Man of the wild

A couple of elephants charged at him with nowhere to run in Namibia. An elephant dragged his tent as he slept at night in Malaysia. And a minefield, he unwittingly walked into, behind a zoo in Afghanistan nearly blew him up.

That is how close NatGeo Wild Channel presenter, Hayden Turner, has come close to death in the wilderness yet he professes his undying love for the wild, nature and animals of all shapes and sizes.

The London-based Australian runs his own luxury safari company Hayden Turner Private Safaris which organises trips to various parts of Africa, but he has been to more than 35 different countries including Uganda several times.

Now a global household name through his various works for the National Geographic Channel and TV, Turner once just dreamt of becoming who he is today.

Few are fortunate enough to turn a lifelong aspiration into a career reality. For Turner, combining his love of wildlife with a career as a television presenter happened as a result of “chance meets dream.”

He had resigned his 10 year job as Senior Keeper at Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia and he was heading to South Africa to work on volunteer conservation projects. Before leaving, he took a party of VIPs on a behind the scenes tour. One of the group members was Bryan Smith, the General Manager of National Geographic Channel in Australia. Impressed by the passion and depth of knowledge Turner displayed and struck by his unique presentation skills, Smith asked him if he would be interested in taking a digital video camera to Africa to record his adventures.

He accepted and he would send the recordings to National Geographic Australia on a weekly basis and it was not long before he was asked to put a dialogue to his recordings and that is how he became a wildlife presenter.

In the last 12 years, he has travelled to the remotest, most unforgiving landscapes and he has also hunted animals with exotic tribes across the globe.

He has, in that period, presented several nature and science programmes like Earth Pulse, Go Wild, Out There, Turner’s Video Postcards, Green Car, Hayden Turner’s Wildlife Challenge, Beyond Tomorrow and his latest series Man Hunt.

Man Hunt is currently one of the most popular series on NatGeo Wild (DStv Channel 261). The series focuses on tribes, like Bushmen, who hunt animals for survival. Turner says the show’s goal is to find these hunters and learn from them before their lifestyle and their knowledge disappears in this inevitably evolutionary ecosphere. He has had terrific encounters with nature in the arid plains of Tanzania, the malaria-infested mountains of New Guinea; from the remote Spice Islands of Indonesia to the steamy jungles of the Amazon and deep into the world’s dark heart, Central Africa.

But much as Turner adores nature, he believes in appreciating wild animals from a respectable distance.
He speaks of an “invisible barrier” distance that he says varies between different animals, but is largely measured by observing the animals’ signals and changes in behaviour.

“There is something deep in my heart that loves the danger of knowing that an animal has the ability to take your life, but you have not pushed it to do that, you have been able to observe it in a natural way, and you have walked away from it safely and given the animal respect. There is something very rewarding about that,” he says.

Turner also believes that human beings need to understand that wildlife gives them respect and they should return the favour.

“That has been a really strong part of my existence on the planet about the respect of giving other animals space, and watching them, observing them from afar and teaching people how to do that,” he adds.

He attributes a chunk of his knowledge about the wild to the people he has met in the animal neighbourhoods like the Baka hunters of Cameroon whom he interacted with on Man Hunt.

“Baka know so much about animal behaviour,” he says. “They taught me a very important thing and that is the forest. As people they were just superb; patient and tolerant.”

Turner also lauds the Bushmen of Namibia whom he had wanted to live with since childhood.
He says he had always wanted to live in Africa and stay near these “exotic” tribes and that is why when he left Austria 15 years ago, he headed for Africa straight away.

“I moved to Southern Africa and when I started living here I realised that Africa is the best and I was born on the wrong continent – I belong here,” he emphasizes. “I am currently in London (working with National Geographic) but my heart is in Africa – I miss Africa, it is close to my heart.”

Turner has been to Uganda on a couple of occasions and he only has good words for the Pearl of Africa.

“Uganda is one of my best countries in the world, and it is no exaggeration,” he says. “There is something special looking over Queen Elizabeth National Park; there is something special about Kampala; the wonderful Bwindi, the local food in Kampala, a boat ride on Lake Victoria and spending time on Ngamba Island. Uganda is an awesome story.”

But the 46-year-old says one of his favourite things about Uganda is the people.

“I have great memories of the lovely people of Uganda,” he says. “Every inquiry people make out here about safaris I promote Uganda. I always suggest Uganda first and I commend the hospitable people of Uganda.”

He combines an exceptional commitment to conservation with an understanding of his audiences’ interests.

He, however, thinks Ugandans need to do more to promote and protect their own natural resources.
“It is very important Ugandans get up and get a voice,” he says. “There is Internet, which you all can use to present your country to the world for free. People should use the social media on important things like developing their countries which costs nothing.”

Turner also believes that Africans need to use all media outlets to promote local tourism.

“It’s surprising that African countries with great tourist attractions do not even have a television show for wildlife and tourism and yet that should have been a primary,” he says. “I am happy to hear that Uganda is moving towards that though. It may not be on NatGeo Wild, but you will still have a voice.”

Turner’s safari company does a type of tourism he typifies as “non-consumptive”, where he simply takes people into the wild to see animals in their natural environment.

When not adventuring in some remote corner of the globe, Turner runs programmes and gives talks for zoos and schools, believing that the most effective approach to nature conservation is education.

SHARING SOME EXPERIENCES
What is the qualification for a wildlife TV presenter?
Passion and enthusiasm is the first qualification and if you do not have that please don’t even try. Starting a wildlife show is all about knowing and loving your environment. It could be a small forest near your home. People should not fear to follow their dreams.

What is the secret to your success?
Anyone can do this. It is not because I am special. You just have to have passion and a dream. I went to a normal school and I had normal education and I wasn’t a privileged child in any way. I simply followed my dream which was animals. I studied horticulture. But my first job is what changed my life because it gave me a chance to work in animals; animals that I loved so much.

What kind of equipment do you use now, and how do you do what you do?
Canon is my favourite camera. I am currently using a 5D series, and I shoot in full HD. I also use a lot of still pictures because they tell very interesting stories. The issue of my crew; in the beginning we were quite many on set. I would have a producer, sound technician, basically a big crew then I realised that this was making my hosts nervous, so it became only me and my cameraman on set.

What has been your most interesting or dangerous assignment?
There was a situation in Namibia. A couple of elephants tried to charge at us. They got us off guard and there was nowhere for us to go. I was with four experienced hunters and I stood the ground reading their rules.
We started clapping and making noise, and eventually the giant animals left us alone. Another situation was in Malaysia, and again with elephants. You know unlike Africa, Malaysia has no big land for these elephants to survive on so there is a lot conflict between humans and wildlife in terms of habitat.
We were in the tent at night when this circus took place. We were woken up by the sounds of a strange animal only to look outside and see the elephant looking through the tent window. It first destroyed the trees around us then came and grabbed the tent. I don’t think he was being aggressive rather he was inquisitive and investigative as he grabbed the corner of the tent. But then again this is a wild animal.

What is your favourite ever image, destination or people and why?
The Baka people of Cameroon were superb and they taught me important things about animal behaviour. But nothing beats Uganda’s hospitality.

What is the future of these exotic tribes and how do you expect them to change, if at all?
They are awesome people and I am worried eventually evolution will affect these communities. Their cultures need to be protected.

Briefly describe a Day in the Life of Hayden Turner
I am a busy man. But it is a good feeling to juggle being a father, husband and a wildlife presenter. I am also very lucky to be married to a very beautiful woman.

What advice would you give to other budding wildlife and tourism enthusiasts?
Do not lose your vision. Never give up. I had a time when I was giving out proposals to different networks and I was getting no, no, no…but I never gave up. For many people a wildlife show is very strange so they need time to appreciate but you just keep chasing your dream as a presenter.

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