Photo: Animal Planet
For Forrest Galante, this is an animalhe has been thinking about for years. The biologist turned adventurer is the star of Animal Planet’sExtinct or Alive, a nature show that seeks out animals that science has proclaimed extinct.
“I spent three months in the Australian bush looking for it, I have faith in that animal’s existence,” Galante tells PEOPLE. And even though those three months didn’t turn up a Tasmanian Tiger, also known as a thylacine, he hasn’t “given up hope yet” that the animal is out there.
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Galante’s opinion is one to be trusted, he and theExtinct or Alivecrew have already uncovered species that the world literally left for dead,including the rediscovery of the Fernandina Giant Tortoise.
“We find one of these animals and it’s earth-shattering. It rewrites natural history,” Galante says adding that he sees each ofExtinct or Alive‘s rediscoveries as an “accomplishment for the world of conservation.”
Galante, the son of safari owners, has spent his whole life around wildlife and, after becoming a biologist, decided to share his excitement about his work through media. This is howExtinct or Alivewas born.
The show follows Galante through wild and remote locations in search of animals that are thought to be extinct. The job is anything but guess work. Each episode consists of years of research, months of planning and weeks of field works. Galante says he receives at least 100 messages a week from fans and fellow animal lovers with tips, sightings and requests to search for certain animals, Big Foot included. And while Galante doesn’t seek out cryptids like Big Foot, he does read and log every message he gets, just in case any can bring him a step closer to uncovering an animal the world has forgotten.
Even after all this work and preparation, there are still plenty of trips when all the effort doesn’t lead to a rediscovery, but Galante doesn’t consider these adventures to be failures.
“We make a very family friendly show. We don’t always find the animal, but we do find amazing habitats and other amazing species,” he says. “People can enjoy the adventure and all the beautiful creatures along the way.”
Animal Planet
To him it is all worth it, but he understands if there are people at home who prefer to assist in conservation in a different way.
“You don’t need to travel around the planet. You can do it on your Saturday afternoon at home.”
Extinct or Alive returns to Animal Planet with new episodes on October 23 at 9 p.m.
source: people.com
