Dan O’Neill
Field Biologist, Wildlife Filmmaker and TV Presenter
Dan O'Neill is an experienced field biologist, wildlife filmmaker, explorer, and presenter, who specialises in remote and challenging environments, and camera trap technology.
Film Work
Love Nature has recently commissioned Snow Leopards with Dan O’Neill. The series follows Dan as he attends an extreme conservation mission to the mountains of Kyrgzstan and Mongolia, to reveal the hunting behaviour, social dynamics and territorial range of these elusive animals.
Dan’s five-part series Giants (Off The Fence production for Curiosity Stream) premiered in May 2023. The series circles the globe on five epic expeditions to find the biggest beasts to have roamed the planet. Giants marked the first time in history that an openly LGBT wildlife presenter hosted a series for a major network.
Dan recently filmed Hawk Boy for the BBC’s The One Show. His work for BBC Earth includes Snow Leopards: Ghosts in the Snow, a four-part docuseries following Dan and the Snow Leopard Trust into the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Dan O'Neill Investigates sees Dan explore the illegal wildlife trade and animal cruelty. After We’ve Gone is a demonstration of how nature would thrive without humans.
In 2020, Dan travelled to rebel-occupied western Mindanao, to learn the conservation story of the most endangered raptor on the planet, the Philippine eagle. The film, Queen of Birds, which documented his journey, has been viewed over 2.3 million times.
Other work has included shooting and directing longform wildlife and expedition documentaries for broadcast, producing digital mini series, co-producing nature-inspired music with Grammy-winning artist Imogen Heap, and co-directing digital fashion campaigns.
Expeditions
Dan has organised numerous expeditions to find and study rare animals. These have taken place in the jungles of the northern Amazon, around the Mayan temple ruins of the Yucatan, and in the frozen peaks of Central Asia. Dan is regularly involved in field studies, primarily working as a mammal specialist, expedition leader and camera-trap technician.
Most recently, Dan joined the Hyderabad Tiger Conservation Society to camera trap and track tigers in India’s largest tiger reserve. 2024 also saw Dan lead a snow leopard field trip in Kyrgyzstan, and attend a biodiversity research trip in Mexico. In December 2023, Dan led an expedition to Guyana, and in June 2023, he led a six-week scientific study to Cusuco, Honduras, capturing and ringing tropical forest birds and camera-trapping large mammals. In 2021, supported by indigenous people, Dan led an expedition in search of jaguars, which was documented in the film, Last Eden: Guyana.
Speaker
A popular speaker, host and compere, Dan’s extensive knowledge, storytelling expertise and exuberant personality allow him to connect with audiences of all backgrounds, ages, and interests.
Key topics include, sustainability, conservation, LGBTQIA+, extreme environments, and motivation.
Speaker Testimonials
“Dan’s personal style of storytelling is truly moving and inspiring.” Jayson Ibanez, Philippine Eagle Foundation
“Dan was an absolute delight to work with. He gave an inspiring talk to our college and university students who were fascinated and intrigued in equal measure.” Jamie Cash, Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies
Snow Leopard Trust
Dan has partnered with the Snow Leopard Trust on his upcoming PhD studies to explore snow leopard behavioural and spatial ecology using video camera traps.
In 2023, Dan was delighted to be appointed the Snow Leopard Trust’s Explorer in Residence. The Snow Leopard Trust is the world’d largest organisation devoted to protecting this enigmatic cat and it’s mountain habitats.
Interests
Dan continues to be a passionate advocate for increased LGBT representation in STEM, natural history media, and adventure. His work has been featured in Attitude Magazine, Gay Times, The Advocate, The Independent, BBC Radio 4 and more.
Image Credit: Chris Beard, Joseph Sinclair
