Today Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 99th birthday. The outpouring of love for the world’s favourite storyteller began several days ago when Prince William hailed David’s “lifetime of extraordinary service to our planet” and declared, “may we all raise a glass to a true giant and continue the mission he has led with such grace and urgency”.
Elsewhere, Billie Eilish and others did their best to pin down the magic of David’s inspiration in the pages of the Guardian. David “brings out the childlike curiosity within us all” (Eilish). “His voice is one of wonder that we have the good fortune to exist in the same space and time as these bewildering, beautiful creatures” (Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage). “He’s shown me life on Earth is miraculous, beautiful, brutal; that all species matter and in harming nature we harm ourselves” (climate scientist Dave Reay.)
I’ve seen David, a great spontaneous orator, arrive to celebrate the opening of new Wildlife Trust nature reserves and, after a brief guided tour and some searching questions, witnessed him raising the roof with the most rousing of speeches in front of thousands of people.
But while Sir David may be the most professional of communicators, I prefer author Amy-Jane Beer’s description of him as “a real-world Gandalf or Merlin” whose “quests have enriched, bewitched, inspired and motivated generations.” When Blue Planet came out, the great producer Alastair Fothergill reported that applicants for the marine biology course at the University of Southampton doubled.
No doubt this will be replicated in the coming months, for today is also the day his awe-inspiring new film, Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness, opens in cinemas and his book of the same name is out too. No one can say he’s taking it easy – and there’s an understandable urgency to his work.
Of his latest documentary about the natural wonders and threats to the sea, he writes: “I will not see how that story ends, but, after a lifetime of exploring our planet, I remain convinced that the more people enjoy and understand the natural world, the greater our hope of saving both it and ourselves becomes.”
Despite a career spent exploring the farthest corners of the globe, Sir David loves the wildlife, seasons and landscapes of Great Britain best and his support of nature charities here is testament to this. Leicestershire & Rutland Wildlife Trust’s Tilton Cutting Nature Reserve is where he searched for fossils as a young boy and it is said to have given him his love of the natural world. (Indeed, Ocean begins with David’s earliest memories of ammonites there.) Since then, Sir David has spent 60 years championing the work of The Wildlife Trusts and nature recovery projects across the UK. Happy birthday Sir David, from us all!
Emma Robertshaw is Head of Media Relations at The Wildlife Trusts
