Jeff Corwin explores rare North Carolina wildlife in new ABC series 'Jeff Corwin's Southern Wild'
"Jeff Corwin's Southern Wild" highlights the rescue and rehabilitation efforts happening across the state's diverse ecosystems.
Join Emmy Award-winning conservationist and biologist Jeff Corwin on a wildlife adventure in his latest ABC series, "Jeff Corwin's Southern Wild."
In "Jeff Corwin's Southern Wild," Corwin is teaming up with students from Lees-McRae College to explore North Carolina, from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Coast. The series highlights real-time conservation work and wildlife rescue efforts through hands-on, in-the-field research.
On The Red Carpet spoke with Corwin and president of Lees-McRae College, Dr. Lee King, about the series.
"North Carolina is not a massively giant state, but in this state, you have such a compact diversity of different types of wild spaces with incredible creatures, many of which are found nowhere else," says Corwin. "There's very few places on the planet where in one state you could find alligators and armadillos and then head a couple of miles, a couple hours up north into the mountains. And then find hellbenders, giant salamanders, or pristine populations of brook trout, or the last surviving population of red wolves. All of this, all of these incredible creatures live in North Carolina."
Corwin tells us that "their survival isn't accidental or incidental. It's because people are focused on conservation."
Joining Corwin in the field are scientists, wildlife experts and conservationists, as well as Lees-McRae College students, educators and alumni.
"So, our students are going to be accompanying Jeff out into the field, showing off their own research, showing off the things that they are doing, working with these unique populations that Jeff focuses on in the show," Dr. King explains.
Dr. King is doing the interview with Mickey, a Mississippi kite on his arm, who he says is "from our May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center on our campus. We have one of the few very rare wildlife teaching hospitals that does direct patient care for wildlife populations. Our students and faculty will take care of about 1,700 injured animals a year, with the goal of reintroducing them back into the wild."
Corwin left us with this final remark, "Ultimately, I want the audience to be inspired that in the world today, where there's so much, so much unknown and stress and there's a lot of gloom, there's also hope, and there's opportunity, and there's joy. And we find that in North Carolina. North Carolina is a very special place."
"Jeff Corwin's Southern Wild" premieres Oct. 3 on ABC. Check your local listings for exact airtimes.
The Walt Disney Company is the parent company of ABC and this ABC station.
