I eat only organic meat. I love animals

A herpetologist and explorer, Nick Baker seeks out some of the ugliest and strangest creatures in Animal Planet’s Nick Baker’s Weird Creatures
Ruchika Talwar

Inspired by the Natural History Museum, London which he considered his second home as a child, Baker fell in love with the diverse and bizarre world of animals. He lives in Dartmoor, England along with a growing menagerie of small animals including spiders, scorpions, stick insects, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies and moths. He keeps pet leeches in the fridge at home and often feeds them by attaching them to his leg! Among his favourites are cane toads and a collection of hissing cockroaches. Baker has written Nick Baker’s Bug Book and the Natural History Almanac for the UK. He has presented The Really Wild Show since 1996. In his TV series Under the Skin, he literally attempted to get under the skin of animals like grizzly bears, penguins, rattlesnakes and rhinos, examining their habitats and behaviour in his own unique way. In 1999, he worked on two science series: he presented Twister and joined the presenting team of the cult science series Tomorrow’s World. Other ventures included copresenting BBC2’s Watch Out with Simon King. Nick is a regular contributor to Radio 4 and writes for an impressive array of publications. our correspondent spoke to Nick Baker about his daring profession.

You are a herpetologist. What does that mean?
A herpetologist studies reptiles and amphibians. However, I prefer to say I am a naturalist or a zoologist.

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What made you develop interest in something considered scary and obnoxious?
I am interested in all living beings. As a child, one doesn’t have the biases or prejudices of an adult. For me as a child, an ant was as interesting as anything else. We consider certain animals scary because of the irrational fear that has been passed to us down the generations. I always wanted to speak for the underdog. We live in a protected society where we’ve lost contact with nature. We work in a world that is too safe and get bored. That is why India is losing its tigers. We’ve all read about bears and wolves in England. They no longer exist. It’s high time we start paying attention to the environment.

You champion the cause of biodiversity. What does that mean?
By bio diversity I mean that each species is as important as every other. Each kind is required in sufficient numbers to maintain the ecological balance of the universe.

Tell us about some of your most daring exploits.
Diving into Lake Titicaca, up in the Andes trying to find giant frogs was my most risky exercise. The lake being in the Andes is a high-altitude water body, which means I was tired all the time. Oxygen being in short supply makes your system feel worn out and breathing becomes difficult. A lot of energy and safety measures were required.

Do you think you were dwarfed by Steve Irwin as he was the most well known, rather the only known person pursuing reptiles ?
Steve was a larger-than-life person. He wasn’t a reptile lover and manhandled them. I treat reptiles with respect. And before he made a foray into TV, I made a series for Channel 5 named Nick’s Quest.

After Steve’s death by the barb of a stingray, are you taking precautions?
None at all. I treat animals with respect and know my limitations. All I can say about Steve’s death is that it was a very unfortunate incident.

Which is your favourite creature?
The human being! But I love wasps and bees.

You say you love and respect animals a lot. So are you vegetarian?
No, but I am thoughtful meat eater. I eat only organic meat. I love animals; I find them, watch them and then eat them. Human beings can’t make profits out of animals. We can’t meddle with nature.

(Nick Baker’s Weird Creatures airs on Animal Planet every Thursday at 10 pm)