TW team blog
2008 – A year on Totally Wild
TW Team Blog
This year has been a jam packed year full of fun! We've travelled to every corner of Australia to bring you the latest and greatest in Totally Wild stories. Check out a few of the highlights from the reporting team….
Colin Thrupp
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2008 has certainly been a wild ride for the Adelaide team with loads of cool stories coming your way in 2009. We’ve got lions! We’ve got crocodiles! We even get to meet an extinct species! But the stories that stick with you aren’t always the ones that come together perfectly on the day, but the ones you have to really work on…
‘Shipwrecked’ was one of the first stories I filmed and I have to say that it was the HARDEST shoot I have ever been on. What was meant to be a pleasant day kayaking around some ancient shipwrecks turned into an absolute nightmare – our microphones wouldn’t work (despite being waterproofed and taped to my back); my script went for an impromptu swim; the racing tide forced our interviewees back onto dry land; and to top it all off our crew boat (for the cameraman and soundie) had to be cut free after the anchor got snagged on a submerged wreck!
But don’t think for a minute that this turned me off shooting stories on the water – wait until you see the dolphins that call Port Adelaide home… BEAUTIFUL!!!
Col
Sean Kennedy
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I've had a pretty full on year in 2008; from sailing over rough seas on the Young Endeavour off the south coast of New South Wales to smashing down the rapids of raging rivers in Northern Queensland, 2008 has definitely been action packed.
I even got to tackle a house fire with the Queensland Fire Brigade in their training exercises! I also got to hang out with some pretty awesome people including a group called The Next Step which are some of the coolest dancers and musicians I have ever seen.
One of my favourite parts of the job though is all the amazing facts I get to learn. Did you know that bees will huddle together and vibrate to keep their hive warm when it's cold; and if it gets too hot they will line up at the exit hole and flap their wings furiously to suck all the hot air out of the hive? They even tell each other where all the best flowers are by performing a special 'waggle' dance, amazing!
It's also awesome getting up close to animals like spider monkeys, wobbegongs and tarantulas. The most extreme thing I have done this year though would have to be bungy jumping, hands down the scariest thing I have ever done! You'll have to tune in next year at 7.30am on Tuesday the 10th of February to see how that one turns out!
Sean
Natalie Hunter
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From Phillip Island and Echuca to travelling along the Great Ocean Rd... I've been lucky enough to travel around the whole of Victoria this year!
The scariest story I filmed was when I accompanied a 4 meter long python to the vet. I'm not scared of snakes, but I did give it a wide berth. That snake was HUGE.
A couple of my favourite stories included learning how to make ice-cream and chocolate (yum yum)... and I will never forget the stinkiest story of 2008 - the day I learned how toilet paper was made! You'll have to tune in next year to find out how that story unrolled…..
Nat
Adam Cox
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Well I've had a fantastic year on Totally Wild – from patting tiger cubs to being thrown up in the air in a bungy bullet – it's certainly been a roller coaster ride of fun and adventure.
Working with animals can be a privilege, but also very unpredictable. One of my favourite stories was filming cheeky little marmosets and that's because they pooped all over the cameraman Joel – it was hilarious to see! (And he smelt quite a bit afterwards J). But that wasn't where it ended, they then started jumping around on his head – you can never predict what's going to happen on location sometimes so who knows what will happen in 2009!
Adam
Pip Russell
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My world has been turned upside down since I started on TW in June this year! Never before has every day been so unpredictable. In these quick six months I've been jumped on by otters, spat on by an alpaca, I've released beautiful rays into the deep blue, given a cow a pregnancy test, learned to motocross ride and best of all - I went to Samoa!
I travelled to every corner of the two islands- snorkelling, swimming with turtles, cooking Samoan feasts, learning to fire dance (well… kind of!), and I was even made the guest of honour at a fia fia night!
I'm busting to see what The Wild has in store for me in 2009. Hope you can join us!
Pip x
Stacey Thomson
2008 was my 16th year on Totally Wild and what an adventure it was!
The year kicked off with a trip to Tasmania. Our main focus was the Tassie Devil, an amazing species that is battling a condition called Devil Facial Tumour Disease. We also met some awesome researchers and scientists trying to find the cause, and a solution to the problem.
Animal stories are definitely my favourites and during the year I had many opportunities to get close to everything from frogs (for which I have a real soft spot) to dolphins and mahogany gliders.
Now when it came to filming polar bears and sharks I kept a little more distance. Although I did jump at the chance when I was asked to snorkel in a reef lagoon amongst fish, rays, a Maori wrasse called Wazza and a handful of sharks – they were well fed and harmless.
I also got to witness the annual humpback whale migration. WOW!
Throughout the year I covered a few sports stories too. A couple of highlights for me were gymnastics and wheelchair basketball. Every day on Totally Wild is exciting and quite often inspiring.
Looking forward to seeing what next year brings!
Stacey
Tess Dobre
Well guys, 2008 has been one crazy, awesome year! :D Joining Totally Wild in September has been the beginning of the greatest journey – from dog sledding in the forest and flying over Adelaide in a helicopter, to seeing a day in the life of a firefighter, ending up kneedeep in treated poo UGH gross haha, and getting to pat CHEETAHS (ARGH that was AMAzinggggg!) it’s certainly been a wild ride. Highlights have been joining a Beach Volleyball SA School’s Cup, hanging out with some awesome Balaklava kids making nest boxes and getting up close with dingo pups, wallaby joeys and dogs on treadmills!
There are also highlights from office days – like when I went to drive home and our Production Co-Ordinator Amanda had pulled my huge, fluffy toy snake (that travels in the back of my car with other dressups) and wound it up hanging out my window hahaha that cracked me up!
It’s so sweet to be part of an amazing team of people - the reporters and crew are the real deal, passionate and loving life. Getting to meet you guys out on the road is the best – we think you’re awesome. Can’t wait to bring you SA stories in 2009!
Have a wicked Christmas and let your family know you love them!
Peace my lovelies! :P
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The whole TW team wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year – and don't miss Totally Wild next year – we'll be on FOUR days a week (Tuesday to Friday) AND in a new timeslot - 7.30am so you'll be able to watch before you go to school! All new episodes start Tuesday 10th February 2009.
Pigs
19 December 2008
Pip Russell
Pigs
19 December 2008
Pip Russell
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Sean and I ventured out to the country to play with all sorts of baby farm animals… little did we know we'd be heading home so smelly!
First up we headed to the piggery - which STUNK!!! Luckily we got to play with one day old piglets which things more bearable. I seemed to have a knack with these little guys and took to nicknaming myself 'the pig whisperer'. Sean however, didn't make friends with his 3 month old snorter, but even so the pig (nicknamed Sean Junior the 2nd) still gave him a nice little present… a handful of poo!
horses and their foals, and as you can see Sean even managed to make a friend out of one of them.
Despite a few nudges here and there for the handfuls of food, goat territory also proved a breeze!
Then last, but definitely not least, after sinking in mud, we got to the calves. They didn't seem to like us at first (and we'll blame our cameraman's joke of calling the cows Cow-moflaged, for that) but we finally got to pat a calf. All was well until it decided our arms were udders and covered us in slobber- gross!
This was probably one of the messiest days filming I've had yet!!!
Ray Release
15 December 2008
Pip Russell
Pip Russell
Being a part of the TW team means we get a lot of backstage passes. We get to do things that many people don't get an opportunity to do- like getting up close and personal with amazing animals! And for the first time I was lucky enough to be a part of an animal release.
I got to tag along for the a ride of mixed emotions as Underwater World said goodbye to some much loved family members… 6 blotched fantail rays.
The rays were all bred at UWW and as it seemed they were getting a little too big for their boots, or should I say tank, it was time to let them run free in the deep blue.
After catching them in their tanks with a stretcher and tagging them, we made our way out off the coast of Mooloolaba in Queensland- an area chosen because it was where their parents were originally found and because of the abundance of tasty ray food!
It takes a lot of preparation and paperwork to release animals into the ocean, but on the big day the rays dove deep in the blink of an eye.
Definitely an experience I won't be forgetting in a hurry!!
Pip x
Motorcross
5 December 2008
Pip Russell
As well as getting up close with the animal world, here on the wild we also like to get into the extreme sports!
After shooting a story with two motocross champs and seeing the way they tore up the track I was inspired to give the sport a shot myself
So out to the track I ventured, looking the part in my awesome colour co-ordinated outfit, and much to my surprise I picked it up quickly! Accelerating, changing gears, cornering, even standing up… all so easy.
Until I had a little fall… or two! But nothing was going to stop me- I dusted myself off, checked the small graze on my elbow, and jumped back on the bike- as they say, the show must go on!
I had the best time ever learning how to ride (under professional instruction- so don't try this at home!!) and I'll definitely be jumping back on the bike soon.
Pip x
Samoa
24 November 2008
Pip Russell
Last month Totally Wild went tropical!
I was lucky enough to spend 12 wonderful days on location filming in the Islands of Samoa, located in between New Zealand and Hawaii.
Over the 12 days we ventured to every corner of Upolu and Savai'i Island, meeting wonderful people and experiencing a day to day life completely different to here in Oz.
I loved every single story we did, but of course I have my favourites!
Getting up close to the marine life of the Pacific snorkelling and swimming with the turtles was breathtaking, as was lending a hand to a local family cooking a huge Sunday feast. Wrapping fish in banana leaves proved a little trickier (and slimier!) than I first thought.
I also got to see amazing performances of fire dancing- a Samoan tradition which was a spectacular sight!
And what would an island experience be without climbing a coconut tree and husking a coconut?! Well I got the inside word… and let's just say things got a little messy.
Make sure you tune in for these, and more amazing stories from Samoa over the next few months!!
Pip x
White Rhino Blog
24 November 2008
Adam Cox
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It's hard to appreciate the size of a Rhinoceros, until you meet one face to face…WOW are they big.
With their large barrel chest and bucket sized feet they make you feel like your meeting a modern day dinosaur.
Mind you, you know what's funny? Despite their great size they can still be really shy and easily frightened! I even spooked one simply by scuffing my boot on the gravel! I guess you could call them gentle giants, however you wouldn't want to get in their bad books. With that big horn and massive hide they could give you a decent wallop, especially if you got too close to one of their calves.
I'll tell you something really interesting; their horn is made of keratin. It's the same substance that makes up your fingernails or your hair. I took a close look at the horn and yep, it had short thick hair sprouting from it! Very bizarre indeed. The Rhino in the pictures has a red tinge but don't be fooled, it's just the remains from its mud bath. White Rhinos are naturally grey. Pretty confusing huh? It's the same with the Black Rhinos…their not black but grey as well! What's that all about?
Still, any animal that can weigh over 3000kg gets no arguments from me!
Adam
Miniature Horses Blog
15 November 2008
Adam Cox
Horses are one thing, but 'Miniature Horses' really are something else…Now don't be confused, these aren't Ponies! I've never seen them before and they are quite rare which is why I was keen to see what they look like in person.
Let me tell you, they are some of the cutest things you'll ever see, although it is hard to take the "Stallion" seriously when he's only a tad higher than your knees! He is still very beautiful however. My personal favourite had to be the little foals.
I even got to pick one up for a piece to camera, which got a bit taxing on the arms because… well it's still a horse after all, miniature or not. But seriously, who couldn't love a face like this?! Oh and you know how a lot of horses are flighty and easily freaked out?
Well the ones I met this week were so chilled! They acted more like big dogs! It was really bizarre, as is the feeling of looking down on a full grown horse. By the way, you can’t ride them either. They're just way too small and fine boned. But why would you want to ride something that’s smaller than a shopping trolley anyway? So if you ever enter a miniature horse paddock keep your eyes peeled because you might just trip over them!
Adam
Birds of Prey Blog
7 November 2008
Adam Cox
The claws were out this week!
Well, maybe not so much the claws…but the talons were. Birds of Prey are without a doubt some of the most amazing animals you could ever meet. It can be a little scary too, and I'll be honest with you some birds can freak me out a bit, especially when you hold them up near your face for a photo.
There was one shoot when I had a wedge tailed eagle attempt to get it's talons into my legs – TERRIFYING. Seriously, this bird could make its talons go right through your arm if it wanted to so when they take a disliking to you it's wise to respect their personal space and "back away from the eagle". Animals can be funny like that.
Some birds even choose a favourite gender… I once met a bird that would kiss and cuddle up to girls, but try to bite and scratch any boy that went near it! Unfair!
But these stories aside, it's awesome having a photo with a bird of prey. I had one with a Barking Owl and a Wedgie! A lot of zoos can offer that experience and the proceeds often go straight back into bird conservation. Oh and don't fear the birds they choose for photos are all people friendly.
Phew!
See you soon!
Adam
The Wild Blog
31 October 2008
Adam Cox
Welcome to the blog! The TW crew usually get up to all kinds of mischief while we're on the road and we thought it was about time we fill you in on what really goes on behind the scenes!
You know how in each segment you see usually last about three minutes or so? Well in reality it takes us about three to four hours to shoot that story! AND, when you work with animals you can bet things aren’t always going to go to plan - just ask Joel our freelance cameraman. One minute he was on top of the world making friends with a handful of marmosets and the next minute….well….you can see the evidence in the photos. 
Just when Joel asked for some 'publicity photos' for his resume a cheeky marmoset decided it was time to let loose and defecated (uhh that means poo pooed) all over his head and shoulders! Good thing he had the cap on the camera! What was also funny was that the other marmosets believed Joel had put a treat on his head and proceeded to consume the leftovers!! LOL. Yuuuuuuk!.
Feel free to write in about any animal encounters you may have had. I'd love to hear them!
Adam
DID YOU KNOW….
Did you know that Marmosets teeth are like canine teeth? In their natural environment - the forests of South America – they use these sharp teeth to dig into the bark of trees and eat the sap that runs out. Yum!?!
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