Shawn Heflick's interest in wild things started back on his childhood farm in Ohio. The farm along with his two childhood heros, Tarzan and Jacque Cousteau led him to a career in biology. Heflick threw himself into biology and later enrolled at Wright State, graduating in 1993 with a Bachelors of Science from the Department of Biological Sciences. He continued his studies in conservation biology and marine biology to earn a Masters in Science.
Heflick is the CEO and Founder of Crocodile Conservation International, Director of Crocodile Manor, which is a private Zoological & Conservation Facility, and founder of Crocodile University and Venom University, which provides in-depth training for professionals in their fields.
He has traveled around the world researching, photographing and guiding tours into the wilds. He has fallen in love with the Amazon Basin of Peru so much that he purchased a home in the city of Iquitos and 65 acres of primary rainforest on which he built a 2 story thatched roof bungalow where he gets back to the basics.
Heflick started Wildland Tours so he could educate and inspire others about the natural world around them. In addition, he owns Art by Evolution, a company that provides skull and skeletal preparations for scientists, museums, and private collectors around the world. Some of his creations have appeared in movies; Spiderman 3, and Transformers 2 as well as in documentaries for National Geographic, PBS, The Smithsonian Channel, and The Discovery Channel. Shawn was host of Python Hunters on Nat Geo Wild for three seasons.
“Wright State played a key role in my success,” he said in a Wright State University Newsroom article in 2012. “I had a lot of opportunities to participate in field studies and also a mentor in Dr. David Goldstein, who gave me a great start and insight into science.”
When ask what's next, he answered, "I hope to continue educating people about the wildlife and wild places on this planet. I can't think of anything I enjoy doing more than that".
