Tomas Pasie is a young YouTuber passionate about exotic animals, with more than 200,000 people supporting his work and more than 10,000,000 views around the world. He decided to combine his passion for wildlife with his video editing skills to create a truly fascinating YouTube channel.
Through this activity, Tomas has the ambition to show the world the beauty and importance of unfortunately unloved species. An undeniably achieved goal if you look at his videos.
I had the chance to get an interview with Tomas to learn more about him and his commitment to the animal cause and here is the discussion we had.
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You own a youtube channel where you present all kinds of exotic animals to the world. Do you remember how and when this passion came to you?
Tomas Pasie: My passion for animals came from my interest in reptiles and invertebrates as a child. When I was little, my mom got me a bug-catching kit and we would go outside to the backyard or park to find small bugs. I would then read books with facts about them to learn as much as I could. One day I went to a pet store and, to my surprise, I saw they had lizards! This was when I first realized people can keep reptiles. Since then, I have always had the desire to work with these animals in some way!
Speaking of Youtube, what made you decide to create this channel? Did you expect to have more than a hundred thousand subscribers today?
T.P. : I created my channel after being inspired by other YouTubers who worked with animals! Editing videos was something I always enjoyed so I started filming tours of my “reptile room” to show others my passion. Getting to a hundred thousand subscribers was something I had always dreamed about growing up, but I knew it would be difficult to achieve. I’m so grateful for everyone who subscribed and made my dream come true. Now I will continue to use the platform I was given to spread a message that promotes environmental mindfulness.
Among all the exotic species you presented, which one of them fascinates you the most and why ?
T.P. : The species that fascinates me the most is the Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tarantula (Scientific Name: Poecilotheria metallica).
This is my personal favorite tarantula species simply because of its extraordinary blue and yellow coloration. The species is native to India and is currently listed as critically endangered. Their population is also decreasing in the wild due to deforestation. Despite this, the tarantula can commonly be found in captivity thanks to hobbyists that care for them.
There is no doubt that you are passionate about animals and I suppose you feel concerned about the massive extinction of species that we are witnessing today.
Would you say your channel has a role to play in defending animal cause? Have you ever had any feedback that goes in this direction?
T.P. : I strongly believe my channel has a role to play in the defense of causes that save animals and their habitats. The most interesting feedback I get are the conversations that start from the messages I spread. I intrigue people with animals they do not know much about, teach them all about each animal, and then am able to bring up points about conservation and other topics as a result. Those are the exact steps I take to bring awareness to the causes I care about.
In relation to our Shape Your Future video series, I would like to ask you one more question, in fact the one to top them all and to guide all of us:
How do you shape your future?
