“Giants” on Curiosity Stream Thursday, goes ‘round the world to “find, film, measure and find out how to protect” the largest animals on the planet: elephants, lions, sharks, anacondas and saltwater crocodiles.
Dan O’Neill, a field biologist and conservationist, is its history-making guide. He knows observing life in the jungle or on the savannah can at times be truly scary.
“There was one moment filming lions, the biggest man-eating cat on the planet, in Kenya. We’d found one and I stood up in the back of the Jeep as the truck was running around in the high grass,” O’Neill, 31, said in a phone interview from the UK.
“You’re just there. I mean, there’s no protection. You’re not in a box with bars protecting you. There’s not even sides to the Jeep. I was looking at the sleeping lion and suddenly he woke up, stood up, looked me dead in the eyes and took a step forward.
“Honestly, it was probably the scariest moment of my entire life. I felt my soul leave my body because I thought I was going to get eaten by a lion in that moment.
“But then it realized what I was and it sauntered off. That’s a testament to the fact that there’s no reason for those animals to attack us. It didn’t see us as prey.
“And oftentimes when these animals do attack people, they’re either starving, hungry, or it’s mistaken identity. It’s hair-raising of course. But it was cool to actually look a fully grown male lion in the eyes, be totally within striking distance and live to tell the tale.”
“Giants” has proved to be a career breakthrough for O’Neill, who would love a Season 2. “This is the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life. Fingers crossed, there’ll be another season. There’s definitely more animals to explore.
“What I’m really hopeful for is that it’ll change other people’s lives in some way. Because this series is the first time an LGBT wildlife presenter has ever hosted an HD documentary series anywhere in the world. In any territory! On any major network. It hasn’t even happened back in the UK where I’m from.
“So it’s a huge experience for me, because when I was growing up as a young gay kid, I didn’t have anyone to look up to doing the things that I dreamed of doing: I wanted to be an explorer.
“So I really hope that this will be the start of something where more people like me feel that this is the sort of career they can pursue in science or adventure on TV.”
“Giants” streams Thursday on Curiosity Stream