If there were an elephant in the room it would be the animal that Gordon Buchanan would be most scared of. The wildlife presenter and cameraman who has faced up to tigers and polar bears says this is due to the unpredictable nature of the pachyderm.

Gordon, who became a household name on the BBC having shot and presented a long list of popular nature programmes including, Snow Wolf Family and Me, Super Cute Furry Animals, Winterwatch, The Lost Land series, The Polar Bear Family And Me, Wild Burma and the award-winning The Bear Family And Me is now touring theatres with his live Lost Adventures show and this year returns to our screens with two new exciting series Wildest Tribes and Wildlife Weekends. He talks to Melanie Anglesey

Tell me a bit more about your new TV series Wildlife Weekends?

It's about well known faces and taking them off on a wildlife adventure in different part of the UK. Basically were looking for interesting wildlife with an interesting person.We filmed whales, dolphins basking sharks, foxes badgers puffins, beavers and lots of different bird species in a short space of time. In fact we had three days to find the wildlife, which is hard going particularly when you could spend weeks and weeks and not see anything.

I've been to Dartmoor before but it was lovely to explore it with with Sara Cox and tracking down urban wildlife in Essex with Ed Byrne was interesting as we got to see badgers and foxes living in quite a built up area.

For Wildest Tribes you've been working with indigenous tribes has it made an impact on you?

When it comes to tribes they are the real experts they know far, far better than you do about a particular area or animal, more than the scientists. Their knowledge is ingrained in who they are.

I've learned about taking things easier and taking absolute pleasure from everything that I do and enjoying every single day as it comes for what it's worth. The way we live our lives running about trying to tick things off a list, trying to empty your inbox and get things done and actually you're just using up the time that you have, we're just using up our time on the planet chasing our tails and the way we live our lives now we're going to be doing that for even longer as people retire later and later. It's actually worth stopping at taking things at the right pace and enjoying all the things that can be enjoyed with other people and making time for other people.

Were you introduced to different kinds of food?

I've eaten lots of weird and wonderful things over the years and I don't really baulk at things like that but pigs testicles was one thing I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy. They're hot and crunchy on the outside with a burnt acrid and on the inside it's the texture of a lukewarm pomegranate.

Do you think indigenous people have a healthier diet?

My diet is generally pretty good, I try and give processed foods a really wide birth. I think it is really nice spending time with indigenous groups you see what our western diet is if you actually look at what people frequently eat. The Woarani tribe in Ecuador forage fruit, hunt fish in the river, they've got a bit of salt and sugar but it's basically what they can grow for themselves, forage and hunt. It's a good dietary philosophy to stay way from anything that comes in a packet and anything that's got anything in you don't know what it is.

How endangered are these people?

They are inextricably linked with the places the live in so if you lose the Kalahari you lose the bushmen, if you lose the rainforest in Ecaudor you lose the Waorani. If the river in Papua New Guinea becomes polluted you'll lose all those different tribal groups that live alongside it. They are in danger because their habitats are in danger but also because of turning their backs on their culture don't fear so much for that because people I met had such a strong identity of who they were and what made them different to everyone else in the world. None of the people that I met were unaware of the rest of the world everyone was pretty well educated in that way. No longer do you find people of the forest who have no knowledge of the outside world it's just they know who they are, they know what they want and when you've got that kind of identity it's valuable to you and you want to hold on to it.

Who's to say in the years to come what happens to any of them if the places in which they live change too much and they can't hunt.

Is it difficult for you to adjust to life back home?

I always wish when I come back that the changes would last especially when you've been with people who have a kind of slow pace of life. You can't help but feel that's infectious you slow down and chill out. It is difficult to remember you've got to take it easier but I just switch into a different mode when I'm home with Wendy and the kids try and be a model husband and father make sure cupboards are full, kitchen is full and the washing's done. It helps ease my guilt for when I disappear off and I'm not around to help.

Are your children (Lola 12 and Harris 10) interested in wildlife?

My son is obsessed with marine creature wants to be a marine biologist and my daughter is obsessed with any animal. The next opportunity I have got where Wendy and the kids can come with me I'm going to make it happen because I have all these experiences myself and it worth be absolutely perfect if I could share them with the people that mean the most to me.

Do you take a camera wherever you go?

Yeah, I used to keep a diary but it's just as easy to take a quick snap or two as a prompt for the memory.

There's a show on SKY called Dogs Might Fly - it's a kind of reality TV programme with animals where they are aiming to get a dog to fly a plane. What's your take on that?

On the surface it doesn't sound like a particularly good idea but domestic animals and dogs in particular need to be kept stimulated so if teaching them new tricks, and that includes flying planes safely, yeah I'm all for it. But then whatever it is, if it's a farm animal or a domestic animal they all need to be treated with respect. That's at the heart of it, the easy way to deal with any issue involving animals is to think we'll how would I feel it that was me? We feel the same in a lot of ways. Farming practices in particular even though they end up on someone's plate they should have a good life however it's going to end.

After the incredibly mild winter we've had are you more worried than before about climate change?

No more worried than I was before. I was actually up in the Arctic last week in north Norway and there it is still like a winter wonderland with snow piled up along the sides of the roads and minus conditions as you'd expect but I was just thinking how long will it be before places like that, places that's should really be frozen right up until April become warm and mild. I spend every passing winter hoping its not going to change.

I'm a big supporter of Greenpeace, as they are the ones that are most vocal about it.

Is climate change a topic you talk about on the tour?

It's very much a celebration of wildlife and wild places but you can't help it slipping in there but I talk more about tiger conservation because it's more relevant to the talks. The tour covers the expedition and tiger conservation we did in Bhutan in 2011. As filmmakers a lot of the time when we go away filming we rely on information from local people and scientists but actually to have them in the field with us was really a great opportunity because they are the real experts. Using someone else's expertise can also heighten the chances of you seeing something.

If I do another talk on the Arctic polar bears or the wolves, which I'm hoping to do, then climate change would be something that can't be avoided.

Last time we spoke you we're hoping not to be eaten by a polar bear - thankfully you're ok. Are you off on any new dangerous assignments?

We are trying to do an elephant series later in the year but its not definite as yet. They are the one animal that I'm most scared of. I've been chased a couple of times by elephants and it's not a nice experience. If you get on the wrong side of an elephant it could be bad news, people get killed by them all the time in Africa and Asia. The one thing that makes them dangerous is their intelligence. They behave the way they do because of their experiences in life just like human being. You never know what they've experienced and so their behaviour may be unpredictable. That's what makes you cautious around elephants because you just don't know what it thinks of you.

There are cases of elephants taking a dislike to a particular person. The saying is they never forget and if you mistreat an elephant it's not going to forget it and it might turn the tables on you.

The Easter holidays coming up what would you encourage parents to do with their kids?

The best thing to do is search online for any local wildlife groups RSPB or your local Wildlife Trust. There are lots of events that are free and right on your doorstep that kids can go to and have a great day out. Otherwise just spend time outside whether it's on the shore or in the woods, it's just about encouraging children to care about the things. Every human being is born with this wonder and interest in the natural world and for kids it's about nurturing and making sure they don't lose that connection.

He has been incredibly busy having recently filmed three new wildlife commissions for the BBC. The two part series Gorilla Family and Me was aired over Christmas in December 2015.

Wildest Tribes, a three-part series sees Gordon embed himself with remote tribes, using their remarkable field skills to get closer than ever before to iconic wildlife, including anacondas and lions. Gordon needs to be accepted by each tribe and learn their unique survival and tracking skills in order to gain a completely new insight into the wild animals which dominate the lives of the tribal members. ‘Wildlife Weekends’ takes Gordon in a different direction as he takes celebrities such as Alastair Campbell, Dermot O’Leary and Sara Cox around the UK to get up close with Britain’s beautiful wildlife.

Hailing from the Isle of Mull in western Scotland, Gordon has worked in wildlife documentaries for the past 20 years and is passionate about raising awareness about the world’s endangered species and habitats. He has led expeditions around the globe to places as diverse as South America, Asia, Africa, Papua New Guinea, Russia and Alaska.

When asked about his forthcoming tour Gordon said: ”I can’t wait to meet wildlife lovers around UK and share insights into the amazing creatures that we share our planet with.”

Working on nature and wildlife programmes as both a presenter and cameraman, Gordon has contributed to award winning BBC, Discovery and National Geographic wildlife series and documentaries. He has also received a Royal Television Award for his work on The Bear Family And Me.

See Footage of Gordon Buchanan at Work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQp7pGLZJM8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fo4hizO9FF8

https://www.facebook.com/gordonjbuchanan

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