A nine-year-old environmentalist from Camberwell, who has caught the eye of David Attenborough, is educating thousands of people online about saving animals.
Leo, from Camberwell, is making it his mission to educate the masses about endangered species – a passion that has seen him recognised by Sir David Attenborough himself.
The young environmentalist started his YouTube channel – Leo’s Animal Planet – during the covid lockdown aged just seven. He explains he was “missing nature a lot.”
“During lockdown, I was watching a lot of nature programmes and missing nature a lot, We don’t have a garden and there is not a lot of nature where I live, and I was quite lonely,” said Leo.
In the programmes, he was learning about how many animals were endangered. Leo said he asked his parents if he could make videos as he felt something needed to be done.
With help from his mum, Laurence, he began producing and starring in his own videos, hoping to raise awareness about protecting endangered species.
“With my YouTube channel, I want to encourage people to protect nature, wildlife, and the environment,” said Leo.
“I like to have fun in my videos and use storytelling to raise awareness for endangered animals,” he said.
“I point out fun facts but also the dangers that the beautiful creatures in the videos are facing because of our actions as humans.”
In one particular video, Leo, takes on the role of a journalist, interviewing zoologist author, Dr Clive Hicks.
He has since captured a broad audience of all ages with his videos, which have racked up a total of 100,000 views.
Leo’s ability to entertain viewers with humour whilst bringing awareness to important topics has not gone unnoticed.
Not only are his videos used in school to educate children about animal conservation, but last year, Leo received a handwritten letter from his hero, David Attenborough – which he says he is very proud of.
He also got a letter from former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, congratulating Leo on becoming UK’s 1808th Point of Light, and he won the Young Animal Hero Award in 2022 from Animal Star UK, as well as the CREST Young Stem Award from the British Science Association in 2023.
Now his work has seen him win an International Young Eco-Hero Award.
Leo won the Dr. Mary Griffin-Jones Award which honours a young person who is pursuing environmental activism through art and literature.
Leo is one of seventeen young environmental activists from across the globe to receive a 2023 International Young Eco-Hero Award. This award honours eco-conscious youth ages eight to sixteen who are taking crucial steps to solve tough environmental problems.
Mum, Laurence said she did not expect the reaction and is “very proud” of him.
“The videos were almost like his way to travel. He would change the backgrounds on the camera and say things like ‘Today, I’m in the Caribbean’ and talk about animal species from there.”
She added that given his age, lots of people think it is his parents behind the knowledge and idea to start the channel.
“Many people might think we are nature campaigners but this has all come from Leo.
“I’ve learnt a lot from him,” she added.
For the past 20 years, Action For Nature has recognized 339 Eco-Heroes from 27 countries and 32 U.S. states. Other recipients of the awards include youngsters campaigning to save the rainforests in South America.
“Leo and all of this year’s young climate champions are proving one thing loud and clear: the next generation of leaders has arrived, and they’re unleashing their power on a global scale to tackle the climate crisis head-on,” said Beryl Kay, president of Action for Nature.
“The incredible accomplishments of Leo and our other winners are more than just isolated projects – they’re changing lives and transforming communities for the better.”
In addition to the videos about animal species, having built up such a following (over 1,100 subscribers) he also gets sent animal books to read and review. His mum said he does a video review and then he donates the book to his school.
To learn more about Leo’s work, check out his YouTube channel here.
He has also started a podcast more recently which can be accessed here.