Friday June 22, 2012
Brady’s bunch of reptiles
By LEE XIAN
email@example.com Photos by P. NATHAN
ABOUT 120 schoolchildren learnt more about snakes and crocrodiles from world-renowned reptile wrangler Dr Brady Barr, of Nat Geo Wild’s Dangerous Encounters fame at Zoo Negara on Wednesday.
“Snakes will not chase you as they are not aggressive and if you see a crocodile, maintain your distance and back away slowly,” he said.
Dr Barr, who is visiting Malaysia, spoke of his most memorable experiences with a Humboldt squid and a Japanese giant salamander.
“But the most memorable and far dangerous experience I have had is attempting to capture a crocodile using only camera cables, car seat belts and, believe it or not, my underwear.
“My cameraman and I were the only ones at the scene during that time, when we saw a huge crocrodile cross the road.
“So I persuaded my cameraman to help me capture the crocodile using the items we have,” said Dr Barr.
He has captured about 5,000 crocodiles, but always with a team of assistants.
The entire scene was shot using cameras perched on a car and was aired on Dangerous Encounters.
Dr Barr is the only person in the world to have captured and studied all 23 species of crocodiles and alligators.
He has travelled to more than 70 countries and has interacted with a menagerie of creatures.
As part of his commitment to the conservation of reptiles, Dr Barr invited two volunteers to enter a snake enclosure to demonstrate that reptiles were not as terrifying as most people think.
Shivany Senthilnathan, 19, a Dangerous Encounters fan who volunteered, said she was so happy over the chance to get her hands on a snake.
“It is not something everyone gets to do just anytime and I feel lucky.
“I have learnt that you just got to be very careful around these reptiles. If you respect their space, they will respect yours,” she said.
Dr Barr, who has travelled to more than 70 countries, said as a herpetologist, he was passionate about reptiles and amphibians.
“It is amazing that Malaysia is home to some of the finest species,” he said.
His visit coincides with the premiere of his latest series, Dangerous Encounters Season 7, which will kick off with a two-hour episode on National Geographic Channel and Nat Geo Wild on June 27 at 8pm.