Winterwatch presenter Chris Packham has revealed that he has been given a security detail to protect him during filming after threats to harm him and his loved ones.
The Winterwatch host, who is currently presenting the BBC show live from Dorset, now has a bodyguard accompanying him on and off set.
Chris, 62, told The Mirror: “A couple of times recently, before the Watches, we’ve had specific threats for me. So we’ve had a person who’s there and stays at the hotel, and then goes with me to the place.”
Chris Packham threat: ‘I’m going to harm you’
The climate change campaigner presents Winterwatch with Michaela Strachan, Gillian Burke and Iolo Williams.
He said: “We have had several threats recently that are not death threats but they’re saying: ‘We’re going to harm you.’ And they come, unbelievably, from emails. We’ve got the person’s email address, obviously, I’ve reported them to the police. I haven’t heard back from the police but they’ve acknowledged receipt of them.
“So we’ve had two in the last month saying: ‘I’m going to harm you and harm your family.'”
Chris believes he has been a targeted by people who disagree with his stance on the climate and his opposition to fox hunting. In October 2021, the gates of his home in the New Forest were firebombed. Dead crows have been hung up outside his home and human excrement has been sent to him in the post.
The naturalist has also blasted I’m A Celebrity for “appalling” animal cruelty.
View this post on Instagram
Threats to Chris are ‘regular’
Chris was paid ‘substantial’ damages after he sued the website Fieldsports Channel when it published an article accusing him of writing a death threat to himself.
At the time his lawyer said: “He has spent much of his life campaigning on environmental protection and conservation, and animal welfare issues. His campaigns receive significant support for all sections of society, including rural communities.
“However, regrettably, the claimant regularly receives threats from those who oppose his campaigns, including death threats.”
Read more: Why death threats and an arson attack will not silence Chris Packham
Winterwatch continues this week at 8pm on BBC Two.
What do you make of this story? Head over to our Facebook page @EntertainmentDailyFix to share your thoughts.