Richard Rasmussen
| Richard Rasmussen | |
|---|---|
| File:Richard Rasmussen em Agosto de 2019 (cropped).jpgRichard Rasmussen em Agosto de 2019 (cropped).jpg Richard Rasmussen in August 2019 | |
| Born | February 15, 1970 São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Brazilian |
| Other names | "Richard, the adventurer" "Richard, the adventure hunter" "Wild Richard" |
| 🏫 Education | University of São Paulo (Economics) Universidade Ibirapuera (Biology) |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| 🌐 Website | richardrasmussen |
Richard Rasmussen (born February 15, 1970) is a Brazilian naturalist, economist, biologist, and television presenter. He serves as an ambassador for Brazilian ecotourism appointed by Embratur (Brazilian Tourism Board) under the Bolsonaro government.
Rasmussen graduated in Biology from Universidade Ibirapuera in 2008 and holds an active registration with the Federal Council of Biology (CFBio). He also holds a degree in Economics from the University of São Paulo. He is best known for hosting wildlife and adventure television programs, including Selvagem ao Extremo (Wild to the Extreme) on RecordTV and Aventura Selvagem (Wild Adventure) on SBT.
Early life and education
Rasmussen is of Danish descent and was raised in São Roque, a city in the interior of São Paulo state, on a small farm until age ten. His father frequently traveled for work, and Richard, an only child, spent most of his time with his mother surrounded by forest and animals.
His paternal grandfather was an Italian who loved Brazil's natural beauty and regularly traveled to Mato Grosso and the Amazon region several times a year. From age twelve, Richard began traveling with his grandfather, exploring Brazilian forests.
Rasmussen worked for ten years as an auditor while dedicating himself to building a conservation breeding facility called "Casa da Tartaruga" (Turtle House), where he sheltered various animals from different sources, including environmental police, illegal trade seizures, and wildlife rescues. During eight years at this facility, Rasmussen learned much of what he later presented on his television program Selvagem ao Extremo, working alongside other biologists.
The breeding facility was closed in 2005 due to irregularities, after notifications from IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) and several violations totaling over 280,000 reais in fines. The irregularities ranged from animal escapes and deaths of some specimens by dogs roaming freely in the area, to evidence of trafficking due to lack of proof of origin for animals and inspections revealing animal movement between visits.
Career
Television
In March 2005, Rasmussen created the segment Selvagem ao Extremo (Wild to the Extreme), which aired every Sunday on the program Domingo Espetacular on RecordTV. The segment was presented in an irreverent and spontaneous manner, showing different cultures and unusual situations, becoming successful among nature and adventure enthusiasts. The segments were later rebroadcast in a dedicated program with the same title on Record News.
In August 2009, he was hired by SBT, where he presented the program Aventura Selvagem (Wild Adventure) until April 20, 2014.
In August 2013, he premiered a new program on the pay channel National Geographic, O Mundo Selvagem de Richard Rasmussen (Richard Rasmussen's Wild World).
As a naturalist, Rasmussen constantly observes nature, seeking to study and understand it. He draws inspiration from evolutionist Charles Darwin, who was a nature lover and creator of the theory of natural selection. Richard also participates in environmental projects and lectures throughout Brazil.
In February 2015, he signed a contract with Band television network, starting on May 23 to host, alongside Manu Karsten, the program Sábado Animal (Saturday Animal), broadcast on Saturday afternoons. He presented the program until 2017, when he left the network.
Recent work
Rasmussen was appointed "Brazilian Tourism Ambassador" on August 2, 2019, by Embratur to promote tourism in Brazil. In May 2019, he moved to TV Paraná Turismo where he presents the program As Aventuras de Richard no Paraná (Richard's Adventures in Paraná). On August 9, 2020, he premiered on TV Cultura the program Brasil Biomas (Brazil Biomes).
Controversies
Pink dolphin incident
In 2014, Richard was accused by Amazon fishermen of paying them 100 reais to kill a pregnant female pink dolphin during filming, to stage a report about the killing of these animals. The footage aired on the Sunday television program Fantástico in July 2014. Rasmussen confirmed his participation in the filming but denied paying the fishermen to kill the dolphin, stating his intention was to alert the population about dolphin killings. In the footage, riverside fishermen kill a drowned animal and cut it into pieces to use the meat as bait for piratinga fish.
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