Award-winning photographer, cinematographer and explorer Shannon Wild is known for her close encounters with some of the world’s most endangered animals, and man does she have some stories!

Shannon grew up in Queensland, where she discovered her passion for wildlife and photography at a young age. In the years since then, she’s travelled all over the globe to film and photograph everything from wild komodo dragons to big cats for National Geographic, and, as part of her work, she regularly ventures to Svalbard for close encounters with arctic wildlife.

In this episode of Wild Lives by Faunographic, Shannon shares her most memorable encounters with polar bears, walruses and arctic foxes, and explains how she’s able to keep her cool in dicey situations – even when she’s being mauled by a cheetah!

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