Forrest Galante

Forrest Galante (born March 31, 1988) is an American outdoor adventurer, television personality, and conservationist.[1][2] He works in the field of wildlife biology, specializing in the exploration of animals on the brink of extinction. He is the host of the television show Extinct or Alive on Animal Planet.[3]

Forrest Galante
Galante with a pangolin in 2018
Born (1988-03-31) March 31, 1988
California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California at Santa Barbara
OccupationTelevision host
Known forExtinct or Alive on Animal Planet
Spouse(s)Jessica
Websiteforrestgalante.com

Early life

Shortly after his birth in California,[4] Galante and his family moved to Harare, Zimbabwe, where his mother ran a safari business.[5] He and his sister were raised on a farm that cultivated flowers and fruit, and served as a home to livestock and wild African animals.[6] Throughout his youth, Galante spent time exploring the African bush, learning to wrangle snakes, trap small animals, and snorkel the reefs of the Bazaruto Archipelago.[7] In Zimbabwe, he attended an English boarding school and headed up the Junior Herpetology Society, studying native flora and fauna.[5]

In 2001, following the political uprising in Zimbabwe, which led to the invasion and burning of the family farm, Galante was forced to return to California.[5] He resumed his education in Santa Barbara, where he graduated from high school and later earned a degree in biology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.[7]

Galante's interest in wildlife and conservation continued into his adulthood. "After university, I set out to explore the world looking for the most beautiful, remote and wild places on the planet," he said. "I have been bitten by a venomous snake, in a plane crash, mauled by a lion, charged by a hippo, stung by a man-of-war jellyfish, bitten by a shark, in a car wreck, tumbled off a waterfall and stabbed by a stingray."[8]

Career

In 2013, Galante made his first foray into television with an appearance on the Discovery Channel's Naked and Afraid, where he participated in the show's 21-day survival challenge.[9] He completed the challenge—being dropped with a stranger in the remote section of northwestern Panama—and scored one of the highest PSR (primitive survival rating) in the show's history.[10]

In 2016, Galante and his photographer were among the first to ever swim with crocodiles, wearing special suits that mimic the crocodile's scaly skin and block the body's electrical current, allowing them to capture the reptile's natural behavior. The duo came within inches of the crocodiles, filming them in their authentic habitat for their film Dancing with Dragons.[11]

On June 10, 2018, Galante's docu-series, Extinct or Alive premiered on Animal Planet.[12] The show sought to reveal whether animals believed to be extinct can potentially still be found. In each episode, Galante explored the habitats of these animals, often seeking protection to help preserve the species and encourage their continued survival. Destinations have included Taiwan (to search for the Formosan clouded leopard), Newfoundland (to explore the White Wolf), and Madagascar (to search for traces of the giant Pachylemur).[13] Galante has stated that he is committed to uncovering the Thylacine and, after two expeditions, will continue searching.[14]

Galante produced the History channel show Face the Beast where two men attempt to retrace the steps of predators going on unexplained, killing rampages against humans.[15] He has made media appearances on The Joe Rogan Experience, The Nightly Show, Shark Week, and The Today Show.[16] He has also appeared in the GQ: The Breakdown video series.[17]

In 2019, he appeared on 24 episodes of Nature's Strangest Mysteries: Solved,[16] and testified in front of the United States Congress to promote legislature change and increase funding for conservation.[18]

In 2020, Galante hosted a limited-edition television series named Wet Markets Exposed on Vice TV.[1] Wet markets sell live animals for human consumption; these animals can be sick, inbred or endangered, and can carry and transfer diseases to humans.[19] In the series, Galante discusses how the mistreatment and illegal selling and consumption of these animals allows the transfer of zoonotic viruses to humans.[1]

Notable discoveries

In his search for unique wildlife, Galante has visited over 60 countries.[20]

During filming for the show in 2018, a camera trap caught apparent footage of a Zanzibar leopard on Unguja Island. The animal appeared smaller than specimens from the mainland, and seemed to have smaller, more solid spots than normally seen on African leopards. Further investigations are planned in order to confirm whether or not this is a Zanzibar leopard, and whether a viable population still exists.[21]

During the shooting of a Shark Week special on the island of Sri Lanka, Galante's wife Jessica discovered a pair of deceased sharks that had previously been killed by fishermen. Although one of the sharks turned out to be a bull shark, DNA testing of the second specimen suggested that it could be a Pondicherry shark. It was stated that the species hadn't been seen since 1979,[22] although other sources cite sightings in 2007, 2016, and 2018.[23] While some regional experts were confident that the shark found in the episode was a Pondicherry shark, additional molecular confirmation is needed to confirm the shark's identity.[24]

Miller's grizzled langur

While shooting footage for Season 2 on the remote Galápagos Islands chain in February 2019, the team discovered a single female Fernandina Island Galápagos tortoise, presumed extinct since 1906.[25] Members of the Turtle Conservancy later analyzed the findings, saying that pending genetic confirmation, the photos "almost undoubtedly" show the lost animal. The tortoise was described as being “in good health” but “underweight,” and was transported to the Fausto Llerena Tortoise Breeding Center in Isla Santa Cruz for the purpose of conservation and genetic tests.[26] Trace evidence found on the expedition indicated that more individuals likely exist in the wild, and new searches were being planned to find a male Fernandina Tortoise that could potentially save the species.[27][28] Washington Tapia-Aguilera, a biologist at the Galapagos Conservancy and director of the Giant Tortoise Restoration Initiative, disputes these events, saying he, not Galante, actually decided where to look for the tortoise and that "Ecuadorian park ranger Jeffreys Málaga was the one that knew the land, tracked the tortoise, and ultimately made the discovery before calling over the rest of the team."[29] "Forrest and his team first are not scientists nor were they part of the scientific expedition," Tapia-Aguilera said.[29]

While shooting footage for Season 2 on the island of Borneo in April and May 2019, the team caught five pieces of footage on a camera trap overlooking a mineral spring that clearly showed the Miller's grizzled langur, presumed extinct since 2011, at both day and night.[30]

While shooting footage for Season 2 in Zimbabwe in 2019, the team collected DNA samples from an abnormally large lion that had recently been sighted in the area. Upon analyzing the DNA, the male was found to have 14% different DNA from a typical African lion, suggesting that it may have remnant genetics from the Cape lion population, which went extinct in the 1800s. The team theorizes that, through continued breeding, a pure Cape lion might one day be brought back.[31]

While shooting footage for Season 2 at Dong Mo Lake in Vietnam in 2019, the team, along with members of the Asian Turtle Program (ATP), captured footage of a Yangtze giant softshell turtle, a functionally extinct species with only three known surviving individuals, surfacing from the lake for a brief period. Although efforts to bring a surviving female of the species to the lake to possibly breed with the individual recorded in the episode failed due to her death in April 2019, the team hopes that their findings could contribute to a possible rescue of the species from extinction.[32]

In 2019, Galante along with a primatologist Cortni Borgerson excavated a non-fossilized, about 200 years old skull and tusk of hippopotamuses in Madagascar. As the last confirmed occurrence of Malagasy hippopotamus dates back to about 1,000 years ago,[33] Galante’s discovery indicates the survival of hippos on Madagascar lasted much longer than previously thought.[34]

While shooting footage for Season 2 in Colombia, the team caught and collected confirmed DNA samples from multiple individuals, including juveniles, of the Rio Apaporis caiman, a subspecies of spectacled caiman that had been believed to be extinct for over 30 years, suggesting that a healthy breeding population may exist in the area. A Colombian scientist named Sergio Balaguera-Reina had discovered the caiman prior to Galante's excursion and published a paper on it in 2019.[29] Balaguera-Reina further disputes the claim that the caiman was believed to be extinct, saying, "We never thought that this caiman was extinct. But the political situation in Colombia prevented biologists from safely accessing the animal’s habitat to confirm that it’s still there." [35] "The ongoing conservation work by an in-country scientist like Sergio is the best news of all,” Galante remarked.

During the shooting of a Shark Week special off the coast of South Africa, Galante was initially targeting two species and ended up finding three lost shark species. His first species was the whitetip weasel shark. He captured footage on a camera trap that he suspected was the whitetip weasel shark. He brought in an expert, Dr. Dave Ebert, who confirmed it was indeed the whitetail weasel shark. His next target was the ornate sleeper ray. He initially used an underwater drone to look for the ray with no success. He got a lead on a new species thought lost forever from his expert, and he moved to a new location to target the flapnose houndshark. While targeting this shark he got a call from a local divemaster who had footage he had captured on a recent night dive. His footage showed footage of Austin's guitarfish, a recently described species by Dr. Ebert, and an ornate sleeper ray feeding. Galante found a good habitat and attempted night fishing, and was able to catch and tag a flapnose houndshark.[36][37]

Criticism

As of 2021, Galante does not have any peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals, and he has been criticized for taking credit for the work of others.[38] For example, his website states that he personally captured the first video footage of a servaline genet,[39] which is contradicted by Zanzibar researchers,[40] and that he personally discovered a Fernandina Island tortoise,[41] which is contradicted by the leader of the expedition.[29]

References
  1. Weiss, Josh. "Vice TV's 'Wet Markets Exposed' Searches For The Next Pandemic And The Prognosis Isn't Looking Good". Forbes. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  2. "Forrest Galante". Discovery. December 1, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  3. "Extinct or Alive". IMDb.
  4. "Forrest Galante bio". Forrest Galante.
  5. Cabakoff, Rachel (December 24, 2013). "Profile: Forrest Galante". The Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  6. here, Sam Schaust I'm still (May 5, 2015). "Unshakable: an interview with Forrest Galante [extended online version]". Afraid. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  7. "Forrest Galante". Spearing Magazine. August 29, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  8. "Adventurer Forrest Galante travels the world to meet the most dangerous animals". news.com.au. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  9. Double Jeopardy, retrieved March 31, 2019
  10. John (June 7, 2017). "Here are the top ten Naked and Afraid PSRs of all time (along with a few dubious lows)". starcasm.net. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  11. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/85609105/scaly-suit-wins-over-crocs
  12. "Animal Planet Greenlights New Series 'Extinct or Alive' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  13. "Extinct or Alive: Animal Planet Series Searches for Species Believed to Be Extinct". canceled TV shows - TV Series Finale. May 22, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  14. Bender, Kelli. "'Extinct or Alive' Adventurer Forrest Galante Hasn't 'Given Up Hope' Tasmanian Tiger Is Alive". PEOPLE.com.
  15. Maglio, Tony (February 20, 2019). "Animal Planet's 'Extinct or Alive' Finds Its First 'Extinct' Species Alive". TheWrap.
  16. "Forrest Galante". IMDb. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  17. "The Breakdown". GQ Videos.
  18. "Animal Planet's Forrest Galante Tells Senators Innovative Predator Deterrents Could Become the Standard". U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
  19. Woo, Patrick Cy; Lau, Susanna Kp; Yuen, Kwok-yung (October 2006). "Infectious diseases emerging from Chinese wet-markets: zoonotic origins of severe respiratory viral infections". Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases. 19 (5): 401–407. doi:10.1097/01.qco.0000244043.08264.fc. ISSN 0951-7375. PMC 7141584. PMID 16940861.
  20. "Q & A with Forrest Galante". Borealism. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  21. Li, J. "Zanzibar Leopard Captured on Camera, Despite Being Declared Extinct". Inside Edition. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  22. Staff (August 2, 2019). "An elusive shark lost for 40 years was just rediscovered by adventurer Forrest Galante". Newsweek.
  23. Sankar, K N Murali (September 10, 2018). "'Pondicherry shark' spotted near Kakinada". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  24. "Lost Pondicherry Shark Swims into the Spotlight During Discovery Channel's Shark Week". Global Wildlife Conservation. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  25. "Not seen for 100 years, a rare Galápagos tortoise was considered all but extinct – until now". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  26. "Marcelo Mata on Twitter". Retrieved February 20, 2019.
  27. Miller, Ryan W. "Not seen for 100 years, a rare Galápagos tortoise was considered all but extinct – until now". USA TODAY.
  28. "Tortoise Feared Extinct Found on Remote Galapagos Island". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 20, 2019. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  29. Wight, Andrew J. (March 8, 2020). "In the bombast of an American TV host, colonial science lives on". Salon.
  30. Sarner, Lauren (October 29, 2019). "'Extinct or Alive' host Forrest Galante discovers rare monkey". New York Post.
  31. "The Legendary Cape Lion | Extinct or Alive". Animal Planet.
  32. "The Hidden Turtle of Vietnam Extinct or Alive". Animal Planet.
  33. Grubb, Peter (1993). Oliver, W.L.R. (ed.). Pigs, Peccaries, and Hippos: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN. Archived from the original on January 2, 2008.
  34. "Madagascar Dwarf Hippo". Animal Planet.
  35. Mayer, Lindsay Renick. "Rediscovery of 'Lost' Caiman Leads to New Crocodylian Mystery". Global Wildlife Conservation. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  36. https://meaww.com/shark-week-2020-extinct-or-alive-land-of-the-lost-sharks-three-species-rediscovered-forrest-galante
  37. "Searching for Lost Sharks". Discovery. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  38. Holmes, Branden (August 16, 2020). "The Damage Forrest Galante Has Done to Conservation Biology". recentlyextinctspecies.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  39. "Discoveries". forrestgalante.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021. During that same expedition, Galante also captured the first known video footage of a servaline genet.
  40. Walsh, Martin (June 10, 2018). ""The Zanzibar Leopard" on Animal Planet". The Zanzibar Leopard. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  41. "Discoveries". forrestgalante.com. Retrieved January 30, 2021. In 2019, during an expedition to the Galapagos, Galante trekked over Fernandina Island and discovered a female Fernandina Island tortoise, a species that hadn’t been seen for 113 years and also was classified as extinct.
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