Wild Lives

What emotions have you felt when you’re in the natural world? We hear a lot about how nature calms us, gives us joy and hope, but what about other feelings, such as grief, anger or shame?

In this episode, we talk with self-confessed nature nerd Lucy Lapwing, who explores these complex emotional responses to nature in her new book, Love Is A Toad (Blink Publishing, March 2026).

Our conversation explored many subjects, including how nature writing helped Lucy fight cancer in her early 20s, and how gazing into the eyes of a slug made her head swim.

You can follow Lucy’s adventures on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/lucy_lapwing/

Photo: Lucy Lapwing

And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com/

BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
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What are crabs – and what are they for? What can they teach us about ecosystems? And what exactly have they got to do with the 1926 general strike?

These questions – and more – are all answered by the brilliantly informative and irreverent Crab Museum in Margate, Kent. Opened in 2021 by brothers Ned and Bertie Suesat-Williams and their friend Chase Coley, it's a witty celebration of crustaceans that also has serious things to say about biodiversity, climate change and politics.

Ned and Bertie are hugely enthusiastic advocates for both the museum and the wider natural world, as we discovered when we caught up with them for this far-reaching chat. So far-reaching, in fact, that we even get on to the evolution of bums (but you'll have to stay to the end for that).

You can find out more about the Crab Museum at ⁠crabmuseum.org⁠, and you can follow the museum's team on Instagram at ⁠instagram.com/crabmuseum/⁠

Photo: Sam Bush

To get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/

BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was presented by Oliver Hurley, hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
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Ever since he was shot in the back by bandits in a Guatemalan forest, Stuart Butchart has been exploring the natural world in a wheelchair, which is every bit as hard as it sounds. But Stuart’s positive approach is inspiring.

Today, Stuart is chief scientist at BirdLife International, the world's largest partnership of nature conservation organisations, where he heads up a team that, among other things, identifies bird species around the world most in danger of extinction.

We chat with Stuart about his love of nature, the accident that changed his life, and the obstacles that limit access to natural spaces for wheelchair users – and how to improve that situation.

You can find out more about the work Stuart and his team do by visiting: ⁠https://www.birdlife.org/⁠

Photo: Annelisa Grigg

And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com/⁠

BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you think you’ve ever been to the middle of nowhere, think again. In this episode, we take a journey deep into the Amazon rainforest, to one of the most remote parts of the jungle where we met Indigenous wildlife guide, Alejandro Aguilar.

This conversation took place on board a boat in Peru, and along the way we learn what it’s like to have been born and raised in the jungle. We follow Alejandro’s incredible life story, which saw him leave his village as a small child and become part of a government project in Lima, eventually returning to the Amazon as an adult.

Alejandro has an extraordinary understanding of and connection with nature, and what we can learn from him is hard to put a value on.

Oh, and just for good measure, he has a very amusing story about a group of Germans in the jungle. But that’s for later.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can read more of Paul’s adventures on the Aqua Nera at ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com/holidays-days-out/south-america/amazon-wildlife-river-cruise⁠

You can find out more about Amazon river tours on the Aqua Nera at ⁠aquaexpeditions.com⁠ and on travel in Peru by visiting ⁠peru.travel⁠

Photo: Paul McGuinness

And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com⁠

BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For most people, the thought of watching a magnificent wild animal being eaten alive right in front of them would be the stuff of nightmares, but it’s all in a day’s work for our guest, the celebrated Scottish wildlife filmmaker Gordon Buchanan.

Fresh from filming the latest series of the BBC’s Big Cats 24/7, Gordon discusses what it’s actually like to sit in a safari vehicle for endless hours in the scorching sun, waiting for something to happen. He looks back at his childhood on a council estate outside of Glasgow, and reflects on the difficulties of maintaining a work/life balance while filming away from home for months at a time.

Gordon’s live tour show, Lions and Tigers and Bears, covers 30 dates in England and Scotland from January through March 2026. Get your tickets at ⁠gordon-buchanan.co.uk⁠

The new series of Big Cats 24/7 will be on BBC Two in February 2026. In the meantime, many of Gordon’s films are available to watch online – search under his name on the BBC iPlayer, Netflix, Apple TV, National Geographic, or whichever services you use.

Photo: Gordon Buchanan

And to get more great content from BBC Wildlife, visit our website: ⁠https://www.discoverwildlife.com⁠

BBC Wildlife is the world’s longest-running and most popular nature magazine. This episode was hosted by Paul McGuinness and produced by Lewis Dobbs.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices