoo.”

He added: “I find that a so-called poor family will be the most giving as they will share with you all that they have without hesitation. They will help no matter what. These are the people you encounter along your adventures into nature.”

Right now he is excited about tracking the progress of the invasive Cuban tree frog species as he documents its spread across the island. “A lot of people don’t realise that when these frogs are frightened, they actually jump towards you. I also get a lot of calls from people who I have to calm down because they have encountered creatures sometimes inside their homes and are freaking out,” said Whyte. “Truth be told, some men are even more afraid of these small creatures than their women are which in our culture may be grounds for divorce or at least a separation. I had a man run lef’ his wife because of a cockroach.”

Interestingly, though he loves the outdoors he admits that he does not like cold water. When not out in the jungle exploring things under rocks and in rivers, you can find him in a cave or sometimes indulging in more regular and mundane hobbies such as cooking, exercising at the gym, playing football, cricket, and rugby. “I love to cook. I’m a foodie so I can cook just about anything. I love traditional Jamaican food though I only eat fish and chicken, I know there’s nothing quite like our local food,” he tells Old Harbour News. This comes from an individual who has tried cuisine from other nations because he loves to travel and have travelled extensively to many countries across the globe. For him, one of the most interesting countries he has been to is the twin-island republic of Trinidad and Tobago. “The different cultures, spices, hospitality and food fused into a wonderful melting pot. Plus the carnival vibe,” he said of the Caribbean nation. “The people are so alive and friendly and you can finish work at 5 and by 5:30 it’s a party vibe and everyone is just enjoying themselves and forgetting their troubles.”

A busy bachelor who is always on the move, the 41-year-old says that eventually when he settles down he hopes to sire three children. The middle child of his parents who were dedicated salt of the earth people who valued hard work, Damion was born in St. Andrew but raised in Clarendon where he attended Glenmuir High school. “My mother is an accountant and a reverend while my father was a public works operator,” he said. “As a child, during my holidays I went to the country to my grandparents who taught me manners but also fostered my love of nature so I grew up caring for chickens, goats, pigs etc.”

For him, life is a constant adventure that you have to show up for and never take for granted as you never know what the future may hold.  “I just love living my best life out in the wild. A valuable life lesson that I learned over the years is that life is short so make the most of every day you have. Don’t keep putting things off. Also don’t be afraid to come out of your comfort zone,” he said. “I didn’t like public speaking initially. Most people wouldn’t guess that I am very shy but I had to get over that and learn to be comfortable in my own skin sharing my own voice.”

Not bad for a kid who was written off in school. With time and maturity, he has been able to look back with even some amount of gratitude towards that guidance counsellor, as she lit a fire within his belly to push himself further than he would have ever dreamed. People should be aware of the power of the spoken he said, and it is never wise to make negative pronouncements on children who may ingest this negativity and believe it to be true, hence they may never strive or even consider that they are not living up to their full potential. “Don’t pass your assertions on kids, because you never know what they will turn out to be,” said the man who we will soon can refer to as Dr Whyte.