He’s been attacked by a python, captured crocodiles and comes face to face with venomous snakes on a regular basis – all in the name of wildlife preservation. Herpetologist and host of ‘Dangerous Encounters’ on Nat Geo Wild (Astro Ch 550) Brady Barr was in town recently to talk about his show and his passion for reptiles. The Lipstiq team got him to talk about snakes, crocodiles and Malaysian animals!
Q: How did you end up being a herpetologist? Have you always been interested in reptiles since you were small?
As a kid, I was interested in dinosaurs. Crocodiles are a lot alike – they have lived for millions of years. And yes, I’ve always had a fascination with reptiles. I think they are beautiful animals.
Q: Most people are scared of snakes and crocodiles – this could be a reason why they don’t get much public support in terms of saving them from extinction. How can people decrease their fear of these animals?
Learn more about them – there are a lot of misconceptions about reptiles as they are little understood. You know people generally assume that snakes are cold and slimy. Cold maybe – they are reptiles, after all- but they aren’t slimy at all! I took a young man and a woman into a snake enclosure with me once, and they were surprised that the snake wasn’t slimy. So yeah, people need to learn more and understand that these creatures are important.
Q: Which country has the deadliest snakes?
Australia has the highest percentage of venomous animals in general, but I’m most scared of the black mamba in Africa. It gives you a machine gun bite – you don’t even see it. And it doesn’t even matter if it bites you in the hospital – you’re probably not gonna make it!
Q: Sabah, a state in Malaysia located in Borneo, has the famous Kinabatangan river that’s full of saltwater crocodiles. Have you been there?
Yes, that’s where I caught the false gharial. It’s a really rare animal to come across. The false gharial is beautiful – unlike your other crocodile species, it has a narrow snout, mainly for catching fish.
Q: Is there a place that you’ve never been before, that you’d like to go to explore or study its reptiles?
I’ve been just about everywhere, I’ve seen 60 countries. I’d like to go to New Zealand and see this bizarre reptile tuatara.
If you’d like to see Brady Barr in action and to learn more about reptiles, check out Brady’s Most Dangerous Encounters & Dangerous Encounters, season 7, premiering with a 2-hour simulcast on Nat Geo Wild (Astro Ch 550) and National Geographic Channel (Astro Ch 553) on 27 June, 8 p.m. New episodes are on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Nat Geo Wild.
