HUNDREDS of people packed the TRECC to see Steve Backshall in his Deadly 60 Down Under live show.
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The event was so popular, extra tickets had to be released to meet the demand.
The animal expert shared stories of his encounters, and showed off a range of creepy crawlies.
His deadliest encounter in Tamworth, though, may have been the heat.
“Holy moly, it’s hot,” he told the crowd in “terrific Tamworth”.
“I was here for five minutes and thought I was going to spontaneously combust.”
Backshall got into the world of deadly animals on his own wildlife program in the 1990s that later sold to National Geographic.
It’s then he was hired as an adventurer in residence.
The deadliest animal he’s ever come into contact with is, surprisingly, a dragonfly.
“I’d have to say some of the large dragonflies, the fastest flying insects have the ability to see in a whole different world of speed to us,” he said.
“It’s vital when you’re working with animals that you’re not frightened, animals sense fear and react negatively to it.
“That’s true if you’re working with dogs or horses just as much as big cats and whales.”
Rarely scared himself, the closest he’s been to a deadly encounter was diving in the Okavango Delta when he came face to face with a hippo on the bottom of a murky pool.