Forrest Galante | This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von #613

Forrest Galante, an outdoorsman and host on Discovery, discusses his unique upbringing in Zimbabwe, the political turmoil that led his family to leave, and his work in wildlife conservation, including de-extinction efforts and the new show 'Animals on Drugs'.

• Forrest Galante's childhood in Zimbabwe sparked a lifelong commitment to wildlife conservation amid habitat loss and political strife.

• His work involves innovative methods like chemically castrating invasive hippos in Colombia and 'de-extinction' efforts to restore lost species and ecological balance.

• Humans are the biggest threat to both animals and themselves in the wild, and a collective shift towards planetary stewardship is crucial to combat accelerating extinction rates.

Forrest Galante recounts growing up in Zimbabwe, immersed in wildlife on his family's safari and flower farm, which fostered a deep passion for conservation amidst the declining animal populations and intense political unrest of the early 2000s. He details his work on the new show 'Animals on Drugs', which explores human-wildlife conflict by examining animals that encounter human substances, and passionately advocates for conservation, de-extinction, and reconnecting with nature.

Upbringing in Zimbabwe

• 00:01:45 Forrest Galante grew up in Zimbabwe, born into a safari business-owning family, spending his childhood surrounded by diverse wildlife. This unique upbringing instilled in him an early appreciation for nature, which later evolved into a dedication to conservation as he witnessed a significant decline in animal populations and natural habitats due to human encroachment and poaching. He emphasizes that while his childhood was incredible, it included witnessing violent political turmoil during Zimbabwe's land reform campaign in the early 2000s, forcing his family to flee overnight.

The Hippo Problem in Colombia

• 00:27:06 Galante's show, 'Animals on Drugs', delves into various human-wildlife conflicts, including the 'cocaine hippos' in Colombia. These hippos, descendants of four brought to Pablo Escobar's private zoo, have multiplied to over 200 without natural predators, becoming an invasive species that harms people and the ecosystem. Galante's team works with the Colombian government on a three-pronged approach: chemical castration, surgical sterilization, and relocation, performing complex nighttime surgeries on sedated hippos to manage their population without killing them, due to their cultural significance.

Close Encounters and Human Danger

• 00:48:23 Galante shares several intense close encounters with dangerous animals, including a highly venomous coastal taipan that crawled over his neck and a large fer-de-lance snake that nearly bit him, attributing such incidents to his own overconfidence or complacency. He notes, however, that the most significant threats during his expeditions often come from unpredictable humans, citing instances of political unrest, bribery, and violence in countries like Myanmar and Papua New Guinea, highlighting that people can be far more dangerous than animals.

De-extinction and Conservation

• 01:13:37 Galante discusses his role as a conservation adviser for Colossal Biosciences, a company dedicated to de-extinction. He believes this science can rectify past human-caused ecological wrongs by reintroducing species, or similar proxies, to restore ecological balance. He also highlights the alarming rate of species extinction, estimated at around 3,000 per year, and stresses that while extinction is natural, humans are accelerating it, urging for a societal shift towards greater planetary stewardship rather than exploitation, and making conservation mainstream.