INTERVIEW: Dave Salmoni combines education, entertainment for Global Tiger Day

Animal Planet is gearing up to celebrate tigers, those iconic striped felines, with a day of special programming. On Global Tiger Day, which this year falls on Saturday, July 29, the network will feature six hours of content with host Dave Salmoni, big-predator expert for Discovery Communications.

Salmoni is a well-known presence on Animal Planet. He mostly works with large cats and other predators; however, he also leaves some time for dogs and domesticated cats. He’s a jack of all species, someone who welcomes the big, beautiful and furious into people’s living rooms.

He’s quite excited for Global Tiger Day.

“I’ve been doing conservation through television for the last 17 years,” Salmoni said in a recent phone interview. “Truthfully, the best way to get people involved in conservation is to show them how amazing a particular species is. In this case, it’s tigers. We say, hey, look at these awesome [facts]. Here are the things that I love about tigers. Hopefully, you love them, too. Hey, and by the way, they’re in serious trouble. We should do something. It’s that interest that will get somebody hooked into the idea [of], wow, I like that animal. I’d like to keep him around, and then we build on that.”

Salmoni’s love for animals, in particular tigers, goes back to when he was a child watching wildlife documentaries on television. In the pre-DVR days, he was a big fan of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, and his friends would often call him when they spotted a tiger on TV. “That would be the main building block that started my career and my passion trying to help save tigers,” he said.

Coinciding with Global Tiger Day is Salmoni’s continued interest in Project C.A.T., a joint effort between Discovery Communications and World Wildlife Fund. C.A.T. stands for “Conserving Acres for Tigers.”

“We’re involved in trying to double tiger populations by 2022,” Salmoni said of Project C.A.T.’s efforts. “It’s only in the last couple years that we’ve had some of the first increase in numbers ever since we started to monitor, so there is some positive news in that way.”

The TV host has traveled the world and back again in search of these top predators. One of his top choices to actually see a tiger in the wild is Ranthambore National Park in India, a place that Salmoni said has consistent tiger viewing.

“It’s a great example of how an area has partnered with the local people,” he said. “There are a few other larger national parks that do a good job. They’ve been monitoring their cats for a while, so they know where they go. The cats are not nervous of vehicles, so that you can drive up, get your picture and really enjoy a tiger in its natural habitat.”

Salmoni added this about the prospects of ecotourism built around wild tigers: “I firmly believe that you can do it anywhere if it’s accessible, if it’s a place that people can go. If you’ve ever seen the African model where you go on safari, literally they go to where the animals are, and they support the animals. They build lodges where people can have nice meals and a nice bed, and they move forward that way. So some of the really, really remote places, I think, [are] difficult just because people can’t get there, but certainly there’s lots of places in Russia. There’s lots of places in Southeast Asia that could benefit from that specific model. I don’t think that specific model works for every tiger because there are lots of tigers living on mountains, living in areas that are not only inhospitable, but they’re hard to access if you’re just a regular tourist. But there are plenty of places.”

For those unable to travel to India anytime soon, Animal Planet has them covered. Global Tiger Day programming kicks off at 6 a.m. with Mutant Planet, a documentary about India’s West Ghats and the wildlife in the area. The marathon continues at 7 a.m. with Life Story, a special about Bengal tigers growing up and gaining independence. Other programs that morning: Tigress Blood, Last Tiger Standing and special tiger-centered episodes of The Vet Life and The Zoo.

Salmoni will be there for each special, welcoming the viewers and setting up each program. He’s gotten used to this type of TV work.

“I’ve been working with the network, Discovery Communications, since 2000, and sometimes it’s tigers,” he said. “Sometimes it’s sharks. Sometimes it’s dogs and cats, so my relationship with them is very much embedded. And they know the type of projects that I’ll be passionate about. I very often see a project. I think it’s important and good, and I say, ‘Hey, guys, do you know about this? Do you think we can make some programming around it?’ Or, for example, something like this Project C.A.T. … Discovery Communications reaches out to me as an Animal Planet personality and says, ‘Dave, we’d like you to explain to people why it’s so important to help save the tiger, but also explain to people why it’s awesome. Explain to people why tigers are cool.’ … We have a relationship where I can be an animal expert for them in any form or fashion that is. We hope that when people think of animals, they think of Animal Planet.”

Global Tiger Day comes on the heels of Shark Week, which has dominated viewing on Discovery. One wonders if the future holds an entire week of programming for tigers and other big cats.

“The things that I love, I could see everyone loving,” Salmoni said. “I love Shark Week. I watch Shark Week every year, and absolutely I could do a Tiger Week, a Lion Week, an Elephant Week. But obviously I’m unique in that, in that animals hold my interest.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

Global Tiger Day programming kicks off Saturday, July 29 at 6 a.m. on Animal Planet. Dave Salmoni hosts the six-hour block of specials. Click here for more information on Global Tiger Day. Click here for more information on Animal Planet. Click here for more information on Project C.A.T.