Animal Hero Awards 2019 Event Footage - Outstanding Contribution award : Chris Packham

our final award for the evening is for outstanding contribution to animal welfare and here to tell us about the winner please welcome an animal heroes judge and one of the natural world's most vocal and powerful advocates is a ward room presenter and campaigner Nicky Campbell my therapy dog I can't not treats under there Nicky because there is I can't tell you what this boy has done for me I just wanted to get a photo of him up here which you're taking um it's wonderful to be here it's a very special evening and I want to echo it Eduardo is just such an incredible guy we see those pictures on social media and we cannot understand how you're in a beautiful place and you see the most beautiful animal and it's a once-in-a-lifetime spying tingling moment what do you want to do stretch for the assault rifle it's astonishing isn't it absolutely astonishing and just on elephants if I'd been a I can't paint very hard with loads of really good people to try and get the ivory banned in this country I'm just in the last week we heard that the British Antiques Association are putting him for judicial review which is disgraceful we heard about the poppy farmers earlier on they were nasty vile scum hung on the BBC does get into a bit of trouble being impartial doesn't immediately may ice maybe I should be prudent here ah what the hell I've had a glass of wine the British Antiques Association are just the same as those puppy farmers the vile scum the only difference is they live in Kensington and Chelsea now I do love these awards heroes everywhere mark I do love these awards so much because there's guys like mark there's people like Eduardo there's people like all of you we're like-minded we we understand how much how important animals are to us and also it reminds us that amidst all the awful cruelty and suffering there are beacons of hope people who understand what is happening people who care people who remind us what we are fighting for and why and also people that make us believe that everything will be ok it is a perpetual struggle but there is change in the air there is a certain political dynamic that I think it's moving us in the in the right direction well this man is a giant ladies and gentleman it does not do him justice to call him a mere television presenter he knows more about animals and pretty much anyone alive he transcends TV now if you grew up in the 80s or 90s he basically will have taught you about animals and about nature and about how to live in harmony with the world he's been our friend and our guide through all the seasons from spring watch onwards but above and beyond that he's used his influence news popularity to make a real difference with campaigns that really matter now I work with him briefly when I was a guest on spring watch and I've got to tell you to share his wonder in the natural world was the most extraordinarily enriching experience and I will never forget it he stood up as well to the ignorant bullies and the callous killers he's faced up to the most disgusting disgraceful intimidation but his humanity and decency puts those cowards to shame I love a man who stands up the national TV awards and has a go at I'm a celebrity get me out of here for what they do to creatures I thought that was absolutely magnificent it's so many so many people in the audience were all I haven't thought about and he stands up for what he believes in for what so many of us believe in here and he will not stand down and he's fought for the lives and survival of everything we celebrate tonight beautiful animals and their right to share our planet let's have a look at the story of Chris Packham I promise you you are gonna love it and if you don't then I guarantee that your kids will because now we're gonna take a look at poo [Music] this is great it's a great little reserves only one thing lacking Cafe weird Helloween and glowworm in the same night the potential is an order of magnitude unknown to naturalist the world over I know look a complete book just listen to that is a bit like the incredible book eating boy he devours information everyone who works and meets crisps tends to go away incomplete or of him they have utter respect of his knowledge his passion the way he gets totally involved he's that he's a real team player Chris is passionate about all the world's species millions of species and he puts them up there with us not many people are able to do that he's a voice for those creatures that have no voice his passion for wildlife isn't just a work thing it imbues his whole life but he's also very funny and I have to say in the 10 years that I work with Chris I have never lost so much in my life growing up with Chris as a child was well always fun and entertaining an eventful and I think probably the word he'd like me to use would be informative he got me into wild life by putting Jam on my nose to attract wasps having moths trapping sleepover birthday parties which I mean granted my friends thought it might be a bit odd but you know I loved it at the time you always say that failure is not an option and it's not you have to keep winning but in order to win you have to stay alive so I'm just gonna take this opportunity to ask you to look after yourself a little bit more heat your doctor's appointments at school today he's a formidable campaigner the things he's done recently have been phenomenal things like that the people's walk for wildlife their people's manifesto for wildlife all the campaigning he's done in Malta to make us aware of the illegal killing of songbirds the illegal persecution of birds of prey grouse more shooting all of those things and the amazing thing about Chris is once he decides to take a campaign on he just keeps going with it if it wasn't for Chris would we care about these things as much I don't think we would I'm not sure how he does it it must be exhausting for him how does he keep up that level of commitment and and constant being in the public eye fighting for wildlife while he's kind to try to combine that with his work it's something that I think unless we have those animals to show young people and excite them they're not going to be interested in looking after the rest of the animals which are wandering around in the world getting killed by the rest of us he's high-profile as a massive platform so it's great that he uses that to speak out about things that he's passionate about Chris's passion for wildlife isn't something that he can in any way choose to turn on and off and he can't partition his life away from it you know he lives and breathes it and he absolutely needs it as well it's where he gets his energy from he's funny and charming he's likable which really helps because people want to listen I'm sorry but we don't stop and actually think and actually act really act now if we don't listen to ecologist rather than economists if we don't stop voting for ignorant short term Asst then we are very probably doomed and to paraphrase Crimewatch do have nightmares because they might just save us he has a brain the size of a planet he is formidable and fabulous ladies and gentlemen please be upstanding for Chris packin [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] I'll give you this thank you very much I was going to ask you questions Chris but this just please please do go on on far away if you I was gonna say your love of the natural world is legendary if you had the opportunity to take out some of those movers and shakers some of the people who are making the big decisions that run our lives for one day and show them the wonders that you've seen what would you show them I'd show them the simple things like I'd show them the things that inspired and you know and we're so formative to me as a youngster you don't need lions and polar bears and leaping dolphins you need a ladybird on the tip of your finger you need the tadpoles tickling the palm of your hand you know you need to watch her cabbage white butterfly metamorphose in a jam Joe on your kitchen table and it's that you know that she's done amazing work with young people through your programming it's inspiring those young people through those very simple forms of engagement and connection which will ignite a passion which will burn for a lifetime and feel that curiosity to know more and more and to care more and more and then to act increasingly more III could take them into their own back gardens given an opportunity and if they had any heart at all if I could find any heart at all then maybe I could instill that you know and as we know our broadcasters have have done their very best to do that Sir David as the absolute epitome of that they spent a lifetime inspiring the world in terms of an awareness and an understanding a fascination for an appreciation of the beauty for wildlife but for all of his work that remarkable work for all of the foundation that he's laid it's now up to us to ensure that you know his ongoing legacy our duty our duty to him and to Richard and all the other heroes that you've seen on this stage is that we changed the world they've done the groundwork he's up last now to implement those changes and make sure that all of their efforts and energies and endeavors and skills actually pay the dividends that we require to make this place somewhere where wildlife can prosper and humans can prosper alongside it there's a long answer wasn't it sorry it's a good answer there's so many millions of species out there many of which are still undiscovered almost all of which are facing challenges of our making how do you choose how do you choose which cause to champion how are you choosing your your next cause I think we we have to do at the moment where we're using symbolic things you know Eduardo with his trophy hunting is highly symbolic all of the things that we hear about tonight you know but behind that we see broader things like veganism that isn't necessarily symbolic that's having a far broader and more profound effect but we require those symbolistic victories because I think that once we gather a few they'll cause a cascade of others I think once we get some big wins under our belt then we'll see the dominoes begin to tumble and a greater awareness of those problems will spread amongst the populace because at the moment you know we all know that we're I'm on a stage you're in the audience and we're preaching largely the converted the collective love wildlife and animals in this rooms enough to fuel Los Angeles probably for about five weeks but we have to you know dispense that to a wider world at the moment is pretty much apathetic to the environment and biodiversity and that's why you know moving on to Thanks it's a real privilege to have this award from the Daily Mirror because amongst the UK's publications newspaper publications none can hold a torch to what the mirror has done in terms of this in terms of the profile that is giving all of these things and a personal vote of thanks from my partner charlotte and i from the wild heart just last year they helped us raise a considerable sum of money so that we could facilitate the rescue of some circus tigers from Europe that were being kept in hideous conditions but that's a tiny amount of the work that they do so I'm enormous ly flattered to to receive this award I will keep the the thanks brief because I've got some work to do so thank you obviously to the judges and to everyone else for giving me this award I'm sincerely flattered by it I if I'm honest with you I don't think I'm worthy I've seen far more worthy people on the stage this evening thanks to Charlotte and Megan they have to shoulder the burden of some pretty extreme reactions to some of my campaigning I expect it to be quite honest with you it goes over my head and only fuels my desire to keep going but perhaps sometimes you know some of the threats that we receive are not quite so palatable for them so I'm grateful for their for their patience anyway on to the work the important bit so since I've been here this evening I have been working I've been sending emails because sorry it's just the way it goes so last Friday I was given an assurance by the Department of Transport following a legal action with some very fine lawyers at lea day who I'm working closely with that the Enabling works for hs2 would not take place with any advance warning the enabling works are potentially the felling of some of 108 ancient woodlands on the route of that railway track and this morning I was horrified to see that they'd immediately broken their promise because contract has turned up at one of the most important sites with the intention of felling ancient oak trees so my email that I was typing this evening was to my lawyers and at 11 o'clock tomorrow morning they will receive another letter for me the Department of Transport threatening even more severe legal action if any of those contractors try and pursue any more of this extraordinarily destructive work lazy gentleman Chris Packham [Applause]

Channel: Animal Hero Awards

Views: 376

Rating: 5 out of 5

Keywords: chris packham, outstanding contribution, animal advocate, animals, animal hero, animal hero awards, london, 2019, award winner, animal video, animal warrior

Id: etjiRQxf6W8

Length: 16min 24sec (984 seconds)

Published: Tue Oct 08 2019