Nearly being trampled by elephants, having a 250 pound baby elephant fall asleep on you, discovering a new species of frog, and dumping leeches into your cameraman’s boot as a practical joke. How many people in the world could tell stories like that about their jobs?
Jeff Corwin can. Speaking in front of about 375 students and Evanston residents on Wednesday evening in the Ryan Family Auditorium, Corwin mixed humor and entertaining stories from the field with a concern about conservation and the protection of wildlife.
“Conservation doesn’t wear a political badge,” he said. “Except for donkeys and elephants.”
Corwin, the host of television shows on Animal Planet, developed his love for nature as a child spending time at his grandmother’s house. It was there that he had his first encounter with a snake, an animal that would be a big part of his future.
“My hand was shaking and my leg was shaking — which it still does,” he said. Corwin then saw a neighbor kill a snake. The neighbor killed it “out of sheer ignorance, fear and hate,” Corwin said.
“That was the day I became a naturalist,” he said.
Corwin went on to graduate from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, his home state, with degrees in biology and anthropology. After graduate school at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and four years of waiting, Corwin was rewarded with the “beginning of my professional life” and began shooting for Disney’s show “Going Wild with Jeff Corwin.”
Filming animal shows inevitably results in unique stories and lessons about dealing with the wild. Elephants, for example, are not nice all the time.
“Elephants have a great kaleidoscope of emotions,” Corwin said. “Unless you weigh 10,000 pounds and are on estrous, you better stay away.”
Today, using TV as a medium, Corwin is trying to change the way people look at the world, to preserve the environment for the next generation. His greatest fear is that his daughter will not be able to experience as many creatures and ecosystems as he has been able to.
The biggest problem with modern conservation efforts is what he calls the “charismatic species syndrome:” giving artificial value to living things. For Corwin, too many people focus on cute koala bears and valiant lions. “Who are we to decide that a jaguar is more important than termites?” he asked.
“When we’re smart, we can have a huge impact in a positive way,” he said, citing the recovery of the bald eagle and alligator populations as examples.
What’s the best way to make a difference? According to Corwin, people should cut down the amount of waste they produce. He also had some advice for students and their futures.
“We all possess a talent or skill….If there’s something you want to do, there’s no excuse not to do it.”
Even if that means having to chase down deadly snakes.
Corwin cost about $16,500 to bring in, said David Spett, the fall speaker chair for Students for Ecological and Environmental Development. The event was organized by SEED and funded by the Student Activities Fee.