Ask Niall McCann which animal fascinates him the most, and like a true biologist, he says: “I have a childish fascination for all animals. When I go in search of mountain gorillas, I maybe distracted by a caterpillar or a frog. I like mountain gorillas too. They are our closest living relatives. You can feel the peace around them. I also find the Nile crocodile wonderfully enigmatic, and have been fascinated by them ever since I was a boy.”
Niall is a bona fide explorer scientist and works in the area of endangered species conservation. He has had his fair share of adventure. He has crossed Greenland’s ice cap, and the Atlantic Ocean in a row boat, and travelled across slack lines over 2,500 feet chasms at Yosemite . But he says: “The best adventures are always on foot. You are very much exposed to the environment around you. Whether I look for pythons in Florida or hike up the mountains of Uganda, looking for gorillas, I am fully immersed in the environment.”
In Animal Planet’s Biggest and Baddest, season 2, Niall tracks rarely-known, enormous animals and birds, which premieres in India on February 2.
It may seem to the viewer that adventurers ‘pounce’ on animals and that they are always in combat mode. But the reality is that animals are not always violent. And Niall is sensitive towards them; even though he is adept at handling any snake or crocodile.
“You need to have a great understanding of how animals respond. In Australia, my father and I were walking down a rainforest, when he pointed a boa constrictor to me. I was 15 then and it was the first time I picked up a snake. And I did so very very gently. There is no need to be forceful. I pick up an animal only when it is necessary.”
Through the programme, Niall sends out important conservation messages. “There is habitat loss, we waste too much, and there is less and less space for animals the further humans go. We should see it as a moral imperative to co-exist with animals. I want people to look at wildlife and be inspired and make good decisions when it comes to voting leaders who impact policy making. I think the world needs more biologists.”
Niall says there are other conservation stories that look beyond flagship, charismatic species. “And these stories must be told. There are non-charismatic species like different kinds of snails that need conservation help.” He is pursuing a doctorate in Zoology from Cardiff University, on Baird’s Tapir in the Honduran jungle. “Baird’s Tapir is the largest mammal in the Neotropics. Their populations are declining because of increased anthropogenic pressures,” says Niall, who is in the process of creating a Wildlife Preserve in Guyana and has petitioned the Honduran Government to protect his study site, where there are Tapirs and other wildlife.
Biggest and Baddest, season 2, will air from Monday to Friday at 9 p.m on Animal Planet.
