Bertie Gregory
Animals Up Close: Bertie Gregory’s Journey from Wildlife Photographer to Conservation Champion
In this exclusive interview for The Eden Magazine, we sit down with the young and talented British wildlife filmmaker and photographer Bertie Gregory, whose passion for conservation and storytelling made him a popular 5-time Host of National Geographic’s project. His latest Show, “Animals Up Close,” premiering in September on Disney +Bertie, follows animals up close, at times in hazardous conditions, giving us a picture of their daily battles. This epic and visually stunning journey has been an extraordinary adventure, filled with fascinating tales and research as he documents encounters with nature’s most majestic beings.
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By Alexia Melocchi
Bertie, how did you get into wildlife photography?
I am, first and foremost, a wildlife enthusiast, while a filmmaker second. From an early age, I would spend endless hours exploring the outdoors with my family in the UK. I was obsessed with watersports and the ocean, and in water, you develop an appreciation for that world. There’s no one telling you; you’ve got to love the sea.
As a teenager, I also had the curiosity for sneaking up on animals and capturing their beauty through my lens, thus laying the foundation for my wildlife photography career.
How did you get your start in the field?
I started submitting my work to wildlife photography competitions and won awards. That’s where I caught the attention of the legendary National Geographic photographer, Steve Winter. That encounter forever changed my trajectory, as he hired me to assist him on a journey helping Steve for two years. Then I worked for ten years for National Geographic. Steve Winter took a picture of P22 by the Hollywood sign in Griffith Park. And now, I am living my dream of hosting a Disney show that will bring audiences up close and personal with the wonders of the animal kingdom.
We watched all six episodes, and we were mesmerized. This is not your typical wildlife documentary. It’s a brilliant blend of adventure and conservation. Did you have a say on the locations chosen and the creatures you followed?
With ten years of traveling worldwide, you constantly search for rumors and stories. Some of it comes from scrolling an Instagram story. And then we have a big team of researchers continually looking at access to places sometimes that other shows can’t get because we’re telling the whole story with the significant environmental context on top of studying fantastic animal behavior in their natural habitats.
The animals you follow have such survival instincts; you see them overcome these environmental changes as they find a way to survive. And it’s easy to feel helpless. Do you have a call to action in the Show?
Absolutely. Beyond the thrilling encounters, we want to highlight the pressing climate change issues and human impact on wildlife. We want viewers to play an active role in preserving our planet’s rich biodiversity. For example, went we went to film in Missoula Marine Reserve twenty years ago, it was overfished.
There were dynamite bombs in the sea that killed all the fish. The local community came together and set up a marine protected area; the fishermen became patrol Rangers, and now that place is home to the best coral reefs in the world, the biomass. And what’s impressive about that is not only is the wildlife doing great, which brings in tourism and money, and the local fishermen are having a great time because all the fish breeding and thriving in the protected area spill out into the surrounding area.
Was there a life lesson learned during filming?
I met remarkable and unsung heroes, from courageous anti-poaching rangers to passionate environmental advocates. These real-life superheroes have left a mark on my heart. Also, I have learned to be a sponge and rely on my team, such as the boat crew that helped me navigate on ice in Antarctica when looking for killer whales.
Was there a moment that had you face the reality of the extent of the damage humans are doing to wildlife?
In the elephant quest episode, we’re filming in the jungles of the Central African Republic, a country I never thought I’d be able to go to in the Congo Basin. The forest elephants that we were filming have been very heavily poached. And we met with one of the head Rangers, Tatiana, and she took me to this shipping container they’ve got in the headquarters of the anti-poaching base in the forest. And then the shipping container is everything they’ve confiscated from poachers just in the last 12 months. And we walked in confiscated elephant tusks, and on every task was the date that had been seized. And the first task I picked up was from the week before we got there, and it was heavy, like 50 pounds and 60 pounds. That belonged to an elephant over 50 years old, roaming around the forest. Its life was ended so that someone could make a trumpet, And Tatiana is fighting daily to stop all that.
I can see why Disney wanted to make this Series.
Yes, what’s cool about the Show being on National Geographic now part of Disney Plus is that the superheroes from Marvel, Thor and Obi-Wan, and Star Wars are alongside people like Tatiana, a real-life superhero.
How can we create a better place for animals?
On the most basic level, reconnecting with the natural world. Because why would we care about something we know nothing about?
How is the work of a filmmaker helping the cause?
On one of my last projects for Disney Plus Epic Adventures, we were told about this fantastic bat forest, home to millions of straw-colored fruit bats. This protected national park in Zambia is under massive threat from illegal industrial-scale farming, cutting down the forest these bats rely on. But they could not get images of the destruction, not even by satellite. So we went out to the spot and used long-range drone flights, and I managed to take many pictures that were used in a court case. And then, the Zambian judge granted an injunction against his company. Sadly, they continue to deforest despite the injunction, and the fight continues. But that’s a responsibility of us filmmakers to be contributing towards awareness, which is hard to quantify.
What do you do when you are not working?
I go find animals.
Do you use a personal grounding practice, prayer, meditation, yoga, or other for your emotional well-being?
I really enjoy running. It’s a good way to keep fit. And it’s also an excellent way to see places. When doing press tours or things like that, I often go to a city I hadn’t been to before. I’ll go for a run, seek out the green spaces, and try to see a little bit of nature.
What is your favorite documentary or movie that has inspired you to become a filmmaker?
It was “Frozen Planet” made by the BBC and narrated by Sir David Attenborough. And I was in my first year at university, college. Making wildlife films was what I wanted to do. But I remember that it was really inspiring and confirmed my aspiration/
***Don’t miss Bertie Gregory’s extraordinary journey through the untamed wilderness in “Animals Up Close,” an eye-opening adventure that challenges us to cherish and protect the magnificent creatures that share this planet with us.
Special Thanks to:
Locations:
- Patagonia Puma
- Botswana Wild Dogs
- Elephant Quest
- Devil Ray Islands
- Antarctic Killer Waves
Photo credits
- Bertie Gregory with binoculars and a drone in the field. (National Geographic for Disney+/Sam Stewart)
- Mother Puma and cubs basking in the sunshine. (National Geographic for Disney+/Bertie Gregory)
- A Puma sitting on a rock with the camera operator to the left. (National Geographic for Disney+/Sam Stewart)
- Bertie Gregory filming a puma walking past in the foreground. (National Geographic for Disney+/Anna Dimitriadis)
- Bertie Gregory sitting on the side of the 4 wheel drive vehicle as three wild dog pups scamper past. (National Geographic for Disney+/Anna Dimitriadis)
- Bertie Gregory sitting on the side of the 4 wheel drive, filming a Wild dog looking at him. (National Geographic for Disney+/)
- Bertie Gregory amongst the trees filming. (National Geographic for Disney+/Mark Mclean)8. Bertie Gregory fist bumping Ngbanda Bathelomie. (National Geographic for Disney+/Mark Mclean)
- Elephants drinking, Male, female and babies. (National Geographic for Disney+/Bertie Gregory)10. Bertie Gregory filming amongst a large shoal of fish. (National Geographic for Disney+/Jeff Hester)
- Bertie Gregory sitting in the shallows looking at sea lions. (National Geographic for Disney+/Jeff Hester)
- Anna Dimitriadis filming off Bainbridge. (National Geographic for Disney+/James Brickell)
- Bertie Gregory filming a marine iguana on a rock underwater. (National Geographic for Disney+/Jeff Hester)
- Bertie Gregory filming baby sea lion on the beach. (National Geographic for Disney+/James Brickell)
- The crew on the rib filming Bertie Gregory as a killer whale comes to the surface at the rear of the boat. (credit: National Geographic for Disney+/Leigh Hickmott)
- Bertie Gregory on board the Australis, looking over the edge of the ship. (credit: National Geographic for Disney+/Will West)
- A Killer Whale swims around an ice flow with a Crabeater Seal and penguin on the ice. (credit: National Geographic for Disney+/Leigh Hickmott)
- Bertie Gregory, Camera op and boat driver on the rib. (credit: National Geographic for Disney+/Tom Walker)
- Sunset shot of a puma sitting. (National Geographic for Disney+/John Shier)
- A pair of pups. (National Geographic for Disney+/Bertie Gregory
- DevilRayIslands22. Underwater shot of Bertie Gregory filming Eagle Rays. (National Geographic for Disney+/Jeff Hester)23. Gorilla face. (National Geographic for Disney+/Bertie Gregory)24. Bertie Gregory filming a gorilla. (National Geographic for Disney+/Mark Mclean)
- A baby Gorilla. (National Geographic for Disney+/Bertie Gregory)
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