Austin Stevens

Which programmes do you present on Animal Planet?

Austin Stevens, Austin Stevens Most Dangerous.
 

If you had to pick a favourite animal, which one would it be and why?

My most favourite animal is the desert elephant of Namibia, which I have spent much time with, photographing and filming (as seen in one of my AP episodes). These animals are unique in that they are the same as other inland elephants, but through circumstances beyond their control (human invasion of open range) these giants have had to adapt their survival to desert conditions. It’s an incredible feat considering that they have to eat hundreds of pounds of vegetable material each day, and drink hundreds of pints of water in a land area that is known as one of the harshest in the world… the Namib Desert.

When did you first become fascinated with animals?

I first became fascinated with reptiles and other wild animals when at the age of 12, I very excitedly brought home a baby snake that I had found under a rock. My parents however were not so excited, in fear that the reptile be venomous, and ordered it to be killed. Too young to effectively argue the matter, I was devastated, and vowed from that day on that I would defend and protect any wild animal that God ever put in my way.

Did you ever dream that you would be presenting an Animal Planet programme?

I always believed that the only way to truly educate huge numbers of people at one time was through the media of television, where one can present one’s knowledge and experience with wildlife, right into the living rooms of people who might otherwise never see a wild animal in it’s natural habitat.

What is the most dangerous situation you have been in involving an animal?

Amongst the many dangerous situations I have faced with wild animals, the bite by a puff adder during my time fighting in the Angolan War, remains one of the most frightening. This because of the distant locality, deep within the enemy lines, and the great distance from medical attention. It rendered me in a coma, which persisted for five days, and a seriously necrotic hand that might have been amputated. Though even today I still do not know the names of all the people and doctors who undertook this mission to save my life, I will never forget what they did. I left the hospital some three months later with only a slightly disabled finger.

Which animal would you most like to come face-to-face with but have not yet done so?

One of the most fascinating creatures of the wild, which I both fear and admire, is the great white shark. This incredible animal, which has existed on the planet for millions of years, and remains for the most part unchanged, is the stuff of nightmares, and photographic delight. I love swimming in the sea, but the thought of a shark attack is ever present in my mind, and I believe that only after I one day approach one of these giants personally, with camera in hand, will my nerves be settled.

How could our viewers do more to help the animals of the world? The most important part any human can play in the preservation of wildlife and wildlife areas is simply to consider the planet as a whole, as one would one’s personal home. We cannot continue to over-populate, thinking only of ourselves as individuals with personal desires. We cannot continue to jealously contain our own personal space (home) while discarding all outside as somewhere else of no consequence. At this time, as far as we know, this planet is all we have. When the last concrete slab is poured, and the last tree chopped down, there is nowhere else to go. It is simply a matter of being conscious of all our surroundings, and how fragile and limited they are. If one person throws down a piece of paper, it is nothing. If a million people throw down a piece of paper, it is pollution.