BETWEEN leading expeditions in the rain-forest and developing a national theatre tour, passionate naturalist Nick Baker barely has time to look after his 20 snakes at home in Chagford.

As a field naturalist, broadcaster and educator, Nick has travelled to endless exotic locations and researched a host of tropical creatures.

Having been busy recently touring schools in Devon to trial his new show Bugged, Nick is now developing a national tour which he will take to theatres across the UK with Harry Potter creature movement consultant William Todd-Jones (Todd).

Nick said: ‘The Bugged tour was a couple of weeks ago now. It was just done in Devon to trial it out. I have known Todd for some time so we finally got our acts together.

‘We will now be cro-wdfunding, acquiring the kit for ourselves because we borrowed a lot and taking the tour around the country.

‘I was one of the first people showing exotic bugs to schools which was part of a youth development scheme.

‘As a kid I loved bugs so I wanted to generate interest within this age group — we have been doing it for ages so are moving onto the next stage. I have been writing books and broadcasting for a long time too.

‘I am really worried about the younger generation being able to get out and look at bugs and insects.

‘I think it should be made compulsory to make sure kids have some time outdoors every week, it should not be extra time or a luxury.’

Although enjoying the audience participation involved in the schools tour, Nick said he was looking forward to taking it to theatres too.

‘It is quite stressful making sure you have what you need when you go to schools,’ he said, ‘so I am looking forward to taking the show to theatres as part of a national tour. Writing, broadcasting and touring live shows are all very different. With the live stuff you are flying by the seat of your pants, you are driven by the audience and questions they ask. It is all about developing relationships – during the tour we discovered some gags that we didn’t see coming and so we will be writing them into the tour.’

In hearing Nick explain the struggles national parks are bound to face if cuts to funding are implemented, it is clear how attached he feels to the land and that he would like to see it preserved for future generations.

He added: ‘I love the area – this area found me. I like the edges of Dartmoor and of Devon where the woodland meets the moor — that’s where all the butterflies are and where the magic is.

‘I also love the coast which is why I’m living slap bang in the middle because I couldn’t decide on which coast. I love how biodiversity is still intact on Dartmoor – much more than where I grew up in East Sussex.

‘Dartmoor is a precious place and can’t afford to have any cuts. Visiting numbers are always going up so authorities won’t be able to cope. We are going to lose what Dartmoor really is.’

Nick also said that he was concerned by development within national parks.

He added: ‘One thing that I think is disgusting and really concerns me is the mass development in national parks. I don’t think there should be any development going on in a national park and if there is it needs to be really thought through.

‘Chagford and even Tavistock depend on tourism but that will be lost if developers start stuffing these areas with houses of minimum price and minimum quality and maximum profit.

‘The local people can’t afford to live locally anymore. We are all a victim to this building work all over the UK and we will pay the price by losing Dartmoor.

‘Packing houses in here it will cause major problems and ruin the moor.’

Many naturalists, including one of the most outspoken, environ-mental activist and Guardian columnist George Monbiot, believe that re-wilding (large-scale conservation aimed at protecting natural processes and core wilderness areas through protecting or reintroducing apex predators and keystone species) national parks, will solve many current issues. Nick said that he believes for re-wilding to be effective, everyone needs to be on board.

‘One of the things that needs defining is how far back in history we are going and what numbers of animals there will be.

‘Re-wilding is a great idea in many ways and it conserves biodiversity. But when people hear re-wilding everyone thinks of wolves and big sexy things like that which get the press really excited but we need to look at what can realistically be done in the area.

‘As much as I would like to see a lynx running around, re-wilding is more than that and bigger than that – the challenge is addressing our relationship with the environment.

Most of us don’t understand nature – for most people getting outside walking their dog is the most nature they experience and they make bad decisions because they don’t appreciate it.’

Nick also expressed his opinion of the role of animals within the popular television show I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here, following statements in the press made by Springwatch presenter Chris Packham.

He added: ‘I know Chris Packham, he is a good friend of mine and we have spoken about this on many occasions and I agree with him – I think it is obscene. We couldn’t fill a tank with kittens and smash them up so why is it ok to do it with cockroaches? It is even worse what they do with the snakes. I think maybe they set it in Australia because the rules are more lax over there. A lot of the animals used already have a bad rep so using them like this just makes it worse for them.

‘I’d love to take part in I’m A Celebrity so that I could go over there and shop them for what they are.’

As for his own animals, Nick said that he is downsizing at the moment – with around 20 left.

‘I do have a lot of animals. I am downsizing at the moment and have about 20 odd snakes but I am always rescuing animals. I was in the hairdresser’s this morning and got offered a snake!

‘I don’t have enough time any more for too many animals because I have a family and I’m often abroad but I do have some bugs.

‘I have one snake that I’ve had for about 20 years, called Julia Squeezer. I guess she’s my favourite, I mean if someone asked me to get rid of her I couldn’t.’

Nick also said that he gets contacted on Twitter regularly by people trying to identify bugs but that he believes the researching stage to be part of the enjoyment.

He said: ‘I get lots of Tweets about bugs and I try to answer if I can.

‘If I don’t know the answer to a question someone has asked me, I enjoy researching for them but at the same time I think no-one was there for me, with an instant answer, when I started researching at the beginning of my career. Computers have made it easier but I don’t hang around on them too much.

‘I really enjoy researching under my own steam and finding a hard earned answer and the gratification that comes with that. When it is so easy to ask a question and get the answer you don’t take it in as much as researching yourself.’

As well as planning the Bugged tour, Nick has a range of other projects in the pipeline.

‘I’m doing loads,’ he said. ‘I’m starting a fellowship at a local college and I’m working on Every Child Wild, (a group dedicated to making sure every child has access to wild experiences).

‘I’m working with National Geographic and have just filmed a pilot for a series on BBC2. I’m doing some tours in Totnes and will be travelling to Peru next year to take people around wildlife watching.’