A quirky look at wildlife. To be taken with a pinch of salt, but with more than a grain of truth!

Watching wildlife programmes like Springwatch, where we get to see some very intimate moments in the lives of our wildlife, got me thinking how times have changed. We now get an insight into animals, birds and insects that would have been unimaginable when television first came in to our homes. The wonderful wildlife films and photographs that we now see worry me a little. Are we in danger of watching wildlife in this way and not seeking out the real thing — much as we apparently sit glued to cookery programmes, but still buy convenience food and use the microwave because it is easier?

Young people take advancing technology in their stride, finding nothing miraculous in what they are seeing. Yet I can remember the first appearance of the TV in our lives in the early fifties, when only one or two families in our street had a TV in time to watch the Coronation of Elizabeth II. It seemed a miracle then and to me it still seems a miracle that we can see life in the air, on the ground and under the sea without stirring from our armchairs. However, there is a risk that wildlife will become merely 'wallpaper' and entertainment, but not something with which we interact.

That worry was brought home to me after having seven months of 'live' wildlife when I had been watching badgers (Meles meles) visiting my garden nightly, not to mention foxes, cats, wood mice and the dreaded slugs! I had often wondered how on earth wildlife photographers and cameramen stood the long hours, days and weeks, years even, of waiting for something to appear, or something to happen. The boredom must have been excruciating. Yet watching for our badgers and spending half my nights observing them, I have realised that there is absolutely nothing like watching the real thing. Time stands still and
worries fade. It becomes an addiction and, in the words of Phil Drabble (badger enthusiast and presenter of the 'One Man and His Dog' sheepdog trials), 'I suffer from acute and incurable melophilia — a rare and delightful ailment from which I am thankful that I can never be healed. The only symptom is a deep affection for badgers.'

My respect for wildlife photographers and cameramen and their sound crews, etc has increased enormously. We take for granted the beautiful scenes we see with no thought for the dangers they encounter in bringing us these feasts for the senses. For example, Alan Root, wildlife photographer and filmmaker, often suffered for his art. He filmed sequences for Gorillas in the Mist with Sigourney Weaver and took Diane Fossey on her first trip to look for gorillas. I remember seeing a programme in which he showed his leg, which had a hole ripped in it during an underwater hippo attack! He was bitten
by a leopard and a gorilla and contracted malaria and river blindness. He was also bitten on the finger when handling a puff
adder. He is responsible for many films and programmes, including some of the famous Survival series. If you have seen The Year of the Wildebeest, then that is the work of Alan Root. Like many wildlife cameramen of the time, he owed his initial success to Armand and Michaela Dennis.

Certainly technology has made filming easier and more 'up close and personal', but it has also raised expectations! Equipment has become smaller and more portable and can be remotely operated. Seeing again the huge, heavy equipment that old-style filmmakers had to lug around, I realise that this was a monumental feat in itself!

I can remember the first wildlife programmes — in black-and-white, of course — brought to us by the likes of Armand and Michaela Dennis, Jacques Cousteau, David Attenborough, Sir Peter Scott, Johnny Morris, David Bellamy, Horace Dobbs and of course Phill Drabble. These people were, and often still are, responsible for films, TV series, books, articles and the establishment of many charities for the protection of wildlife, all still going strong now.

Armand Dennis was a Belgian and one of the pioneers of wildlife TV programmes. With his wife Michaela, he made their first British television series, Filming Wild Animals. This came out in 1954, the year after the Coronation, coincidentally at the same time as David Attenborough brought Zoo Quest to the small screen. Armand, like many conservationists, had a varied career not connected with wildlife before embarking on his filming career.

Jacques Cousteau took us under the sea, among corals, fish and weird creatures never seen before. By all accounts he was disruptive at school as a result of boredom and was moved to a strict boarding school. He did well and eventually joined the French Navy, where his love of the water and photography progressed. In 1943, he was instrumental in perfecting the Aqualung, which allowed a diver to stay underwater for several hours. This was the forerunner of modern diving equipment. He later purchased his famous ship Calypso, using it to explore underwater even further. Films and books followed. In 1968,
Cousteau began a TV series and for the next eight years The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau became essential viewing for anyone interested in sharks, whales, dolphins and coral reefs. In 1974, he started the Cousteau Society to help protect ocean life.

Sir David Attenborough, at 80, is living proof that getting in amongst it with wildlife is a recipe for a long life — if you don't encounter anything vicious along the way, that is! A real landmark in his life, and ours, must have been his introduction of colour television to BBC2. Gone were the black-and-white images of wildlife and we saw, for the first time in our own homes, wildlife literally 'red in tooth and claw'. He has written and presented some of the most influential
wildlife series ever. Besides the writing and presenting, he has always been in the thick of the filming. Swinging high above the forest canopy in a large bucket is all in a day's work for this intrepid explorer. He is a Trustee of the British Museum, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and President of the Royal Society for Nature Conservation.

Sir Peter Scott, son of Antarctic explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott, was an ornithologist, conservationist, championship-class skater, dinghy-racer and glider pilot, as well as a talented wildlife artist. He became interested in flying, loving the thermals that gave him an insight in to bird flight. In 1948, he founded the Severn Wildfowl Trust, now known as the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust. Its base at Slimbridge, Gloucestershire was also his home and studio and I have
spent many happy hours among the birds there. Feeding time is an especially emotional time, when the influx of birds is an overwhelming sight. He also co-founded the World Wildlife Fund, designing the panda logo which has played such a big part in my life. From 1973-1983, he was Chancellor of Birmingham University, in my home city. He led several bird expeditions, perhaps following in his father's footsteps in a way. He wrote and illustrated books and became a TV personality forever linked with wildfowl, wetlands and the panda. Apparently, his father's last diary entry said, 'Get the boy interested in
natural history. It is better than games.' Well, with the World Cup ruling the airwaves I would second that most heartily! He certainly got thousands more boys, and girls too, interested in natural history.

One of the 'perks' of volunteering for a major wildlife charity is the chance you get to meet some of these special people in the flesh. They all have several things in common: a distinct humility, a passion for wildlife and a very special ability to communicate this to others. I have been lucky enough to meet Sir David Bellamy: botanist, lecturer, TV presenter and prolific author with many awards to his name. I found him a fizzy, friendly, enthusiastic teddy bear of a man!

I met Johnny Morris of Animal Magic at Birmingham International Airport at a time when he was still mourning the loss of his wife. Drawing attention to the plight of endangered wildlife, he was still dedicated to the animals he loved. His close observation of animals in earlier years made us realise, perhaps for the first time, that these were not dumb animals, but had feelings and personalities. That is borne out by my own limited observations of birds and animals.

I met Phil Drabble at the opening of a wildlife store and he was a delightful, quiet gentleman, in part responsible for my badger addiction! His commitment to wildlife led him to set up his own wildlife reserve. I learnt a lot from his books when I first encountered badgers in my own garden.

I have also spent some hours with the wildlife artist David Shepherd, whose talent has led to his original paintings being too expensive for most people to buy, especially me! Limited-edition prints are the only option and 'The Ivory is Theirs' hangs on my living room wall. His talents and the demands made on him led to the setting-up of his own foundation for wildlife protection.

I saw Dr Horace Dobbs, an internationally-recognised expert in dolphins, doing a talk and slide show and had a chat afterwards. He is the man responsible for setting up DAT (Dolphin-Assisted Therapy) to help mentally and physically disabled children. It is a fascinating subject and confirms my belief that close contact with wildlife is therapeutic and something we should all participate in whenever possible. He has written many books and made many TV and film documentaries. Before becoming involved so deeply with dolphins, he had a medical career and had significant success with the development of a drug combination to help animals that had to be immobilised before treatment or relocation. The new mixture enabled animals to be
moved without suffering trauma that had previously resulted in many deaths. That leads me to wonder if it was used in the attempted rescue of the stranded Thames Whale recently?

I haven't been lucky enough to meet Sir David Attenborough, but I have wondered many times who would take his place when he retires, if he ever does! Some of the people mentioned are no longer with us and others have been around for a very long time, so I began to wonder who would carry the baton for wildlife in to the future. A number of names came to mind, including Simon King, Mark Carwardine, Jonathan Scott, Chris Packham and Nick Baker, to name just a few. I seem to have missed out on female members of the international wildlife community without intending to do so, so perhaps that is a subject for a future article.

I have followed the exploits of Simon King for some time and have marvelled at his dedication and talent. Cameraman, producer, director, presenter, author, scuba diver and musician are just a few of his attributes. With many, many wildlife films, TV series, scripts and books to his credit, his output is prolific. Perhaps being born in Kenya and having John King (a BBC producer) for a father gave him a good start in life, but his passion and excitement for his many film subjects still shines through, giving us a glimpse of the little boy he was once. A suitable contender for the 'crown', maybe?

Mark Carwardine has in a way followed in the footsteps of Jacques Cousteau, who first showed us the wonders of the undersea world so many years ago. Mark came to my notice as scientific officer to the Worldwide Fund for Nature, but his passion is for underwater life. As a photographer, his photos of whales and dolphins are awesome, but he is a zoologist with many interests and he writes, broadcasts and travels half the year, exploring places we shall likely never see except through his lens. He also set up 'Discover the World', providing whale watching and wildlife holidays. Like Cousteau was, he is involved in charities set up for the protection and conservation of wildlife.

Jonathan Scott, another zoologist, lives in Kenya and is well-known along with Simon King for the TV series Big Cat Diaries. His years as guide and naturalist on a Kenyan wildlife reserve gave him his amazing knowledge and rapport with big cats and also nurtured his artistic talent. His pen-and-ink drawings have been released as limited-edition prints. Many books followed. He has been around the world filming everything from tigers to komodo dragons. His knowledge and natural manner makes his programmes a joy to watch.

Zoologist, photographer, author and TV presenter Chris Packham is, among other things, a raptor fan. Birds of prey and photography give him a real buzz, although he has travelled the world reporting on varied wildlife and leading wildlife tours. He is probably best known in the UK for the Really Wild Show. An enthusiast with a particular appeal to children, it is good to see younger people educating children in the wonders of wildlife.

Nick Baker, another presenter of the Really Wild Show with an instant appeal to children, was previously on Tomorrow's World, the popular science programme. With a degree in biological sciences, he has presented Watchout with Simon King and he writes for many publications, in addition to writing his own books. Apparently, he takes his obsession with wildlife right in to his home and even as far as the fridge! He is also another badger fan, bless
him! He has worked with the RSPB and for National Geographic.

Having delved in to the world of wildlife filming, I have come out of it feeling more optimistic that future generations will involve themselves with real animals, perhaps even more so than in the past, there being more opportunities for travel and exploration. For anyone unable to get out amongst it, for whatever reason, I would urge them to try to encourage wildlife to come visit them. It is surprising what will turn up on your doorstep or windowsill or in your garden if the invitation is made clear. Of course, you might need to get away from the TV series for a while, but there are always repeats! Real
wildlife encounters may not be so easily repeated.

Websailor's Wacky Wildlife World Archive

Websailor

15.06.06 Front Page

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