"I took one step further and we were looking into the eyes of four lionesses and two cubs. The fourth lioness with the cubs exited down the ravine like a shot. The other three lionesses jumped up at us. We ran backwards, yelling at the top of our lungs. The lions came up after us. Their teeth were pulled back in a grimace. The noise was beyond belief."

I'm thrilled to have one of Canada's leading naturalists, Brian Keating, join us today. As you can tell from that quote, Brian has had some amazing adventures in some of our planet's most wild and beautiful places. 

This conversation is a fun ride. We go from his early work at a weather station in the Canadian High Arctic to his travels to Antarctica, sub-Saharan Africa, the Himalayas, and more. There isn't a lot of our natural world that Brian hasn't seen and experienced.

Brian’s nearly 30-year career at the Calgary Zoo was split between being the Director of Education and Director of Conservation. For more than 20 years, he taught Anthropology at the University of Calgary. Presently, he’s the owner of goingwild.org and co-producer of greatBIGnature.com

Brian is a regular guest naturalist on CBC Radio and, for many years, was on the Discovery and National Geographic channels, using much of his own wilderness adventures and wildlife films to tell stories about the value and importance of nature. His constant travel partner is his wife Dee, a doctor, naturalist and also a Fellow of the RCGS.

Enjoy the ride!