Wild Lives

Wildlife cameraman and presenter Hamza Yassin became a household name in the UK when he won Strictly Come Dancing in 2022. Born in Sudan, Hamza moved to the UK as a child, and is one of the best-loved natural history filmmakers on our screens, whether that be in front or behind the lens. Hamza loves to share his passion for the natural world through his storytelling, which is often aimed at children, but is increasingly finding an adult audience. We chat with Hamza about how children sometimes lose that passion for nature, and how important it is to share our love of nature. Hamza is heading out on tour in the UK, with dates around the country. Tickets for Hamza's debut tour ‘Hamza Yassin – My Life Behind the Lens’, which runs until May 30, are available to buy from nothird.co.uk Photo: Hamza Yassin And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: https://www.discoverwildlife.com BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What are crabs – and what are they for? What can they teach us about ecosystems? And what exactly have they got to do with the 1926 general strike? These questions – and more – are all answered by the brilliantly informative and irreverent Crab Museum in Margate, Kent. Opened in 2021 by brothers Ned and Bertie Suesat-Williams and their friend Chase Coley, it's a witty celebration of crustaceans that also has serious things to say about biodiversity, climate change and politics. Ned and Bertie are hugely enthusiastic advocates for both the museum and the wider natural world, as we discovered when we caught up with them for this far-reaching chat. So far-reaching, in fact, that we even get on to the evolution of bums (but you'll have to stay to the end for that). You can find out more about the Crab Museum at ⁠crabmuseum.org⁠, and you can follow the museum's team on Instagram at ⁠instagram.com/crabmuseum/⁠ Photo: Sam Bush To get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/ BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was presented by Oliver Hurley, hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you think you’ve ever been to the middle of nowhere, think again. In this episode, we take a journey deep into the Amazon rainforest, to one of the most remote parts of the jungle where we met Indigenous wildlife guide, Alejandro Aguilar. This conversation took place on board a boat in Peru, and along the way we learn what it’s like to have been born and raised in the jungle. We follow Alejandro’s incredible life story, which saw him leave his village as a small child and become part of a government project in Lima, eventually returning to the Amazon as an adult. Alejandro has an extraordinary understanding of and connection with nature, and what we can learn from him is hard to put a value on. Oh, and just for good measure, he has a very amusing story about a group of Germans in the jungle. But that’s for later. If you enjoyed this episode, you can read more of Paul’s adventures on the Aqua Nera at ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com/holidays-days-out/south-america/amazon-wildlife-river-cruise⁠ You can find out more about Amazon river tours on the Aqua Nera at ⁠aquaexpeditions.com⁠ and on travel in Peru by visiting ⁠peru.travel⁠ Photo: Paul McGuinness And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com⁠ BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you’ve ever imagined what the world would have looked like before it was cut up for agriculture and urban life, you could do worse than to look at the work being done by rewilders, like Nick Viney. For this episode, we took a road trip to meet Nick Viney, the creative force behind Rewilding Coombeshead, 400 acres of former farmland in southwest England that is being reclaimed by nature. Wild cats, beavers and buffalo act as ecosystem engineers, with countless species flooding back to the site. And listen out for a delightful cameo from the noisy white storks! You can follow Rewilding Coombeshead on Instagram here: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/rewildingcoombeshead/⁠ and find out more about their work, and how to visit, at their website: ⁠https://rewildingcoombeshead.co.uk/ Photo: ⁠groundswellag.com⁠ And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: https://www.discoverwildlife.com BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was presented by Danny Graham, hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever wondered how to repair a coral reef? Or even if it’s possible? Well you’re not alone. And that’s why we visited Mote Marine Laboratories at Islamorada, in the Florida Keys. We know that our coral reefs are in trouble. But the good news is that there is hope for these vital ecosystems. We spoke to scientists whose ground-breaking work is helping to regrow the world’s third largest coral reef in a fraction of the time that nature would usually manage, armed with a hammer and a bag of nails. You can follow Mote’s work on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mote_lab/ Photo: Gareth Jones And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: https://www.discoverwildlife.com BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Look up! You never know what you might see. Our cities have become quite literal urban jungles, as more and more wildlife is drawn to thrive in the increasingly sprawling megapolis. In order to get a grip on what wildlife to watch out for in the city, we turned to BBC Wildlife columnist David Lindo – aka the Urban Birder – to find out how a boy from Wembley forged a career in nature. For David, as for many people in our inner cities, there were many obstacles to overcome in his quest to immerse himself in nature. We discuss these, as well as past lives and enjoy a lesson in why you should always watch where you put your hands in a forest! You can follow David on Instagram here: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/theurbanbirder⁠/ Photo: Ashley Boone And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com⁠ BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Have you ever wondered how a blind person might interact with nature? After losing his sight gradually from the age of eight, Lawrence Gunther was functionally blind by his twenties. Despite this, he continued to forge a life in nature, living for a while with Inuits, where he learned so much from them about how we can thrive to the mutual benefit of both ourselves and our environment. Today, Lawrence is North America’s only blind conservationist – a professional angler, writer, podcaster and filmmaker. In a broad-reaching conversation, we discuss sustainability, attitudes to disability, and learn about an incredible new photographic system that allows blind and partially sighted people to engage with photography in a whole new way. Watch the video of Brent Stirton introducing Lawrence to the new Canon photography for blind people here: ⁠https://www.canon.co.uk/view/brent-stirton-lawrence-gunther⁠ You can listen to Lawrence's podcast – Outdoors With Lawrence Gunther – and learn more via his website: ⁠https://lawrencegunther.com⁠ ⁠⁠Photo: Canon And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com⁠ BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices