Nat Geo Wild’s Education With Animals

Nat Geo Wild means to educate the public about interacting with wild and exotic animals, if its panels at the Los Angeles TCA press tour are any indication. “Urban Jungle” (premieres Aug 3 and simulcast on Nat Geo Channel) will introduce viewers to urban-dwelling wild animals—from sloths in Rio to 14-foot pythons living in downtown Bangkok. Big cat tracker and expert Boone Smith said the purpose of the show is to educate. It looks at how adaptable the animals are to new habitats. “They live right under our nose when we don’t even know sometimes,” he said. “In a lot of these situations, these animals really have us figured out… Sometimes it’s this brand new, concrete environment,” he said. Executive producer Geoff Luck said “part of what we are trying to do is to educate people about it so that you can make good choices and learn how to properly interact with animals.” While being entertaining, of course.

Dr. Susan Kelleher, aka “Dr. K” of “Dr. K and the Exotics” (premieres Oct ’14), owns an exotic animal care practice in South Florida. She’s not your traditional vet, mind you. This doc has spayed a fish and given a ferret a pacemaker. Like “Urban Jungle,” one of the show’s goals is to inform the public. “Our job is to educate these people about these animals who have wild needs,” she said, which ultimately allows her to make their lives—which are often spent in captivity—better for the animals. The most surprising thing about the show, according to executive producer and director Guy Nickerson, was the diversity of the animals treated, as well as the “diversity of the needs they have,” he said.