Threat

It’s a scary world out there, as we explore how everything on the
planet – from humankind to glaciers – must be able to respond to
threat in order to survive. Sebastian surprises Rutendo with a
story of the time he lived in Japan and took up fencing,
occasionally finding himself at the wrong end of a sword.


WWE wrestler and commentator Stu Bennett, better known as Bad
News Barrett, is used to feeling the pressure in the ring. But
away from that controlled environment, he has faced less expected
threats, including an underwater close encounter with an enormous
moray eel. He also shares his concerns – and hopes – for the
future of a planet under its own kind of threat.


In Nepal, poaching of rare animals is a growing problem,
threatening the ecosystem itself. Kumar Paudel is tackling this
issue head-on, using folk music and videos to educate rural
communities on the consequences of poaching, and meeting
face-to-face with convicted animal smugglers, to try to make
lasting change against the odds.


Lianna Zanette tells us about her work studying predator-induced
fear, and how animals respond differently to threats depending on
how they perceive their environment.


And Oskar Glowacki introduces heartrending sounds recorded inside
glaciers which are dying as a result of climate change.


Credits:


The BBC Earth podcast is presented by Sebastian Echeverri and
Rutendo Shackleton.


This episode was produced by Rachel Byrne and Geoff Marsh.


The researcher was Seb Masters.


The Production Manager was Catherine Stringer and the Production
Co-ordinator was Gemma Wootton.


Podcast Theme Music was composed by Axel Kacoutié, with mixing
and additional sound design by Peregrine Andrews.


The Associate Producer is Cristen Caine and the Executive
Producer is Deborah Dudgeon.


Special thanks to:


Liana Zanette from The University of Western Ontario for sharing
her research into the ecology of fear.


Interviewee Stu Bennett aka Bad News Barrett.


Kumar Paudel from Greenhood Nepal.


Oskar Glowacki from the Polish Academy of Science for talking us
through and letting us hear his glacier recordings.


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