A Focus On Nature, Advent Calendar, Now for Nature
AFON
Steve Backshall to Now for Nature – Mya-Rose Craig
Welcome to our 2016 Advent Calendar series (#AFONAdvent)! This year, our theme is “The Gift of Inspiration”. For each day, one of our members has written a blog post about someone who has inspired them, and how that inspiration has lead to them being where they are today. Each member is a shining example of a young person who is acting Now for Nature. We hope that you enjoy the series and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Age 7, someone incredible came into my life. At the time I was doing a Big Year in the UK and was massively into birds. Then Steve Backshall appeared on my screen for the very first time in “Deadly 60”. It was an amazing new programme on CBBC, aimed at my age group and was like nothing else. As much as I loved Attenborough’s series, this was something I could really relate to.
“Deadly 60” had Steve Backshall travelling around the world showing children the most dangerous animals he could find. He would go diving, kayaking and abseiling whist showing us these fantastic creatures.
We were all mesmerised by the exotic and dangerous. My thoughts were filled Alligators and Komodo Dragons as well as how to deal with a venomous snakes, Tarantulas and Bullet Ants.
As the series ended, I, like everyone else, watched the episodes repeatedly, soaking up the adventure of the natural world.
Later in 2009, I watched Steve Backshall’s “Lost Land of the Volcano” where his expedition were the first to visit a remote volcano on the Island of New Britain in Papua New Guinea, where they carried out scientific research and looked for new species. How fascinating would that be, to be scientist, adventurer and TV presenter all in one? That was when I knew that I wanted to be a nature presenter travelling to remote places like Steve Backshall, on expeditions looking for rare or new species.
In 2012, I went to South America for six months whilst being home-schooled by my parents. With every dangerous encounter, such as with South America’s most dangerous snake, Fer De Lance, Piranhas, Caiman, Poisonous Dart Frogs and Tarantulas, Steve’s calm but excited voice was with me telling me not to panic or get too near. When I swam in the Amazon with Piranhas, my thoughts went back to an episode when Steve tied an animal carcass in a river infested with Piranha with an underwater camera. We then watched the Piranhas swarmed around the dead animal and within 2 minutes the flesh had been eaten clean to the bone. That image stuck with me and made my swim quite short!
Just after getting home from South America in September 2012, I went to see Steve Backshall live in “Wild and Live”. His leg was in plaster from a filming accident and he was in pain but he was still on stage so that we were not disappointed. He was even more inspiring in real life, just being there with him in so much pain, made me realise how hard his job is; but that made me want to do it more.
He asked us about our favourite animals and children chose Snow Leopard and Narwhal, whilst I chose Anteater that I had seen in the Bolivian Amazon.
Then he told us that if we wanted to do his job, we had to work really hard and go to a good university to study a science degree like biology or zoology. He also said that we needed to get experience of adventure skills and suggested that we join scouts or guides and try climbing, kayaking and everything thing else. That has been the best advice I have had and has stayed close to my heart.
Now I’m 14 years old and am studying really hard at school, hoping that I can study Zoology at university. I have done every kind of adventure activity I can, including diving and white-water rafting. Because of him, I have the privilege of really knowing what I want to do.
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